How McDonogh School Launched a First-Ever Giving Day That Blew Past Expectations

Launching a Giving Day for the first time is a little like hosting Thanksgiving for your extended family: you’ve seen other people do it, you think you know what all the moving parts are, and then suddenly you’re in the kitchen Googling “what temperature does a turkey actually cook at?”

McDonogh School felt that familiar mix of excitement and mild panic in early planning conversations for their inaugural Giving Day. But with a clear vision, a deeply engaged community, and a deliciously high-energy creative strategy, they turned a brand-new concept into a campus-wide rallying point that surpassed every expectation.

This is their playbook. This is your blueprint. A Giving Day 101 Master Class. 

Welcome to the first installment of our Master Class Series, where we’ll be spotlighting a different GiveCampus Partner in each blog and one of their standout advancement initiatives. We’ll break down what worked, why it worked, and how others can learn from it.

Without further ado, let’s dive into McDonogh School’s MasterClass on launching your first Giving Day.

The School Behind the Strategy: Meet McDonogh School

McDonogh School is a non-denominational, coed PK–12 independent school in Maryland, home to 1,460 students and an 800-acre campus. Historically, McDonogh ran three to four giving challenges each year. But with participation in decline across educational fundraising, and peer schools  were rolling out slick Giving Days with momentum to match. It was time to regroup, rethink, and re-energize.

So the team asked: What if we dedicated our focus to one high-voltage, 24-hour event? Could a single, well-orchestrated Giving Day perform better than multiple smaller pushes?

They decided to give it a shot.

Phase One: Laying the Groundwork 

McDonogh began by assembling a small but strategic brain trust responsible for shaping the goals, creative direction, and overall Giving Day experience. This group brought together complementary expertise of key members of their advancement team:

1. The McDonough Fund team
2. Director of Donor Relations & Marketing
3. Assistant Director of Advancement Services
4. Digital and Social Media Manager

With clear roles and shared accountability, the team was able to move quickly, make decisions efficiently, and stay aligned throughout the planning process—an especially important advantage for a first-time initiative.

Setting Giving Day Goals 

Rather than trying to do everything at once, McDonogh intentionally narrowed the focus of their Giving Day goals. The result was a short list of clear, achievable goals that could be easily communicated and rallied around—both internally and externally: 

• 200 donors in 24 hours
• Unlock a $55,000 match
• Engage every constituency simultaneously (students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff)

Choosing the Theme

When it came time to brand the day, McDonogh didn’t overcomplicate things. Instead, they leaned into what their community already loved.

Orange & Black Give Back became the Giving Day rallying cry—a theme that was instantly recognizable, deeply rooted in school spirit, and flexible enough to reuse in future years.

Securing Buy-In

Months before Giving Day launched, the team shared their plan with key stakeholder groups, including:

• Alumni Board
• Parents’ Association
• Philanthropy Staff
• McDonogh Fund volunteers

These initial conversations weren’t just informational, they were strategic. By bringing these groups into the planning process early, McDonogh built trust, excitement, and a network of advocates who were ready to help amplify the message when Giving Day arrived. That up-front  buy-in translated directly into early ambassadors, setting the stage for widespread community activation in later phases of the campaign.

Phase Two: Building Pre-Event Momentum

McDonogh didn’t wait for Giving Day to attract attention—they generated it. The team invested in the weeks leading up to the event, focusing on sustained visibility, repeated messaging, and early engagement to ensure the community was ready to act when the day arrived.

A Multi-Channel Communications Drumbeat

To build awareness and anticipation, the team rolled out Giving Day messaging across multiple channels, meeting their community where they already were:

• Parent News, their bi-weekly e-newsletter
• Lower School inserts
• Teaser emails
• A seriously on-brand postcard
• A-frame signage and QR codes strategically placed around campus

Across every touchpoint, one message remained consistent: participation matters. By reinforcing this idea early and often, McDonogh helped supporters understand that every gift—regardless of size—played a meaningful role in the success of the day.

Ambassador Activation 

Recruiting ambassadors wasn’t a nice-to-have; it was core to McDonogh’s strategy.

They tapped committees, volunteers, almost-alumni, parents, students, and staff to serve as the voice of their Giving Day.  

