More than 3,000 students, alumni and family came together in donating $7.71 million during this year’s Giving Tuesday philanthropy event.

The amount raised more than tripled that of last year, becoming the event’s most successful year to date.

The Giving Tuesday fundraising campaign involves a series of special giving incentives being announced each Tuesday. Each announcement is unique and involves promotions such as Triple Your Gift Tuesday, which began the campaign on Nov. 2.

Participation boosts were also available, which awarded an extra $500 for every 20 unique donors who gave $25 or more to a given fund.

Senior Associate Director of Giving Initiatives, Danielle Hupp, coordinates the different giving incentives that are announced weekly throughout the campaign. Each announcement is unique and involves optimizing the philanthropic efforts made by donors.

“Part of what makes Giving Tuesday so special are these incentives. Our donors want to make the biggest impact possible, and every additional dollar raised during this campaign leads to even greater opportunities for Kent State students,” Hupp said in a press release.

This is the largest annual fundraising event, which continues to break records with each consecutive year.

The 50 featured categories accepting donations centered around the university’s recently launched Forever Brighter comprehensive campaign. The goal of Forever Brighter is to foster student success through the use of scholarships as well as programs.

It has four key focus areas, which are:

• Ensuring access

• Rewarding achievement

• Enhancing experiences

• Fostering completion

The highest-earning featured fund this year was the Kent State Wrestling Enhancement Fund. More than $44,300 was raised to support travel, equipment, recruitment and other needs of the wrestling program.

The Baseball Enhancement Fund was the second-highest earner, raising the most dollars during the week of the Donor/Dollar Challenge.

Serena Shortridge covers diversity. Contact her at [email protected].