Howard Payne University Athletics raised over $130,000 from 236 donors to record its best ever #GivingTuesday campaign this December. Twenty-one of those gifts are from new monthly donors, who were welcomed into the Jacket Century Club.
“The support our alumni and friends provided to HPU Athletics on Giving Tuesday in this unprecedented year was outstanding,” said Hunter Sims, director of athletics. “God continues to bless and guide our University and I am so thankful for everyone who gave to support the student-athlete experience.”
The Howard Payne athletic staff used the annual event to raised money to benefit individual team sports, the HPU athletic endowment, and the overall student-athlete experience.
“The HPU coaching staff rallied together and made a concerted effort to involve HPU athletic alumni in a way that has never been done before at HPU,” said Dale Meinecke, vice president of development. “Engagement with alumni who understand how Yellow Jacket athletics transforms lives is critical to the overall and sustained success of our programs. We couldn’t be more grateful to our coaches and our athletic alumni for their participation in this great win for our university.”
The HPU Athletics #GivingTuesday totals were a part of a university wide #GivingTuesday campaign that raised over $422,000 for the Howard Payne Fund, scholarships, campus improvements, the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom renovation project and other areas as specified by donors. Numerous #GivingTuesday gifts to HPU were magnified through pledges for matching gifts. One donor agreed to match up to $50,000 for gifts from first-time donors and donors who have not given in the last ten years, and another donor agreed to match up to $50,000 for gifts to HPU athletics.
Prospective donors who were not able to give on #GivingTuesday can still donate to support HPU’s student-athletes with either a one-time gift or with a recurring monthly gift by visiting www.hpusports.com/give. Individuals who support athletics monthly become members of the Jacket Century Club and receive game passes, HPU apparel, and other small tokens of appreciation.