Knox Celebrates Donor Thank You Day

Knox College is taking the opportunity to celebrate the importance of philanthropy on Tuesday, March 5, which marks the day when students' tuition and fees stop paying for the cost of their education and private gift support kicks in. To celebrate this milestone in the academic year, the College declared March 5 Donor Thank You Day.

"We tell our donors that they make a Knox experience possible for today's students, but we don't always communicate that fact to the campus community," says Julie Layer, director of the Knox Fund, the College's annual giving program. "Our hope is that Donor Thank You Day will help current students better understand the impact that gifts from alumni, parents, and friends have on their education and their daily Knox experience."

The Donor Thank You Day celebration includes the posting of tags across campus highlighting some gifts made to Knox and various college operational costs, including the amount to run the College for a single day and the daily grocery bill to feed 1,400 Knox students. Faculty, staff, and students are wearing Donor Thank You Day t-shirts to raise awareness about the celebration, and the greater campus community also has the opportunity to sign a giant thank you card for Knox's donors. The card and the day's activities will be shared with donors in a special video to be sent later in the month.

Last year, Knox raised $9.89 million from alumni, parents, friends, and private organizations to support Knox faculty, students and the College's educational mission. Of that $9.89 million, $3,108,684 was raised for the Knox Fund, or gifts that support the annual operations of the College. Private gift support represents the College's second largest source of income.

"We are grateful to our generous donors who give to Knox each year. Their gifts support every aspect of academic and student life at Knox," says Layer. "What better way to thank them than to dedicate an entire day to celebrating their contributions to the College."

For more information on giving to Knox College, visit www.knox.edu/give.