Lehigh’s annual Giving Day and March Mania fundraising campaign concluded Wednesday night, generating more than $3.2 million over a 48-hour period.
Janet Norwood, assistant vice president of marketing, communications and strategic messaging, said the preliminary total — which could rise as final gifts are processed — marks an increase from the $3 million raised last year. The campaign, held Tuesday and Wednesday, drew 4,700 donors, including more than 400 current students.
According to Lehigh Sports, March Mania and Giving Day weren’t always a joint event. March Mania originated within Lehigh’s athletics department to fundraise for student-athletes, while Giving Day historically served as a fundraising drive for different colleges within the university.
Carol Packard, vice president for development and alumni relations, said the two programs were combined three years ago.
“Giving Day and March Mania is the combination of Development and Alumni Relations in partnership with athletics, doing this crowd fundraising, community building effort over the course of two days,” Packard said.
Norwood said Lehigh Athletics raised approximately $1.7 million this time, surpassing its goal of $1.5 million.
Dean of athletics Jeremy Gibson said these two days are critical for Lehigh Athletics.
“Those are resources that really take us from running a very good Division I program in the Patriot League to providing our student-athletes with an opportunity to pursue a different level of success and competition,” he said.
Gibson also said the funds are used to cover costs that typically fall outside the standard operating budget, including out-of-region travel, spring training trips and evolving sports technology.
According to the Lehigh Alumni website, Lehigh receives large-scale donations, but over 75% of all gifts in the past fiscal year were under $500.
Kelsey Kichline, assistant director of annual giving, said this year’s campaign focused on increasing student participation.
Kichline said the Lehigh Athletics and Development and Alumni Relations offices hosted a tabling event at STEPS and a trivia night to promote Giving Day and March Mania. The events aimed to address misconceptions about the university’s endowment and how it contributes to the budget.
“I don’t think that students oftentimes have an idea of how much philanthropy impacts their day-to-day life here on campus,” she said. “A common misconception is that the endowment covers all of Lehigh’s costs, which is not the case. We can’t just pull from the endowment whenever we want.”
Kichline also said more than 50% of Lehigh students utilize financial aid or scholarships, which are programs directly supported by philanthropic efforts.
Norwood said 38 student clubs participated in this year’s campaign, totaling more than 2,500 student volunteers fundraising for their respective organizations. The clubs raised a combined total of more than $17,000.
Kichline said at the event, university administrators promoted the “Lehigh Promise,” an initiative asking seniors to commit to supporting Lehigh as alumni. She said the goal is to build awareness so that when students graduate, they understand the impact a small gift can have on the student experience.
For the event, Lehigh set donation thresholds for students and parents that, if reached, unlocked prizes. Student donations earned vouchers to The Cup, an ice cream shop in Farrington Square, while parent donations created a university pledge to provide therapy dogs during finals week.
Packard said while the team is pleased with the results, it will continue seeking feedback from faculty, students and the Board of Trustees to determine how the program could evolve. She said organizers are already looking ahead to 2027 for an equally successful result.
Kichline, Packard and Gibson all said their efforts wouldn’t be as successful without the support of Lehigh’s alumni community.
“There’s a really deep pride in people’s affiliation with our university,” Gibson said. “I think a lot of them view it as an opportunity to continue to support something that’s just deeply meaningful to them.”
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