Virginia Commonwealth University held its second annual VCU Giving Day on May 3. Over 24 hours, our community of alumni, students and parents, faculty and staff, patients, friends and neighbors rallied to support a university unlike any other. Official results are still being finalized, but preliminary reporting has a total of more than $7.8 million from 5,107 members of the VCU Ramily around the world. The donations will fund more than 400 causes universitywide. 

VCU Libraries raised  $54,185 from 122 gifts. VCU Libraries had asked for support of one of four initiatives. 

• The Friends of VCU Libraries Scholarship: The Friends of the VCU Libraries Scholarship supports a student to help defray the costs of tuition, food and housing, books, technology and equipment, graduate school applications and more. $28,670 raised on Giving Day.
• Advancing Affordable Course Content: Studies show that students spend up to $1,500 each year on textbooks and class supplies. For many Rams, that expense can feel like an insurmountable burden. Your support of VCU Libraries eases the burden on students by helping faculty transition from expensive, printed textbooks to free and adaptable open educational resources and library materials. $8,190 raised on Giving Day.
• The Social Welfare History Project: To strengthen our  communities and help effect change, we need to understand how our society has evolved and the systems currently in place. When you support VCU Libraries’ outstanding Social Welfare History Project, you help all of us better understand society’s greatest challenges. $16,395 raised on Giving Day.
• VCU Libraries Transformational Spaces:  With ongoing support, VCU Libraries can create one of the country’s most vibrant academic research libraries. By giving to the VCU Libraries Transforming Library Spaces Fund, you support both the Cabell Library $930 raised on Giving Day.

“Thank you to everyone who gave to make VCU Libraries second Giving Day even more successful than the first,” said Director of Development and Major Gifts Kelly Gotschalk. “VCU Libraries is doing great work and your support helps us to continue that work and share the stories of the impact that it makes. Thank you!”

Three of these fundraising priorities had matches that increased the value of individual donations. Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of VCU Libraries Board – current and emeritus – gifts to the Friends of VCU Libraries Scholarship were matched up to $8,000 and gifts to Advancing Affordable Course Content were matched up to $4,000. The Hansan Family Foundation remains committed to the success of the $100,000 challenge grant that they extended to the Social Welfare History Project in 2021 and all gifts will be matched to $75,000.