Luther College Giving Day brings in over half a million dollars in donations to the college

Giving Day, Luther College's 15-hour fundraising event to support the Annual Fund at Luther College, brought in a lot of donations to the college on Thursday.  $501,704 in donations and pledges had been collected.

The day included a simultaneous 12-hour live feed bringing entertainment, engaging stories and information from students, faculty, and staff across campus to Luther family and friends across the globe.

"Giving Day is a chance for the Luther family all over the country (and the world) to connect with one another through the power of social media and to encourage each other to support the Annual Fund," said Luther Director of Annual Giving Maria Smith.  She added, "Our donors can be a part of the excitement by keeping up on social media, watching the live stream throughout the day, and sharing posts. They really have a chance to be a part of everything happening on campus and the opportunity to make a huge difference in the total raised for the Annual Fund,"

Giving Day features various challenges throughout the day, encouraging a diverse group of alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the college to give generously. Challenges include the "Go Big and Go Gnome Super Awesome Regents Challenge," the "Warmly Weston Challenge" and "The Whippy Dip Challenge."

Different challenges are posted throughout the day on Luther's Facebook page, https://facebook.com/luthercollege; Twitter feed, https://twitter.com/luthercollege; and Instagram feed, https://instagram.com/luthercollege. Observers can also view posts on https://tagboard.com/luthergives17, and can participate in challenges and events throughout the day using #luthergives17 on social media.

Last year, more than 10,000 alumni, family and friends supported the Annual Fund with gifts ranging from $5 to $100,000. This unrestricted giving provides scholarships, world-class teaching and supports the whole Luther experience.

Livestreaming from Marty's

Luther Collge swag offered at Marty's

Giving Day social media command center in Loyalty Hall