The last day of spring classes has traditionally marked the time members of the Furman family go their separate ways. Thanks to Dins Day, however, from now on it may mean coming together.<\/p>\n
The University\u2019s second annual spirit and pride campaign, which coincides with LDOC (Last Day of Classes, students\u2019 on-campus celebration of the end of the school year), wrapped up Wednesday with more than\u00a0a million dollars raised and hopes for a future of increased connection between Furman and its alumni around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rolled out an entirely new regional-event aspect of the campaign, so we had Dins Day parties in our top-six alumni markets, which are Atlanta, Charleston, Charlotte, Greenville, Nashville, and Washington, D.C., and I know that all of those events were very well-attended,\u201d Justin Rourk \u201914, associate director of development communications, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we are laying the foundation for a new era in alumni engagement, focusing on regional engagement and in this case, city-specific engagement. A huge part of the campaign is getting folks excited about their alma mater.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dins Day encourages alumni to wear purple wherever they may be living and share photographs and posts on social media with the hashtag #DinsDay. Alumni also receive a steady stream of giving opportunities throughout the day, often in conjunction with matching gifts focused on individual departments or programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea last year was to pair this new campaign with an already existing day of excitement on campus in order to harness all of the energy,\u201d Rourk said. \u201cThere are Paladins everywhere . . . I\u2019ve got photos from London, Taiwan, Malaysia, France, so lots of folks all over the world participated. It\u2019s a really exciting campaign that not only celebrates the Furman identity and our shared community, but also cheers on our students as they get ready to go into exams.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was even more purple than usual on the Furman campus for Dins Day, as students, faculty, and staff were encouraged with wear Dins Day T-shirts. The Development Office also hosted a Dins Day Staff Appreciation Lunch at the Younts Center for everyone who has given to the University, and near the Trone Student Center, Automatic Taco (Mexican), Ellada Kouzina (Greek), Chuck Truck (burgers), Henry\u2019s (BBQ), King of Pops (popsicles), Sunshine Sammie\u2019s (sandwiches), and Nomadic Few (shaved ice) set up food trucks between activities ranging from spin art Frisbees, a Volkswagen photo booth, butterfly tent, and more.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, $1,010,000 was donated from more than 1,600 gifts, and social media posts about Dins Day topped 500. The first Dins Day in 2015 ended up raising just over a million dollars from around 1,700 gifts. Rourk said the final numbers for 2016 won\u2019t be available for a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur dollars may actually surpass what we raised last year,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen all was said and done it was an incredibly successful campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n
Major Dins Day initiatives included John Poole and Joan Moyer-Poole contributing $10,000 to their endowed fund for the Theatre Department if 100 donors gave to any area supporting the arts, Patrick Kerley \u201904 pledging to donate $12,500 toward student life if 100 donors gave to any area that was \u201cmost meaningful to them,\u201d Jeff Foley \u201991 pledging $17,500 to the Joe and Diana Hurley Finance and Business Analytics Lab if 100 donors gave to any academic department, Dr. Matt Wilson \u201986 committing $25,000 to his pre-med scholarship if 100 donors supported any Furman student scholarship, Robert Anders \u201984 and his wife, Missy, along with Furman parents Greg and Ashley Masters, pledging $20,000 to the Paladin Club if 150 donors gave in support of the Paladin Club or a Furman athletics team, and the Furman Trustees committing $250,000 to Furman if 500 donors contributed any amount to any designation.<\/p>\n