#BirdsGiveBack is Illinois State University’s very own annual day of giving when Redbirds come together in a university-wide effort to inspire alumni, faculty/staff, students, parents, friends, and the community to give to their passion at Illinois State. Through giving challenges, interactive leader boards, giving day ambassadors, and some good-natured fun, you can participate and motivate others to support a favorite college, department, organization, or scholarship that you believe in.
Your support provides crucial resources that nurture the University’s growth and success as a world-class institution. Your giving supports academics, research, scholarships, extracurricular activities, and service to others. It takes the collective annual support of the entire Redbird community to make Birds Give Back a soaring success! There is no better day to maximize your impact than Birds Give Back as challenges and matches help you make the most of your annual gift. We have set a goal of 4,000 gifts in 24 hours!
Birds Give Back kicks off at midnight Feb. 22, 2024 and runs through 11:59 p.m. that evening. We will feature a series of challenges, matches, exclusive videos and social media festivities to keep the day interesting and engage a broad range of Redbird supporters. The Birds Give Back website will be open to accept gifts beginning Friday, Feb. 16 and will remain open through Monday, Feb. 26 for donors that may need to give early or after the big day.
Giving on #BirdsGiveBack is easy. Visit BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState.edu and find the college, department, organization, or fund that you would like to support.Use our quick and easy online form to submit your gift. We now also accept Apple Pay, PayPal and Venmo on the Birds Give Back website. You can also call (309) 438-4483 to make your gift by phone, we will have a team standing by from 7 a.m.-11 p.m.
When we say “support your passion,” we mean it. You can make a gift to any area of campus that has special meaning to you. All colleges, departments, scholarships, and most organizations have their own fund. You can browse the list of available funds and each college or unit’s featured needs at BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState.edu. Do not see the specific fund you want to give to? Simply click on the “Donor Choice” tile from the main BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState home page. You will then be able to write in the fund you prefer to support.
If you do not see the specific fund you want to give to, simply click on the “Donor Choice” tile from the main BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState.edu home page. You will then be able to write in the fund you prefer to support. You may also contact the Office of Annual Giving at (309) 438-4483 to make your gift over the phone or visit Giving.IllinoisState.edu and utilize the search function to identify additional funds. No matter how you give on Feb. 22, your gift will still count towards #BirdsGiveBack.
Challenge gifts encourage participation by allowing donors to increase the impact of their gifts on this special day. A complete list of challenges will be available at BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState.edu under the “Challenges” button in the navigation bar.All active matches/challenges can be viewed here, and applicable challenges will be viewable on college or department landing pages.
Share, share, share! Your stories, your images, your memories all shared via social media using the hashtag #BirdsGiveBack allow others to hear about this special day and make their own gift. The more you share, the more successful #BirdsGiveBack will be. You can even sign up to be an official Birds Give Back ambassador and win prizes. Click on the “Ambassador” link at the top navigation bar on the Birds Give Back site.
Every gift size is appreciated and makes a difference. We accept gifts of any size on campus; however, a minimum gift amount of $5 applies to the Birds Give Back site due to credit card processing fees. If you have any questions about your gift, please call us at (309) 438-4483.
Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match charitable contributions made by their employees. New this year, as you make your online donation, at the end of the donation form process you will see the opportunity to search for your employer’s matching gift form. You will receive a link to your employer’s form. If your company is eligible, you may also request a matching gift form from your employer directly and submit the completed and signed form. We will take care of the rest.
The office of Annual Giving is available all day to help answer your questions about giving and #BirdsGiveBack. Please contact us at (309) 438-4483 or email AnnualGiving@IllinoisState.edu.
If you are on or near campus and would like to drop by we are accepting gifts in person all day from 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 22 at the Alumni Center room 118. If you call (309)-438-4483 we can assist you with your gift personally.
We encourage donors to make their gift online at BirdsGiveBack.IllinoisState.edu. If you have a donor who does not want to make a gift online, you may transfer the call to ext. 8-4483 where volunteers are standing by to take their gift or pledge over the phone.
If a donor would like to make a pledge,please transfer the donor to ext. 8-4483 and we will take their pledge information and complete the form to build their pledge. Donors will receive a mailed pledge reminder following Birds Give Back.
All gifts received in person, over the phone, emailed to you personally or to your department should be delivered in person to the Birds Give Back command center located in Alumni Center 118. Gifts will be entered into the Birds Give Back website to count toward challenges and totals before being delivered to Gift Processing. Please deliver gifts on Feb. 22 before end of day.If you want to do a curbside drop-off, call (309) 438-4483 when you arrive.. Please DO NOT take gifts directly to Advancement Operations.
Transfer the donor to the Birds Give Back communication center at ext. 8-4483, contact Jillian Nelson at jyoun11@ilstu.edu (540) 810-8123, or stop by the command center in Alumni 118 for assistance.