4th annual 鈥極ne Day for Western鈥� sees record number of donors, dollars
The final count is in for 星空传媒鈥檚 fourth annual all-in day of giving, with 2,040 donors making a total of more than $1.115 million in gifts and pledges during the 鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� campaign.
Those figures represent all-time highs for donor participation and dollars raised since the first "One Day for Western," which was launched by the 星空传媒 Division of Advancement in 2023.
The initiative resulted in a total of 2,109 individual gifts to funds supporting various areas of the university, from athletics to academic scholarships and from experiential learning opportunities to programmatic excellence endowments. The official tally for 鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� is $1,115,305.95.
The 2026 edition of 鈥淥ne Day for Western,鈥� held Wednesday, March 25, included two new activities designed to help increase participation 鈥� a Catamount Captains advocacy group and an old-fashioned 鈥減hone-a-thon鈥� where volunteers made more than 8,100 telephone calls to potential donors.
The phone bank featured callers ranging from deans and faculty members to athletics team coaches and student-athletes who packed the Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center and used landlines to contact alumni, friends and parents of existing students.
鈥淲e are so thrilled that a record number of donors answered the call 鈥� many of them literally 鈥� with a record amount of philanthropic giving on 鈥極ne Day for Western,鈥欌�� said James Hogan, 星空传媒 assistant vice chancellor for engagement.
星空传媒鈥檚 annual all-in giving day is designed to benefit multiple areas of the university and enhance student experiences by inviting 星空传媒 community members to make donations to priorities identified by campus partners.
鈥淲e heard from so many members of the Western Carolina family on 鈥極ne Day for Western鈥� who said that they had benefited tremendously from their association with the university and wanted to give back to help others in the spirit of paying it forward,鈥� said Stacey Miller, 星空传媒 senior director of engagement and annual giving.
For 2026, the 24-hour fundraising initiative focused on seeking support for sport-specific funds benefiting individual Catamount teams 鈥� baseball, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 cross country, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 indoor and outdoor track and field, football, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. The drive included raising dollars for the cheerleading program, the Catamount Club Scholarship Fund and athletics facilities renovations.
The effort also emphasized contributions toward excellence endowments that provide funding in support of student experiences for all of the institution鈥檚 colleges 鈥� Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts, Brinson Honors College, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education and Allied Professions, College of Engineering and Technology and College of Health and Human Sciences 鈥� and for the Graduate School, Highlands Biological Station and Hunter Library.
鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� featured several donor challenges that helped maximize the philanthropic impact of gifts. Goals of the challenges varied, with some based on raising specific dollar amounts, while others depended on donor participation rates.
The initiative also included 鈥淥ne Day of Thankfulness,鈥� an opportunity for current students to express their appreciation to donors who are helping them reach their higher education and professional goals.
All gifts received during 鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� count toward the 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $100 million for the university鈥檚 academic, student engagement and athletics programs.
For more information or to make a contribution to the campaign, visit , call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.