6th annual Sun Devil Giving Day on tap for ASU

If it's late March and you hear cheers and boos coming from Stuart Rice's office, don't be too alarmed.

Odds are that the Arizona State University graduate student and EdPlus creative designer is simply reacting to a recent donation made on Sun Devil Giving Day, his various mood swings coming as he tracks the contributions made either to his school — the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College — or another college following closely behind his. 

"Last year I got really annoyed at the law college, but cheered when a large donation came through for Mary Lou Fulton," Rice said. "I know it's childish, but it's part of the fun."

Rice was one of over 3,000 donors whose gifts totaled $3,222,522 on Giving Day one year ago. The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law ended up leading the way, seeing its donations tally over $1.45 million.

Last year saw an increase from the nearly 2,600 donors that gave in 2016, and ASU is hoping to see that number grow again when Giving Day 2018 rolls around on March 22.

"It is an important day for ASU in the way it shows [the] commitment and impact that Sun Devils can provide," said Patrick Hanson, an ASU student and Rice's spouse.

In the past, Hanson has also donated to the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, as well as the Schoolpart of the College of Public Service and Community Solutions of Community Resources and Development, where he is a nonprofit leadership and management major.

"Sun Devil Giving Day is a great way for me to give back to my community of Sun Devils," he said.

This year will mark the university's sixth annual Giving Day, which started as a way to celebrate and encourage gifts in support of ASU. All members of the ASU community — alumni, parents, fans, friends, faculty, staff and students — are invited to give to the areas of the university they care most about. 

The ASU Foundation later came up with the idea of turning the day into a competition between the university's different colleges and schools. The community, team-style aspect that the day has taken on keeps things entertaining for Rice and others. 

"Who doesn’t like a challenge?" Rice said.

He and Hanson start their Sun Devil Giving Day by waking up and posting the initative on their social media accounts. After that, it's time to donate and follow the Giving Day tracker.

"It’s all about the impact of a lot of people moving the needle in the same direction," Rice said. "Even though giving at any time of the year helps the university carry out its charter, Sun Devil Giving Day makes it a community process." 

"[It's] a single day that can show an instant measurable way of giving," Hanson said.

Sun Devil Giving Day runs from midnight to 11:59 p.m. March 22 and donations are made on the website or secured through the Sun Devil Giving outreach center (Tell-a-Devil Network). The site will display a real-time dashboard showing the total amount of donors and which units have collected the most money.

Gifts will be deposited with the ASU Foundation and may be considered a charitable contribution. For more information or to donate, visit givingday.asu.edu.

Top photo: Stuart Rice holds up a sticky note indicating that he will be donating to the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College on Sun Devil Giving Day. Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow