Shepherd’s Giving Tuesday social media campaign on November 29 netted $3,759 in gifts from alumni and friends of the university. Giving Tuesday is an international movement that started in 2012 to encourage the public to give to nonprofit organizations to kick off the holiday giving season.
Stacy McFarland, director of the President’s Club and special/annual giving, planned a daylong social media campaign that highlighted some of the university’s programs and giving opportunities, including nursing, music, Washington Gateway, Study Abroad, Appalachian Studies, business, Center for Regional Innovation, faculty research grants, and athletics. Stats for the social media campaign included 3,815 people reached through Facebook; 18,500 people reached through Twitter; and 244 page views of the #GivingTuesday website with an average length of 2.5 minutes.
McFarland said one of Giving Tuesday’s goals is to not only raise money, but to remind the public of the importance of giving back in other ways, like volunteering.
