Birds Give Back is Illinois State University’s annual campaign to gain support and donations from alumni. The donations from Redbirds across the globe are crucial to the success of our university. With the help of fun challenges, social media posts, and many other engaging factors, alumni and friends are encouraged to make donations to the schools that align with their passions and beliefs. Illinois State has had campaigns like this in the past, and Birds Give Back has been extremely helpful in improving the School of Communication over the past five years.
Midnight on February 23 marked the start of Illinois State’s fifth-annual Birds Give Back campaign. The day was a smashing success as Redbirds came together to help generate 4,439 gifts for Illinois State. The School of Communication received a total of 353 gifts from Redbirds around the world, which topped 2022 results. Among the gifts for the school was a $6,000 gift from an anonymous donor in honor of TV-10’s 50th anniversary. You can learn more about the results and challenges online.
One person who played a huge role in making it a successful day for the School of Communication was Professor and Executive Director Steve Hunt. He spent his day in the SMACC lab, monitoring social media posts and engaging stakeholders through posting on various social media platforms and responding to donors’ posts.
“It’s not about raising millions of dollars, it’s about telling the story of ISU and making connections to alumni and getting them engaged,” Hunt said. There is an emphasis placed on keeping the alumni engaged because it reflects the core values implemented within the school, as well as a representation of the sense of community that has been built.
Redbirds on campus in the School of Communication were buzzing with excitement for Birds Give Back. Both students and faculty played roles in the success by engaging with the Redbird community through social media platforms. The day exemplified the unity within the School of Communication.
The day grew out of a tradition that began several years ago: Giving Tuesday. Illinois State began this tradition to replicate the worldwide Giving Tuesday campaign that was created to encourage people to do good and give back. The University would host this event after Thanksgiving, in which students would partake in fundraising for the school and professors and alumni would match those donations. Due to the success of this tradition, the University wanted to further distinguish one day of giving that did not compete with others. The event was then moved to February to draw attention to the founding of the University and the values that were implemented upon its beginning.
“What a point of pride and the accomplishments we’ve had this far,” said Hunt. “It really distinguishes us and is one of the things that makes us shine, as it really shows how connected everybody is and how much they care about what’s happening.”
