Belmont’s first ever completely online philanthropy campaign beat out its own goal of $50,000 in just one week.
The 2015 Bruins4Bruins Annual Giving Campaign ran March 8-14 and raised a total of $67,596.
The money will go to Belmont’s Annual Fund. which the university uses to pay for academic programs, student competitions and research, special speakers on campus and upgrades for library and research facilities, according to the Bruins4Bruins website.
Because it was geared primarily toward alumni, parents and supporters of Belmont, it made sense to make Bruins4Bruins a completely online effort to ensure maximum outreach, Director of Annual Giving Luisa Wilsman said.
“We all communicate differently. Our alumni, parents and friends are scattered all over the country and world. They lead busy lives. Sometimes the preferred way to reach them is through Facebook, Twitter, etc. which allows recipients to choose what they do and do not engage in,” Wilsman said in an email to the Vision.
As part of the campaign, the university uploaded videos to its YouTube channel and Facebook page every day of the fundraiser promoting Bruins4Bruins.
While some videos had students and parents, others featured more high profile figures. These include Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and Belmont alumnus Gordon Kennedy, Turtles founder and faculty member Mark Volman and actor and Belmont parent Charles Esten, who plays Deacon Claybourne on ABC’s “Nashville.”
Clark Buckner, who graduated from Belmont in 2013, appeared in one of the promotional videos. Buckner’s experience as a student helped him in his career as an entrepreneur, and he said he wanted to do something for the current generation of Bruins.
“It was organizations like Collegiate DECA & Greek Life, along with support from Belmont’s Center for Entrepreneurship, that motivated me to start my first digital media business Buck Branding,” said Buckner in an emailed statement. “That, combined with the Belmont student life experience, shaped me into who I am today. The chance to give back to current students is a special one and that’s why I wanted to participate in Bruins for Bruins.”