RIVER FALLS – As the University of Wisconsin-River Falls prepares to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding, officials hope to use that number to boost donations as part of the university’s annual Giving Day fundraiser. 

In conjunction with the 150-year commemoration, UW-River Falls has set a Giving Day fundraising goal of $150,000. Last year donations on Giving Day topped $100,000. 

This year, Giving Day will actually be Giving Days as the annual fundraising event will occur on Thursday, April 4 and Friday, April 5, taking place over two days instead of one as it has in the past. 

“We hope that the support people have shown this university and how it benefits this region and Wisconsin shows itself in donations on Giving Days,” Rick Foy, UWRF assistant chancellor for university advancement, said of the event that is the university’s largest single fundraising event each year.

The fundraising effort, with all donations directed to the UWRF Foundation, enhances students’ educational experiences by funding research activities, scholarships, faculty and staff development, and more. It also highlights the university’s impact on the economy and quality of life throughout the region and state. In many cases, multiple generations of the same family have attended the university.

“We want to emphasize the generational success of UWRF and how this university has played a vital role for so many people over its 150-year history,” Foy said. 

In collaboration with Giving Days, UWRF will host an on-campus sesquicentennial commemoration on Monday, April 8, celebrating the fundraising effort along with the founding of the River Falls State Normal School in April 1874. April 8 was the groundbreaking of the original South Hall building that was the first on campus. The official public kickoff to the university’s 150-year anniversary celebration will occur at the beginning of the 2024-25 academic year, with commemoration events continuing through May 2025.

UW-River Falls is thankful to its many donors, who are supporting the university at record-breaking pace, Foy said. Private donations have become especially important as public universities have experienced tight budgets in recent years. Dollars raised support projects, scholarships, programs, and other student-focused initiatives. Unrestricted funds not specified for certain programs or projects can be used to fill funding gaps. 

“Those unrestricted dollars are critical and help the university meet pressing and immediate needs,” Foy said. 

Last year’s fundraiser focused on the Falcon Annual Fund that provides undesignated money to a wide variety of needs. This year’s Giving Days will continue to emphasize the Falcon Annual Fund but will also seek support for the university’s three colleges and Falcon Athletics. The university in December hired Scott Sekelsky, who focuses his fundraising efforts on the athletic program.

“We want our donors to give to whatever areas really speak to them,” said Lindsey Nelson, UWRF’s annual giving manager and coordinator of Giving Days. “As we’ve evolved, our expectations have risen significantly. Only five years ago, our overall goal was $15,000. This year it’s $150,000, ten times more than 2019.”

No matter which category people want to donate to, all funds are appreciated and will go to good use, Foy said. 

“All of the money we take in goes toward supporting UW-River Falls and enables it to provide its students with a quality, affordable education while also playing a vital role in our region, one of the upper Midwest’s fastest-growing areas,” Foy said.

For Giving Days details, visit https://fundraising.idonate.com/uwrf/GivingDay2024 or contact Nelson at lindsey.nelson@uwrf.edu or 715-425-4291. All donations are directed to the UWRF Foundation and are tax-deductible.

Submitted by UW-River Falls