Generous supporters make One Tribe One Day a success
On March 26th, William & Mary (W&M) and VIMS held our annual day of giving, One Tribe One Day. As it was the 11th anniversary of the event, members of the VIMS Foundation Board set a unique challenge: 511 donors would unlock $100,000 for the VIMS Impact Fund. Your support helped us meet and exceed our goals!
Over 600 donors contributed to VIMS, raising over $260,000 in total to advance our mission, a 19% increase in fundraising over 2023.
VIMS Foundation Board Treasurer, Rich Lafferty, was the day’s leading supporter of VIMS. Explaining his gift, Lafferty says, “As someone who has spent the last 25 summers enjoying the Chesapeake Bay, and as a three-year member of the VIMS Foundation Board, I am impressed with VIMS’ work on coastal resilience and protecting our fish and shellfish populations. Making our coastal communities stronger and more resilient for the future is our responsibility.”
Thanks to generous contributions, VIMS won W&M’s Gerdelman Challenge for most faculty and staff donors, as well as three of the hourly challenges for most donors.
“One Tribe One Day is all about coming together as a community to support this amazing place,” says Executive Director of Advancement Marise Robbins-Forbes. “With the efforts of so many supporters, as well as our faculty and staff, VIMS indeed came together and had our best year yet. Thank you to everyone who participated and led to this success!”
Private philanthropy funds our students, our scientists, and our essential research that informs citizens and policymakers, helping them understand and conserve our precious waterways.
If you missed One Tribe One Day, you can still make a difference! All gifts made to VIMS, regardless of the day, support our efforts to keep marine environments and coastal communities vibrant and healthy. To learn more, visit VIMS.edu/giving.