The Poole College of Management shattered its fundraising goals on March 25, as the collective Poole Pack rallied from around the world to make their mark on the university’s eighth annual Day of Giving.

When the clock struck midnight, the numbers told the story: 1,067 gifts totaling $3.8 million — a testament to a network of alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff and partners who believe in what the college is building.

“Poole College’s remarkable success on Day of Giving is more than a fundraising milestone: it is a powerful, transformative investment in our mission,” says Dean Frank Buckless. “The generosity of our Poole Pack community will accelerate our work to develop career-ready graduates, advance impactful research, and engage with our community to make our world a better place to live and work.”

This year’s Day of Giving theme invited stakeholders to come together to “make their mark,” focusing on supporting an area with meaning to the donor — whether that be student scholarships, high impact experiences, professional opportunities for faculty, or any number of other areas.

“Poole College’s remarkable success on Day of Giving is more than a fundraising milestone: it is a powerful, transformative investment in our mission.”

Every gift, large and small, helped Poole achieve its record-breaking success. Several dedicated Poole supporters also made transformative gift announcements on Day of Giving.

Chip and Lyn Andrews announced a renewal of their investment in the Andrews Launch Accelerator (ALA), creating an endowment to fund the program for the future. This follows their original gift in 2016 that established the ALA. Over the past decade, the ALA has worked with nearly 50 companies and more than 250 people, distributing more than $476,000 in seed capital. The ALA is about more than funding, providing mentorship and training to guide students through the entrepreneurial process.

An anonymous Poole stakeholder made a transformative gift to provide Poole students with internship opportunities at small businesses at no cost to the business, tying in to the college’s mission to provide high-impact experiences for students. Poole students will gain real-world experience while providing knowledge and support to a small business, free of charge, while receiving a stipend for their time, thanks to this gift.

“This creates a pipeline of future leaders in small business, which is a huge economic driver for North Carolina,” says Brian Clark, executive director of philanthropy for Poole College. “Small business owners are the bread and butter of this state, and this gift is another way we can stay true to NC State’s land grant mission.”

And finally, Josh Franks (’06, B.S. Business Administration), senior vice president and chief operations officer at e.l.f. Beauty, established a need-based scholarship to support undergraduates pursuing a degree in business administration with a concentration in operations and supply chain management. Franks also supports Poole by serving on the college’s IT, Analytics and Operations (ITAO) Advisory Board.

“Within Poole, we encourage our supporters to make their mark in an area that means the most to them, and we’ve seen momentum building behind that idea,” Clark says. “We’re excited to see on Day of Giving that donors did exactly that, with gifts to a multitude of initiatives within Poole that reflect the areas near to each of their hearts.”

In addition to long-time supporters, first-time donors were invited to make their mark at Poole with an inaugural gift of any amount during two challenge hours in which one first-time donor could win an additional $1,000 to donate to an area of their choice within Poole.

Hourly challenges like that one throughout the day unlocked bonus funds awarded directly to the challenge winner. While Poole didn’t win the first-time donor challenge, the college secured $3,000 in bonus funds as it clinched wins in three other challenges:

• Most Gifts Challenge (7am): $1,000 bonus
• Most Alumni Gifts Challenge (5pm): $1,000 bonus
• Pack Leader Power Hour (7pm): $1,000 bonus

“Poole is growing — there are a lot of things we’re doing, and we’re doing them well — and our supporters see it’s a great place to invest,” Clark says.

He also credited the members of Poole’s advisory boards with generating excitement for the day, and encouraging first-time and all supporters to make their mark at Poole.

“We have more than 100 ambassadors who see what we’re doing and who want to share their enthusiasm with their networks,” he says. “They see that Poole is a good investment, and they helped to encourage others to get excited and engage with the college as well.”

Poole’s social media and that of its alumni and friends was humming, sharing stories about Poole’s impact and spotlighting the important work Poole is doing today. And of course, there was a little friendly competition: Poole made sure to post so it wouldn’t go unnoticed when the college got out to an early lead on Wednesday morning, topping the Day of Giving “College/Unit” leaderboard. Poole ultimately finished fourth on that leaderboard, something to be proud of among the many colleges and units that competed.

While supporters around the world were abuzz on Day of Giving, Poole held on-campus events matching that energy. Students, faculty and staff gathered in The Exchange in Nelson Hall, with snacks, activities and giveaways throughout the day — plus a visit from NC State mascot Ms. Wuf.

The Poole Student Advisory Board was on hand to give out graduation cords to seniors making a gift of $20.26 to the Poole College Student Advisory Fund, while faculty and staff gathered for an afternoon celebration.

Many students were first-time donors themselves. Clark noted that Student Advisory Board members were pivotal in encouraging their classmates to support Poole.

“Our student leaders really took up the mantle, shared why they support Poole and made an impact on their peers,” Clark says. “We have a great partnership with our student leaders who were able to talk to their classmates about investing back into the college now — there’s no need to wait.”

“Our student leaders really took up the mantle, shared why they support Poole and made an impact on their peers.”

Looking back on the day, Clark says this year’s Day of Giving success reinforces the strength of the Poole College community.

“Each year, our staff, students, faculty and alumni come together to grow our college’s impact and experience,” he says. “While we know it’ll take even more engaged and invested alumni and partners to reach our highest aspirations, there is no question that our community made a meaningful difference today.”