The seventh annual TCU Gives Day started at noon Oct. 27 and ended at noon Oct. 28, raising $879,634 from 2,291 donors. 

Donors were able to make a donation of any amount, and the donations raised will go toward TCU’s people and programs through scholarships and department funds. All gifts will count toward the Faculty and Staff Annual Campaign and TCU’s Lead On Campaign, according to the TCU website.

Donors were able to choose a cause at TCU they were passionate about and give directly to that fund, according to the TCU Gives Day website.

TCU Gives Day also served as a reminder to alumni of how important it is to give back, not just financially but also with their time and talent, Chancellor Victor Boschini said. 

“When you make a decision to go to TCU, that’s really, for someone your age, an 80-year decision, when you think about that, because you’re going to live all that, and so, TCU is one of the few things in your life that you can never really get rid of whether you want to or not and so, hopefully, this will renew some people’s connection with the university,” Boschini said. 

Since the university achieved its goal of 2,000 donors, James, Anne, Brittany and Kari Hancock (’17) will give $100,000 to create an endowed equestrian scholarship.

This day is important to the TCU community because about 70% of students receive some type of financial aid and scholarship, Boschini said. 

“Some of it is in the endowment, but not all of it,” Boschini said. “And so, giving back to TCU is really important all throughout the year, but it especially is on this day.”

Boschini said the pandemic could affect the donations and donors because people do not have as much money as they used to.

“On the other hand though, I have this theory that maybe it’ll make it great because they’re all at home on Zoom anyway,” Boschini said.