Members of the classes of 2005 to 2014 have shown their commitment to Vanderbilt and its students by rising to the GOLD Challenge3 and securing a $100,000 gift to Opportunity Vanderbilt—the university’s initiative to replace all need-based undergraduate student loans with scholarships and grant assistance.
This marks the third consecutive year that an anonymous donor has challenged graduates of the last decade (GOLDs) to give back to Vanderbilt through a GOLD Challenge. As in years past, the donor pledged to give $100,000 to Opportunity Vanderbilt if a specific young-alumni participation goal was met. This year 3,610 young alumni (nearly 23 percent) made gifts to areas across the university, exceeding the goal of 3,333 donors.
Thanks to the success of this year’s challenge, young alumni have helped to raise a total of $300,000 in challenge gifts to fund Opportunity Vanderbilt scholarships since 2013.
“I am so proud of our young alumni for consistently answering the call to support Vanderbilt students,” says Kyle McGowan, assistant vice chancellor for annual giving. “We are incredibly grateful for their gifts and their philanthropic spirit—both of which set a wonderful example for the entire alumni community.”