Stony Brook University raised over $1 million in donations for its seventh annual Giving Day, a campaign that promotes giving back to the University community to help the institution “be unstoppable.”
Scott Barrett, the interim vice president for Advancement, wrote in an email to The Statesman that this year’s Giving Day “was a tremendous success.”
“One of the most exciting elements this year was securing over $300,000 in matching gifts,” Barrett wrote. “These opportunities encouraged greater participation, as donors saw their contributions multiplied, amplifying their impact.”
Despite Barrett’s enthusiasm, the money raised during this year’s event was lower than last year’s Giving Day. In 2024, the University raised a record-breaking $1.6 million. However, the University still met its donation goal and had more than 3,800 donors contribute to the campaign this year.
“Last year, we had an extremely generous $1 million bequest commitment from an alumni couple which pushed our total to a record-breaking $1.6 million,” Barrett explained. “This year, we also reached a record, with [around] $1 million of support immediately available for Stony Brook programs, or added to our endowment.”
The Football Fund for Excellence raised the most money from Giving Day, attaining over $500,000 from more than 500 donors. The Stony Brook Endowed Scholarship Fund also raised over $70,000 from over 100 donors.
The College of Arts and Sciences was the University’s top-performing school, raising more than $140,000 from more than 700 donors. Following behind was the Renaissance School of Medicine, raising more than $20,000 from over 100 donors. The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences raised the third-most amount of money, taking in $20,000 from over 60 donors.
Of the 3,800 plus donors, 24% of donors were Stony Brook alumni, 25% were faculty and staff and 16% were from friends of the Stony Brook community. In a tie, 13% came from current students and another 13% from parents and family. Although 99.05% of donations came from the United States, the University received 19 donations from various countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and South Korea.
Rida Jamal ‘24, the advisor for the Seawolf Philanthropy Council and an Advancement associate, described her first Giving Day as “exciting” in being able to see undergraduate students become aware of what the campaign is as well as what the Council does.
“It was exciting to see that people care [about giving back to the community],” Jamal said. “[At the Seawolf Philanthropy Council], our motto is ‘Do good, feel good,’ so getting [students] into that mindset that helping others is a good thing [is empowering].”
The Seawolf Philanthropy Council, a three-year-old student-led organization under the Office of Annual Giving, promotes Seawolf generosity, especially during the Giving Day campaign.
Nicole Zavala, the president of Seawolf Philanthropy Council and a junior majoring in psychology, said that during her time as a member of the Council, she will continue to spread awareness to students of the importance of giving back to their community.
“Once I become an [alumna], to look back and reflect on what an amazing impact I made on a bunch of students here, to be able to see all the students to contribute to something they can impact, show their Seawolf pride, is such an amazing experience overall,” Zavala said.
