UPDATED: Nov. 7, 2019 at 12:36 a.m.

Syracuse University surpassed its goal of 5,000 donors in the third annual Boost the ‘Cuse fundraiser Wednesday evening.

Boost the ‘Cuse is a 44-hour fundraising event meant to attract 5,000 students, faculty and alumni to donate to SU. The event started Tuesday at 4 a.m. and ended at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Boost the ‘Cuse official website. It reached nearly 6,000 donors by the end of the fundraiser on Wednesday night. The campaign raised more than $1.6 million during its two-day run.

The departments with the most donations by the 5,000th contribution were SU Athletics, the College of Arts and Sciences, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the College of Law. The top four groups of donors were from the classes of 2020, 2023, 2022 and 2014, respectively. A $1 donation was dedicated on behalf of the Class of 2025.

By the end of Boost the ‘Cuse, the state with the most donors was New York, followed by California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Donations also came from about two dozen countries. Aside from the U.S., China had the most donors, followed by Canada, Puerto Rico, Spain and Germany.

SU posed several fundraising challenges to increase its funding. The Distinctive Learning Opportunities Challenge was meant to garner 150 donors over a span of two hours, and the Recent Alumni Challenge aimed to attract 444 donors from the classes of 2010-19. Both challenges were met, unlocking different amounts of money for the university.

In 2018, Boost the ‘Cuse initially missed its goal of 5,000 donors by about 15%. In 2017, the first year of the campaign, SU surpassed its initial goal of 1,870 donors by almost 3,000.

Several on-campus activities took place for Boost the ‘Cuse. SU held a basketball shooting contest and a timed Mario Kart eRace contest at the Barnes Center at the Arch, with a scavenger hunt taking place in Bird Library. Later that evening, SU’s Office of Alumni Engagement hosted a tailgate in Dineen Hall before the Syracuse Men’s Basketball game against the University of Virginia.

SU also held a dozen Boost the ‘Cuse events across the country Wednesday evening. Locations included New York City, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and Long Island.

Published on November 6, 2019 at 9:37 pm

Contact Gabe: gkstern@syr.edu | @gabestern326