GPS Sees Record Donations on Giving Day

On Tuesday, September 12, the GPS community celebrated Giving Day in honor of the three GPS Founders whose vision for girls education changed the trajectory of history in Chattanooga. All funds raised or pledged on Giving Day benefit the annual Impact Fund, the primary philanthropic fund for GPS.

We are thrilled to announce a record $406,089 was raised this year on Giving Day from a record 459 donors! For comparison, in 2022, Giving Day raised $308,371 from 386 donors. This year, an anonymous donor offered a $15,000 match for first-time donors to encourage giving. The fundraising was gamified in other ways as well, with reunion classes competing against each other for bragging rights.

Alongside the Office of Development and Alumnae Relations, Rachel Durham Finch ’13, Director of Annual Giving, planned a series of events throughout the day to encourage community involvement. In the morning during drop-off, students, faculty, staff, and parents were invited to purchase coffee from a SnoTop coffee truck, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Impact Fund. 

Later that morning, employees and volunteers gathered on campus for an alumnae phone-a-thon that helped contribute to the success of Giving Day. 

That evening, GPS students, along with their dads and dad-figures, were invited to attend a Lookouts Game hosted by the GPS Dads Network. Ted Cover, GPS “First Dad,” threw out the first pitch.  

Additionally that night, alumnae across the United States gathered to honor the legacy of our innovative, gutsy Founders—Tommie Payne Duffy, Eula Lea Jarnagin, and Grace McCallie. The nationwide meetups served as the official launch of GPS’s new alumnae chapters, located in cities with the densest graduate populations. Each chapter is led by a GPS alum (or two!) based in that community, with the intention of organizing regular events to celebrate sisterhood, reminisce, and connect. 

We are so thankful for each and every person who donated to the Impact Fund on Giving Day and to those who gave their time and talents to create a successful celebration of GPS on Founders Day.

If you would like to make a gift or pledge to the GPS Impact Fund, click here.