Birds Give Back, Illinois State University’s annual day of giving, is Thursday, February 27. In its seventh year, Birds Give Back is now an Illinois State University tradition, having raised more than $6.5 million for campus initiatives since 2019.

The goal for this year on Birds Give Back, themed “Giving Back is Magical,” is to receive at least 4,000 gifts in 24 hours. Though to set a new giving day record, we would need to receive 4,440 gifts. Just over $1.6 million was raised last year as a result of over 4,200 gifts, challenges, and pledges from the Redbird community.

An anonymous alum encourages the Redbird community to unite and support students during Birds Give Back this year. We will celebrate their recent $960,000 gift to support scholarships when we receive 4,000 gifts during Birds Give Back. All donations during Birds Give Back this year—no matter the size—count toward this challenge goal.

All other giving challenges happening on Birds Give Back in support of our students and faculty will be listed at BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState.edu. Updates will be made throughout the giving day as challenges are met and generous donations are unlocked.

Everyone who participated in Birds Give Back last year, no matter the amount given, made a difference in the lives of students and their Redbird experience. Dr. Noelle Selkow, director of the School of Kinesiology and Recreation, shared the impact that Birds Give Back donors have made.

“We’ve been able to fund students to take immersion trips, send students to conferences to present their research, and equip our labs with state-of-the-art equipment to give students the hands-on experience they need to take the next steps in their professional careers. … It truly has made a meaningful impact,” said Selkow.

The same sentiment was shared by Dr. Aimee Miller-Ott, director of the School of Communication.

“As a result of the generosity of donors on Birds Give Back, we had a successful campaign raising important money for scholarships to help students pay for their education. We were also able to replace much needed equipment in our media outlets, including the new tri-caster in the TV-10 studio,” said Miller-Ott.

All across campus, donors that give on Birds Give Back are making an impact on the people and places of Illinois State. Learn more about your impact.

Redbirds in Italy, 2024, through the Study Abroad program, Office of International Engagement
Alumni donations to the Office of International Engagement on Birds Give Back provide study abroad experiences for students, like these Redbirds studying abroad in Italy last year.

This year, all featured campus projects and funds will be available on Birds Give Back website on February 27. Alumni and friends will have the opportunity to choose the areas on campus most important to them and help those programs to meet their giving day goals.

Let’s make magic together on Thursday, February 27. Add to your calendar.

To learn more about Birds Give Back, visit BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState.edu. All Birds Give Back projects and challenges led by students and faculty will be listed on BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState.edu.