ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE?
In celebration of Mount Union’s ninth annual day of giving, your gift on Raiders Give will put us one step closer to unlocking the Trustee Challenge. If 1,000 or more donors make a gift - no matter the designation - on April 9, several generous members of the Board of Trustees have committed to match every dollar raised up to $175,000. That's double the impact of your support!
A great big thanks to the following Trustees for their generous support for our students and for helping make this special matching challenge possible:
- Lynne Biery
- Dr. Brad '84 and Stephanie Carman
- Jim ’84 and Denise Costanzo
- Rob ’91 and Patty Curry
- Matt ’84 and Patricia Darrah
- Scott ’87 and Susan (Ermlich ’90) Gindlesberger
- Dr. Rick ’72 and Cheryl (Brown ’72) Drake
- Brad and Sue Goris
- Allen ’77 and Carol (Howlett ’76) Green
- Chad Johnson '07
- Dan ’72 and Laura Keller
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
- Michelle (Shaheen '98) and Timothy Wires
- Anonymous
- Lee Ann (Johnston '83) Thorn
With the inclusion of several gift designations again this year, you can put your money where your heart is and make a DIRECT difference in the lives of all current and future Purple Raiders. We are excited to feature the following challenges:
STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND CHALLENGE
If 200 or more donors designate their gift to the Student Emergency on Raiders Give, we will unlock another $10,000, thanks to the generosity of Dr. Niall Slater.
M CLUB/ATHLETICS CHALLENGE
Jim Eismon '98 has committed another $5,000 if 150 or more Purple Raiders choose to support M Club/athletics with their Raiders Give gift to The Mount Union Fund.
In addition to the Trustee and Designation Challenges, your gift may also help unlock one or more affinity-based challenges this year, based on your relationship(s) to Mount Union. Check out the participation goals for each group below for additional ways your gift can make an impact.
YOUNG ALUMNI CHALLENGE
Calling all Raiders of the last decade! If 100 or more young alumni (Classes of 2016-2025) make a gift on Raiders Give, Michael ’16 and Aly (Silver ’17) Gates, Jordan Hiatt ‘21, Cody Rohaley '18, and Lauren Samsa '22 will collectively give another $4,000.
STUDENT CHALLENGE
It’s never too early to start giving back! If 150 current students - including undergraduate and graduate - make gifts on Raiders Give, Nick Russo ’06 has generously committed another $5,000 to support the Student Emergency Fund.
FACULTY AND STAFF CHALLENGE
President Greg '89 and Callie (Livengood '09) King are challenging all employees to help make Raiders Give 2026 a success. Thanks to their generosity, we’ll unlock another $5,000 if 150 or more faculty and staff make gifts on April 9.
PARENT AND FAMILY CHALLENGE
Parents, grandparents, and family members of current or past Purple Raiders, your support matters. If 100 gifts are given by parent and family members of all Raiders, Jeff Holdeman and Terri Klobusnik, parents of Lexi Klobusnik '20, will give an additional $2,500.
When you make your gift on Raiders Give, vote for one of 23 areas or programs on campus that means a lot to you. Sponsored by Dodie Davis '62, Vice President of Advancement, Logan Aguiniga, and Nick Walker '11, the top three areas or programs that receive the most votes will win $2,000, $1,500, and $1,000 respectively. Check out the leaderboard page April 9 to see how each program stacks up. The voting options include:
- Brumbaugh Scholars Program
- Campus Ministry
- EXPLORaider
- Global Education and Study Abroad
- Global Engineering Trip
- Honors Program
- International Choir Tour
- Library
- Marine Biology Florida Field Trip
- Mount Union Women
- Physician Assistant International Service Learning Trip
- Purple Raider Marching Band
- Raider Cove Resource Center
- Regula Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement
- Student Life
- Spectrum Education Center
- Social Responsibility Trip
- Spirit Squad – Cheer and Dance
- Spring Lobby Weekend
- Shakespeare at the Castle
- Wayne Manzilla Center
- Wilderness Trip
- WRMU - Radio Station
Put your state on the map with the 50 State Challenge. For every U.S. state represented by one or more donors on Raiders Give, Ben '96 and Torie Utterback has generously committed $100.
