Surprises and Record Totals Mark Santa Clara University’s 9th Annual Day of Giving

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the middle of Santa Clara University’s record-breaking Day of Giving on April 6, the community was treated to two surprises:

• Acting President (and former School of Law Dean) Lisa A. Kloppenberg and her husband Mark Zunich revealed that they were the anonymous donors who helped launch an endowed scholarship fund for future Santa Clara Law students
• Grateful supporters from the Law Advisory Board and the Board of Regents informed a visibly surprised and touched Acting President Kloppenberg that they had already contributed $325,000 toward the Lisa A. Kloppenberg and Mark R. Zunich Endowed Law Scholarship Fund. By midnight, the scholarship fund had raised more than $483,000.

The gift represents “an amazing gift of generosity and spirit for generations to come,” said law school Dean Michael Kaufman, speaking at a mid-day celebration at Charney Hall of Law.

The law school’s joyful moment was a high point in a day marked with numerous highlights.

In all, 5,393 gifts resulted in over $4 million raised—making this the most successful Day of Giving in terms of dollars raised.

For nine years, Day of Giving has proved to be a galvanizing day for Bronco supporters to share their enthusiasm and financial support for the more than 250 student-centered programs and causes they care most about across the Mission Campus. This year, the focus areas included student mental health and wellness, and diversity, equity and inclusion, resulting in gifts of nearly $117,00 and over $200,000, respectively. More than $1 million also was raised for student scholarships—a top University priority.

“These amazing results from Day of Giving show the breadth and depth of support for our mission and focus on student success here at Santa Clara,” said Jim Lyons, vice president for university relations. “Our generous community offered up more than $1.1 million in challenge grants for everything from Black Excellence student scholarships to mental health services. And Broncos from all over the country stepped up to ensure our students now and in the future are richly educated in heart, mind, and spirit.”

Challenge donors either matched donations to specific programs dollar-for-dollar, or rewarded participation by unlocking their gifts when a specific donor threshold was met. Nearly all of the 60 challenges that benefited most areas across campus met or exceeded their goals.

The University also expanded its payment methods by adding Apple Pay and Venmo to its traditional credit-card options. More than 5.5% of donations were made via Venmo, and more than 12% via Apple Pay.

The full results for the day can be found on the Day of Giving website.

About Santa Clara University

Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit, Catholic University in the epicenter of Silicon Valley, infusing ethics and social consciousness into a rigorous cross-disciplinary education for its nearly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.