Two Days of Giving, One Stronger Community

The Stony Brook community came together in a remarkable way last year, setting a new record for the number of philanthropic gifts in 24 hours — twice.

On October 8, Stony Brook held its Giving Day 2020, which had been postponed from the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the personal struggles many were facing at the time, alumni, faculty and staff, friends, students, parents and grateful patients stepped forward to support Stony Brook. Together, they donated 2,899 gifts, totaling more than $300,000, to programs across campus.

Astonishingly, just six months later on April 21, 2021, donors again made a tremendous collective impact, contributing 3,335 gifts, totaling over $370,000, to 94 participating programs.

In total, the two 24-hour fundraising events generated nearly $700,000 in support from 47 states and 13 countries, including 1,635 donors who’d never before given to Stony Brook.

“The Stony Brook community has always been exceptional, but the support we’ve seen this past year far exceeded anything we could have imagined,” says Deborah Lowen-Klein, senior associate vice president for advancement. “It was inspiring to see people come together and offer their support in such a significant way — not once, but twice — in an extraordinarily challenging year for everyone.”

In a year of extraordinary challenges, alumni and friends came together in a remarkable way to support our students, faculty, healthcare workers and patients. For a wider view at the vast impact of your support, take a look at this year’s Stony Brook Foundation Annual Report to Donors.