Frequently Asked Questions

NC State Day of Giving is an annual, daylong fundraising event that typically takes place in March. For 24 hours, the Wolfpack comes together for #GivingPack and achieving more: greater opportunities, broader educational access, bolder visions and more innovative research. Our donors make their mark on what they care about most, like helping meet students’ most urgent needs, increasing scholarships to keep education affordable for people from every financial background, cultivating community and strengthening the infrastructure that supports our leading-edge research. The collaborative aspect of NC State Day of Giving shows how much we can achieve together.

Many gifts made on Day of Giving — along with the bonuses earned by colleges and programs through challenges and leaderboards — support funds that will go to work immediately. That’s why holding this annual effort makes such a difference: NC State Day of Giving helps us better plan and direct resources for the very next academic year. And your gift doesn’t just provide financial support; it encourages our students by showing them that the Wolfpack keeps investing and believing in them, every step of the way.

Gifts like those made on Day of Giving help address gaps in funding and increase resources where they’re most needed, which is so important in a changing academic landscape. If you’re in a position to give, your support can make college more affordable, meet emergency needs, fund critical research, strengthen technology and bolster new programs that foster belonging and build community.

Every gift makes a difference, no matter which college, unit or other area of NC State you support. If you want to make your mark on our most critical priorities, you can direct your gift to:

• The University’s Greatest Needs Fund, which gives Chancellor Kevin Howell the flexibility to respond to emerging challenges as they arise.
• The Extraordinary Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, which provides need-based scholarships with a focus on first-generation students, those from rural areas and those from groups otherwise underrepresented in higher education. Day of Giving support in particular has helped more than 500 students benefit from these scholarships.
• The Student Emergency Fund, which provides immediate assistance in the form of microgrants to students facing unexpected financial challenges.
• The Pack Essentials Fund, which directly combats food, housing and financial insecurity on campus by supporting and expanding on the efforts of Feed the Pack Food Pantry and the Student Emergency Fund.
• Office of Equal Opportunity Fund, which supports effective programs and initiatives that promote student success across campus.
• The Libraries Student Success Resources Fund, which allows students experiencing financial insecurity to use the Libraries' laptops, chargers, cameras, textbooks and other resources, reducing barriers to their success.
• The Counseling and Prevention Services Enhancement Fund, which increases counseling access for students, boosts professional development for staff and provides additional resources for prevention education.

We’ve added keywords to our search feature to make it easier to find funds related to your interests. For instance, if you search “global,” you’ll find all the funds that focus on supporting global initiatives. We also created the Make Your Mark quiz as a fun way to narrow down your giving options and help you identify ways to make your mark on what you care about most.

For gifts processed through our Day of Giving website, the minimum gift amount is $10.

Yes, your gift really does make a difference. With so many unexpected and urgent needs all across campus, every gift, no matter the size, helps our university do more for our students and our state. For instance, support from Day of Giving donors has helped award minigrants to student-teachers, funded five startups and helped the Crafts Center purchase new equipment. Combining your philanthropy with that of others quickly creates a foundation of support for students and programs in need. And you have a chance to increase your impact through our challenge matches that award bonus dollars to your college or program of choice based on the number of donors and total dollars raised.

NC State Day of Giving bonus funds — which come from unrestricted university enhancement funds — amplify every gift made that day. For leaderboard challenges, bonus funds are divided among four main leaderboards:

• College/Unit Donation Leaderboard, based on dollars raised
• College/Unit Participation Leaderboard, based on number of gifts
• University Priorities Leaderboard, based on number of gifts
• Power Your Pack Leaderboard, based on the percentage increase from any previous college/unit or University Priorities participant’s previous highest gift total, with a minimum of 50 gifts
• Pack Leaders Leaderboard, based on gifts made through Pack Leaders’ individual fundraising links

For the college/unit leaderboards, there is $25,000 at stake for both dollars raised and number of gifts. Each college or unit competing will earn challenge funds based on their percentage of the dollar total or rank in gift total. For example, if a college receives 18% of the total dollars raised, they'll get a bonus of $4,500 (18% of $25,000) for their area of greatest need. For number of gifts received, the first-place college or unit will earn $5,500, second place will earn $4,500 and proportional awards will be given down to 13th place, which will earn $250.

The participants on the University Priorities and Power Your Pack leaderboards will be competing for a share of $25,000 per competition based on the number of gifts received. The top three Pack Leaders will win $3,000, $2,000 or $1,000 bonuses for their area of choice.

There sure are! NC State Day of Giving bonus funds are also designated for our hourly and all-day universitywide and social media challenges. Even if you can’t make a gift right now, you can make a difference by spreading the word and participating in social media challenges. You’ll find more information on NC State’s Facebook and Instagram accounts and on the challenges tab at the top of this page.

Thank you for your interest! Spreading the word before — and during — Day of Giving is so important, and our Pack Leaders, well, lead the Pack when it comes to making a difference. You can become a Pack Leader by signing up here. Additionally, you can share photos from our social media toolkit, tell others how and why you’re #GivingPack and encourage your friends and classmates to do the same.

Between midnight and 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on March 25, go to dayofgiving.ncsu.edu and choose the area of support that is most meaningful to you. You may also give to multiple areas.

Your gift is tax-deductible and will help support the extraordinary students, faculty and staff working to make a difference at NC State. You will receive an email receipt after making your online gift.

Note: Gifts to support athletics will receive Wolfpack Club lifetime giving credit, which is used in calculating priority points that are used for the right to purchase NC State athletics home seating. This may impact the tax-deductibility of your gift. Please consult your tax adviser.

Bonus funds will be awarded to the winning college’s area of greatest need fund or to the primary support area for University Priorities winners.

Giving online allows you to participate in leaderboards and challenge matches. However, we welcome gifts by phone or mail as well. To make a gift by phone, call 919-515-7827. To give by mail, address your gift to:

Gifts and Records Management
NC State University Foundation
Campus Box 7474
Raleigh, NC 27695-7474

Make your check payable to NC State University Foundation and include the area or fund you wish to support. Gifts without a designation will be designated to the University's Greatest Needs Fund.

Thank you for your pledge! Day of Giving totals focus on new gifts and commitments inspired by the day and do not include pledge payments. If you would like to make an additional gift on Day of Giving, it will not count toward your existing pledge.

If you make a pledge on Day of Giving, the entirety of your pledge commitment will count, but your first payment will not, as that would be double-counting.

Yes. When making a gift of securities to NC State, please notify us before you make the transfer, and indicate that it is in support of Day of Giving. This will help us ensure your gift counts toward Day of Giving and receives proper credit and acknowledgment. If you are interested in making a gift of securities, please contact us at dayofgiving@ncsu.edu or 919-515-7827 for further instructions.

Absolutely. On NC State’s Day of Giving, all gifts will be made through Bonterra, a nonprofit giving platform that allows donors to see their collective impact in real time. Bonterra is partnered with Stripe, a certified PCI Level 1 Service Provider (the most stringent level of certification possible), to process all gifts made through dayofgiving.ncsu.edu. Stripe's security documentation is available online.

To determine if your gift is eligible for a match, search for your employer's program at go.ncsu.edu/matchinggifts