WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – This year's Purdue Day of Giving, held April 24, shattered records for Purdue Athletics. After the historic run by the Purdue men's basketball team to the national title game, which followed the squad winning the regular season Big Ten Championship for the second consecutive year, Purdue Day of Giving offered Boilermaker fans an opportunity to commemorate the team's season and bolster the entire department's unprecedented momentum. The Boilermaker community together raised more than $13 million for Purdue student-athletes with record participation of more than 2,700 gifts.
The Purdue for Life Foundation's annual 24-hour experience brings together more than 70 campus units, including all 18 Boilermaker sport programs. For the first time, the John Purdue Club (JPC), which is part of Purdue for Life, shared its stage with the Boilermaker Alliance in support of Purdue student-athletes. In accordance with Purdue's long-held values, Boilermaker Alliance exists to empower Purdue student-athletes to utilize their name, image and likeness to become champions in their sport and community. On Purdue Day of Giving, Boilermaker Alliance raised $1.3 million, which will significantly impact the way the organization is able to connect Purdue student-athletes with local charitable partners like Food Finders and A Kid Again for service projects.
Purdue Day of Giving also provided a platform for the JPC fundraising team to further educate its members on the Forging Ahead project that launched in September 2023. Forging Ahead is a campaign aimed at raising $18.69 million to fund a data-driven approach to recruit, retain and develop championship teams. Paying homage to Purdue's founding in 1869, the fundraising goal allowed for an immediate launch while also establishing a substantial endowment that will annually produce capital to support programming and staffing needs. To reflect the importance of the campaign to Purdue Athletics, those who give to Forging Ahead are rewarded with double Priority Points (two Priority Points per $100 for all cash gifts).
To recognize the men's basketball team's recent success, for one day only on Purdue Day of Giving, men's basketball 2023-24 season mementos were given exclusively to those who donated to either the JPC's Forging Ahead campaign or the Boilermaker Alliance. Mementos ranged from authentic confetti from the 2023-24 season to NCAA Final Four team-issued watches.
Boilermakers everywhere rallied around the John Purdue Club and Boilermaker Alliance in exceptional volume. Record-breaking statistics for Purdue Athletics on Purdue Day of Giving 2024 include:
- $13,001,766 committed (previous record was $9.3 million in 2022)
- 2,775 gifts
- Second leading campus unit in participation and amount raised
"When we returned from Phoenix, we asked ourselves if we were going to sit back and allow this moment to be a great run that we will remember forever or if we were going to challenge ourselves to build the Boilermaker momentum," said Tim House, executive senior associate athletics director and associate vice president for development. "Ultimately, we unanimously agreed that our time is now. The results speak for themselves, and we were not alone in our approach. The engagement shown on Purdue Day of Giving is a testament to Boilermakers' commitment to advance our mission in operating as a championship-caliber organization that is excellent in all respects."
With two months left in the fiscal year, JPC fundraisers are aiming to fully support the annual $13.5 million student-athlete scholarship bill yet again as the athletics department continues its relentless approach to provide every student-athlete with an opportunity to excel in the classroom, competition and community.
To celebrate JPC members and kick off the new 2024-25 membership year, the John Purdue Club will bring back its annual JPC Day to the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex on Saturday, June 1. The party will start with a golf scramble and pickleball tournament and conclude with a 19th hole barbeque and live music. Special guests are expected to make appearances at each event as a way to say thank you for the unwavering support JPC members show to Purdue student-athletes.
For more information on joining the John Purdue Club, please visit the John Purdue Club website or contact the John Purdue Club office at 765.494.2582. To learn more about Purdue Day of Giving, go to dayofgiving.purdue.edu.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue's main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap, including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes, at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
About the Purdue for Life Foundation
The Purdue for Life Foundation helps alumni and friends of Purdue University stay connected, get involved and give back. Created in March 2020, the foundation deepens alumni ties to Purdue, drives and coordinates all alumni-related activities across the Purdue family's postgraduation lives and works with alumni and friends to garner support for the university.
Media contact:
John Purdue Club | Cassie Molter, crmolter@purdueforlife.org