SIUE Community Raises Nearly $428,000 on Giving Tuesday

SIUE Community Raises Nearly $428,000 on Giving Tuesday

Donors to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's annual Giving Tuesday campaign, themed "Cougar Nation Gives Back," contributed $427,989.10 in philanthropic support through scholarships, program enhancements, faculty support, and state of the art facilities, an 19.2% percent increase from last year.

The campaign drew 990 gifts from 828 unique donors, with an average gift of $432.31, highlighting the generosity and broad engagement of the SIUE community. This year's Giving Tuesday focused on Athletics and Student Organization crowdfunding, with five student organizations collectively raising $2,660.

"We are grateful to our donors for their generosity and shared commitment to SIUE," said Connie Collins, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement and CEO of the SIUE Foundation. "They made SIUE a priority on this national Giving Tuesday, creating meaningful impact for our students, faculty, and campus community."

Athletics supporters played a significant role in the campaign's success, raising more than $181,000, including $112,697 in support of the Cougars Champions Fund.

"We are incredibly thankful for the leadership and generosity of SIUE supporters Paul '83 and Kay '88 Guse who generously donated $25,000 in support of the Cougars Champions Fund. SIUE alums and basketball season ticket holders also encouraged others to join in by pledging an additional $25,000 to match every gift to the Cougars Champions Fund and this truly kick-started this effort," said Andrew Gavin, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics.

"Their match inspired our Cougar community to give-and thanks to that momentum, the match was fully met. We are grateful to everyone who stepped up to support our student-athletes."

Giving Tuesday continues to be a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when Cougar Nation rallies together in support of SIUE's mission.

PHOTO: Cover of SIUE's FY26 Giving Tuesday Final Report