If all 50 states participate, that’s over $5,000 in additional support for current and future Raiders! Check out the heat map on the leaderboard page April 9 to view our progress.
It’s time to show your letters with pride! Fraternities and sororities will go head to head in a friendly competition, and the chapters with the highest participation percentage on April 9 will each score a $500 cash prize sponsored by former Director of Student Involvement and Leadership and Fraternity & Sorority Life Coordinator, Dr. Kate Carnell ‘00.
No active chapter? No problem—donors may still vote for their fraternity or sorority when making their gift on Raiders Give. If an inactive chapter earns the highest participation, the $500 prize will be awarded to support Fraternity & Sorority Life overall.
There are lots of exciting things planned on April 9. Keep checking back throughout the day to see what time-sensitive challenge might be on the docket next. In the midst of all of the fun, you just might win a prize!
SOCIAL AMBASSADOR CHALLENGE
We can’t do it without your help! Help spread the word about Raiders Give using the social sharing tools on the Mount Union Fund campaign page. The Social Ambassadors who generate the largest number of donors and the largest dollar amount of gifts will each win a Mount Union Quarter Zip and Lapel Pin.
MAKE A GIFT CHALLENGE
Every gift makes a difference. Show your love for Mount Union with a gift of any size on Raiders Give and be automatically entered to win a Mount Union fleece blanket.
CURRENT GRADUATE PROGRAM CHALLENGE
Graduate students, ready for a little competition? Join with your peers and be a part of the excitement on Raiders Give because the graduate program with the highest participation on April 9 will win a special experience for all program donors before the end of the academic year.
FIRST DONOR CHALLENGE
Set a reminder, and let the countdown begin! Who will be the first to make a gift on April 9? Starting at midnight, be the first Raiders Give donor of the night, and win a University of Mount Union lunchbox.
TWILIGHT CHALLENGE
You know what they say … the early bird gets the worm! The first 50 donors to make their gift between midnight and 7 a.m. on April 9, will receive this year’s exclusive Raiders Give t-shirt celebrating the impact that giving today has on keeping Raiders First!
BREAKFAST CHALLENGE
Good morning, Purple Raiders! What better way to start your day than with a cup o' joe and a gift to support Mount Union students? Starting at 7 a.m., the next four donors will each receive a Raiders Travel Mug.
RAIDERS RISE POWER HOUR
Rise and shine, Raiders! Help us kick off this year’s Raiders Give and TRIPLE your impact during our Raiders Rise power hour. All gifts made from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000, thanks to the generosity of Natalie (Giantsos '04) and Doug '02 Peterman.
THE MORGAN ENGINEERING POWER HOUR
Now you can TRIPLE your impact! In addition to the Trustee Challenge, all gifts from 12 to 1 p.m. also will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000, thanks to the generosity of Board of Trustees Member, Mark Fedor and Morgan Engineering. During this special Power Hour, your $25 becomes $75 and $100 becomes $300. Will you beat the clock?
MIDDAY CHALLENGE
Put a little pep in your step during that afternoon lull by celebrating Mount Union! Starting at 2 p.m. on April 9, the next four donors will each receive a Mount Union Cup, Lapel Pin, and Key Lanyard.
HAPPY HOUR CHALLENGE
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere! Starting at 4 p.m. on April 9, the first four Raiders Give donors who make gifts of $500 or more will each receive a Purple Raiders Cooler Bookbag and Raiders First Foam Finger.
THE STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND POWER HOUR
Now's your third, and final chance to TRIPLE your impact and help students when they need it most! In great thanks to Dr. Niall Slater, every gift made to the Student Emergency Fund within the hour starting at 6:30 pm will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000.. Between this Power Hour and the Trustee Challenge, your $50 becomes $150 and $150 becomes $450. What a way to make a difference!
RAIDER SPIRIT CHALLENGE
The day isn’t over yet, and there’s still time to help spread that Raider Spirit and unlock more than $200,000 in challenges! Starting at 8:30 p.m. on April 9, the next four donors each will receive a Mount Union Hat, MUCaw Socks, and Tech Tattoos.
