The ninth annual #CougsGive day of giving created another record-breaking display of Cougar pride through gifts, storytelling, advocacy, and community engagement.

During the event, Washington State University’s alumni, students, friends, family, faculty, and staff made 1,556 gifts totaling $648,507 in just 24 hours from midnight to midnight on April 17, 2024. Members of the WSU community made hundreds of social media posts about their connections to the university, and registered Cougar Ambassadors inspired a record $68,438 in direct referral gifts.

“What an incredibly successful CougsGive event! Cougs came together to support WSU in incredible ways. I am especially proud of the WSU Alumni Association’s role this year,” said Lester Barber, president of the WSU Alumni Association. “From the many WSUAA volunteers who were ambassadors stating strong cases of support across all areas of WSU to Cougs who participated in CougsGive for the first time through WSUAA membership, Coug Nation came out and made an incredible impact.

What started as a 36-hour celebration of WSU’s 125th birthday in 2015, has now evolved into a single-day philanthropic extravaganza. The first #CougsGive raised an impressive $300,000. Since then, the event has grown in scale and impact, with WSU donors contributing more than 10,000 gifts, totaling $4.5 million.

“The commitment and passion of WSU alumni, friends, and organizational partners never cease to amaze me,” said Mike Connell, vice president of WSU Advancement and CEO of the WSU Foundation. This extraordinary display of Coug generosity will create vast opportunities throughout Washington and beyond.”

The purpose of #CougsGive is to share the stories that exemplify WSU’s “Cougar family” culture, celebrate the impact of philanthropy at the university, and support current fundraising priorities.

During the event, alumni and friends shared their inspirations for philanthropy, which ranged from paying forward kind gestures to gifts in honor of mentors and friends to recognizing impactful faculty and staff—all motivated by the belief in the power of higher education.

To maximize the impact, donors provided $205,458 worth of sponsored matches and challenges to multiply gifts and unlock bonuses for many areas of the WSU system.

Visit cougsgive.wsu.edu to see the full results of the day for all areas. If you are interested in becoming a match or challenge donor for #CougsGive in 2025, please contact the WSU Foundation Annual Giving Office at annualgiving@wsu.edu.