MC Day of Giving Raises $15,000
Around 300 donations were made, and $15,000 far exceeded what the Office of Giving and Development imagined.

Mississippi College alumni made over 300 donations totalling $15,000 during the university’s recent Day of Giving, a total exceeding what the campus officials imagined. This year’s fundraiser was held on MC’s Founders Day, a day that can create interest among alumni of the university.
Founder’s Day, Jan. 24, is an annual celebration of the day that legislation passed in 1826 to give Hampstead Academy (the original name of the university) five acres of land in Hinds County.
Katrina Pace, executive director of the Office of Giving and Development, said Founders Day seemed the best opportunity for donation engagement. “The purpose of the Day of Giving was to involve alumni and friends of the university in a new way as part of the Founder's Day activities at MC,” Pace said. “We also wanted to make it fun for clubs and tribes to be involved and for our students to recognize the importance of alumni support.”
Historically, MC’s alumni giving rate has been under 2%, which is very low compared to most universities. However, alumni donations are important because those gifts can lead to more opportunities for students.
“I think that anytime you're able to get alumni involved with student life, whether with tribes and clubs, or MC as a whole, it'll always create opportunities,’ said senior Communication major Mary Evelyn McPherson, who’s also Chenoa Social Tribe president. “For all of us to be connected with (alumni) is a really special thing.”
As part of this year’s fundraiser, the OGD incentivized campus clubs and tribes to see which organization could raise the most money from among their own alumni with a competition to win a Derby Day package.
Initially, university officials said the money raised would be used to build a practice space for clubs and tribes to use in preparation for productions such as Follies and Swerve. However, a few days after the fundraiser, the Office of Student Engagement posted a suggestion box on Instagram for students to leave their input on what the money should be used for.
Staff in the Office of Giving and Development say that the money is now in the hands of Student Engagement. Student Engagement staff have not responded to questions about their plans for the money.