IU Day is an annual, 24-hour, university-wide day of giving and engagement. This year’s event will take place on April 17.
Alumni, donors, fans, faculty, staff, students, and others with a connection to Indiana University are encouraged to celebrate IU Day by supporting an IU cause, wearing IU gear, and sharing IU pride in person and on social media.
Past IU Day celebrations have included on-campus activities and alumni chapter meet-ups in Indiana, across the United States, and around the world. IU Day 2023 inspired over 4,300 gifts, including more than $250,000 donated to scholarships for IU students—plus an additional $195,000 in matching funds for scholarships.
For IU Day 2024, the IU Foundation has set a challenge to raise $1 million across all IU causes. If this goal is achieved, a brand-new scholarship will be activated. The scholarship will support students with financial need, and undergraduate or graduate students on any IU campus will be eligible to apply. Gifts to any IU school, department, program, or campus will count toward the total. Donors have already contributed more than $164,000 in lead gifts and matching funds to further incentivize the IU community to show up for the causes they care about on IU Day.
Those interested in donating can visit My IU to browse all giving opportunities at IU, or check out the 70+ IU Day crowdfunding campaigns, supporting a wide variety of opportunities. These opportunities include digitizing the archives of the Indiana Daily Student, providing dental care for children whose families can’t afford it, and several scholarships supporting IU students.
IU Northwest, for example, is raising money for the IU Northwest General Student Scholarship Fund. In a recent article, “The lifetime impact of IU Day,” IU Northwest noted that gifts to this scholarship on past IU Days have helped the campus award more than $25,000 in financial assistance to IU Northwest students since 2021. One of the recipients is IU Northwest student Max McLean, whose scholarship enabled him to quit his part-time job and pursue his theater passion and profession more fully.
“I know that people who donate often go unnoticed, but you’re truly helping people follow their dreams and making their dreams into a reality,” McLean told IU Northwest News. “I would never be able to do anything that I do without the help of the people who donate.”
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of IU are encouraged to participate in IU Day in the following ways on April 17:
- Make a gift to an IU fund that supports your passion.
- Download IU Day social media graphics and share them using #IUday.
- Enter the IU Day Photo Challenge for a chance to win $500 for your favorite IU cause. Simply share a favorite IU photo in Twitter or Instagram and tag @IUFoundation or comment on the IU Foundation’s photo challenge Facebook post.
- Express your gratitude for IU on social media using the hashtag #IUday.
- Follow @iufoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn for the latest IU Day news.