The key to success wasn’t simply asking people to share—it was equipping them to do so confidently and easily. McDonogh created a comprehensive volunteer toolkit filled with evergreen graphics, templates, logos and messaging ambassadors could leverage. The visuals were high-energy, cohesive, and unmistakably “McDonogh.”

Educate → Entertain → Engage

To keep Giving Day content from feeling repetitive or transactional, McDonogh focused on delivering real value to their community. Borrowing the energy and style of their popular McDonogh Minis video series, the team produced faculty spotlights and community-driven content featuring helpful tips and practical advice—content that was both engaging and impossible to scroll past.

By balancing education with entertainment, McDonogh sustained momentum throughout the campaign while reinforcing that Giving Day was ultimately about people, not just dollars.

Phase Three: Executing the Giving Day Experience 

From the first moments of the morning to the final evening push, the team treated Giving Day as a carefully choreographed experience designed to keep the community informed, entertained, and motivated to participate. The day kicked off with a launch video and a vibrant physical presence across campus, immediately signaling that Giving Day wasn’t just another announcement—it was a moment worth paying attention to.

From there, McDonogh choreographed a full day of momentum.

Hourly Challenges and Scheduled Content Drops

Throughout the day, the team released scheduled content and challenges to give the community multiple reasons to engage and re-engage:

• Teacher-led “mini master classes”
• Alumni surprise videos
• Parent and student features
• A delightfully unpredictable “Joy Mobile” golf cart delivering fun wherever it went

Phonathons During Power Hours

Students and volunteers made calls at peak engagement times—adding a personal touch that paid off in new donors and reactivated alumni.

An Email Engine That Drove Giving

The strongest giving spikes mapped directly to email sends. The team sent six key emails throughout their Giving Day campaign, all of which generated open rates above 50 percent. Similarly impressive, their last two email sends of the day generated almost 600 clicks and both corresponded with a large spike in giving during the final hours of their first Giving Day.

The Payoff: A First Giving Day that Delivered Results 

McDonogh’s first-ever Giving Day beat all expectations. By prioritizing participation, sustained momentum, and authentic community connection, the team delivered results that drove immediate impact while laying the foundation for long-term engagement.

Community Impact

Giving Day sparked genuine excitement across McDonogh’s community, driving visibility and engagement well beyond the donation page:

• 78 hours of total social media watch time
• 40,000+ views
• 1,500+ likes, 37 comments, 315 shares, 40 saves
• 387 calls made

Fundraising Success

McDonogh surpassed their initial financial targets, increased donor participation, and established a sustainable giving culture.

• 344 donors
• $128,000 raised (more than half from current parents)
• 38 first-time donors
• 14% increase in parent participation

For a first attempt, that’s what we call a mic-drop moment, and a strong signal of what’s possible moving forward.

Your Blueprint: What to Steal For Your Next Giving Day 

If you’re looking for the TLDR from their strategy, here’s the shortlist McDonogh would want you know before launching your first Giving Day: 

• Rally relentlessly. Energy is contagious, so don’t let it dip.
• Celebrate EVERY win. Small victories add up to major momentum.
• Let your community shine on video. People respond to people, not brands.
• Be human. Be warm. Be fun. Your audience can feel authenticity a mile away.

Lessons Learned: What They’d Do Differently

Even with a highly successful first Giving Day, McDonogh is delightfully candid about what they’d adjust for “next time.” See what they’d do differently (so you don’t have to learn the hard way).

1. Start ambassador recruitment earlier (never underestimate people’s calendars).
2. Double down on video, especially voices from alumni, parents, and students.
3. Use more micro-challenges and tie online momentum to real-life excitement.
4. Infuse more joy—the sillier the better.
5. Take more photos of volunteers (your future self will thank you).
6. Drop the institutional voice— be warm, real, human.

Closing: This Was McDonogh’s Moment—Now It’s Yours

If you’re planning your first Giving Day, McDonogh’s biggest lesson is this:

Authentic, community-driven content is your superpower.

When your Giving Day feels human, energetic, and inclusive, people notice—and they participate. McDonogh didn’t just raise money. They built excitement, strengthened connections, and launched a Giving Day tradition they can grow for years to come.

Ready to put these ideas into action? Schedule a demo with GiveCampus to see how our platform can help you plan, launch, and grow a Giving Day that rallies your entire community.