ACU Gives fundraises for athletics, other student organizations

ACU Gives, the university’s annual two-day fundraising campaign will take place over 1,906 minutes from April 29-30. Donations can be made to a list of organizations and their causes.

While any donation made to the university within the two days counts, Samantha Adkins, Executive Director of Donor Relations and Annual Giving, said there are 40 designated organizations to spotlight throughout the event.

“We’re spotlighting a couple of bigger programs or scholarships, things that have some things kind of pressing that are coming up or that don’t get to get their name out as often as others,” Adkins said. “We saved about 20 of those spots for our athletics partners, so all of our sports teams get a designation for the day, and then we also invite our campus partners across campus to apply to be a part of the day”

Adkins said in the past, each college was asked to highlight programs, but this year, all groups across campus were allowed to apply. Applications were opened in the fall for about a month and a half before the top 20 were chosen based on whether they align with the university’s values and meet certain requirements.

“We kind of look at, are they mission and vision focused for the university?” Adkins said. “Are they helping us spread the word of Jesus to the world?”

If the mission aligns, Adkins said they look at whether the donations will be used within 12 months and if there is a level of student involvement such as a student organization that would help promote it.

“We also are looking at things that have a five to $10,000 goal level,” Adkins said. “So they’re not looking to raise $200,000 or a million dollars, they’re looking for small amounts that will really make a difference.”

One of the organizations represented this year, is the Katie Kirby Student Care Fund, which is the student emergency relief fund. Lyndi Felan, dean for retention and student success, said the fund is used to help students be successful on campus and meet student’s needs.

“We pull from this fund to meet the needs of students that are experiencing food insecurity, loss of a job, needing help, covering a month’s rent, paying to go to counseling,” Felan said. “We buy laptops for students and give them out. We buy bikes for students who live off campus, who don’t have a car. And so the fund is used for various needs.”

Felan said the funding, typically administrated through SOAR, distributes $500 per student during their four years at ACU unless there is extenuating circumstances. Students can reach out to SOAR through soar@acu.edu.

“If we can alleviate the financial barrier that might be preventing them from focusing on schoolwork or assignments or whatever, then that’s what we want to do,” Felan said. “Every other fund goes directly into the department or the program that definitely impacts the student experience, so it is important, but for us, this is something that’s really important to us as it, you know, directly impacts the student.”

Adkins said the goal is to get as many people involved to encourage meeting the goals of each individual organization and hopefully passing last year’s results of raising almost one million dollars.

“$5 really does make a difference, especially in things like the exceptional Scholarship Fund and the Katie Kirby fund, because these are immediately going to students, and while I can let go of my $5 cup of coffee for the day so that I can make sure a student gets their needs met because when my $5 combines with all the $5 that different people are giving, it makes a huge difference,” Adkins said.

A kickoff party will be held immediately after chapel on April 29 due to the generosity of a donor. An opportunity to participate in donations or write thank you notes will be available along with a soda bar, outdoor games, a 360 photo booth and more.

Here is the full list of organizations listed for ACU Gives.

Exceptional Scholarship Fund
Wildcat Care Fund (ACU Online)
Faculty Teaching Partnerships
ACUTV
ACU Debate Team
The Language and Literature Undergraduate Research Fund
Experiential Learning and Mentoring for CBS
Study Abroad Scholarships for Bible Majors and Child & Family Services Majors
Carl Spain Center for Race Studies & Student Action
Halbert Center for Missions and Global Service
Carry Out Community
Societal Impact Fund
The Griggs Center Legacies Fund
Leipzig Innovation Semester
John T. and Evelyn Willis Library Endowment
Lynay Mission Trip (Summer Service Trip to Poland)
ACU Society of Automotive Engineers Baja Competition Fund
Medical Mission Trips (Center for Pre-Health Professions)
Society of Women Engineering Student Chapter Fund:
International Student Fund
NACE Career Readiness Assessment Fund
Katie Kirby Student Care Fund