Carlson School Raises More Than $1 Million on Give to the Max Day

Thanks to its generous donors, the Carlson School of Management set a new Give to the Max Day record for the school, raising more than $1 million in just 24 hours. These results, which were powered by more than 350 donors supporting 11 causes, placed the Carlson School as one of the top three 2021 Give to the Max Day campaigns statewide in Minnesota, a true testament to the power of the Carlson School community. 

The generous support from alumni and friends shattered the school’s record set last year. Participation was up more than 10 percent, while the fundraising total eclipsed the previous mark by more than $500,000. A significant portion of the fundraising success was due to the generous support from an alumni donor who made a $450,000 estate commitment, which will leave a lasting legacy at the Carlson School while helping to secure the school’s future. 

Alumni and friends had the opportunity to support 11 different causes ranging from scholarships and emergency student support to experiential learning programs and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Alumni and volunteer leaders contributed a remarkable $142,000 in matching gifts to support the campaigns, bolstering the support for each cause and driving participation for the day.

“The incredible results make it clear that the global Carlson School community is one that believes in our mission of developing human potential to prepare the next generation of business leaders to be a force for Carlson and a force for good,” says Travis Smith, ’21 MBA, assistant dean for institutional advancement. “The collective support of our alumni makes a huge impact at the Carlson School in and out of the classroom, every day, and it is humbling and inspiring to see that support grow year after year.”

Especially significant this year was the response to the first-ever campaign that specifically encouraged the school’s most recent undergraduate alumni group, Gophers of the Last Decade (GOLD), to support current and future students facing unexpected hardships that threaten their ability to remain enrolled as Carlson School students. The GOLD Alumni Board, a group of 26 volunteers from the classes of 2012-2021, challenged their classmates to participate by promising to match each gift dollar-for-dollar up to $2,500. The response blew the board’s goal out of the water, raising more than $11,000 to the Student Emergency Fund. With average grants to students in need of just more than $2,000, this effort by the board and GOLD alumni and friends will have a significant impact on the Carlson School’s ability to support students through difficult circumstances.

“The GOLD Board was eager to offer this first-ever challenge-match to our classmates, hoping that it would lead to an increase in support from younger alumni for this important and timely need,” says Bailey Bassett, ’13 BSB, president of the GOLD Board. “We are truly amazed that alumni stepped up and contributed to this important cause at a rate far beyond our expectations.”

The funds raised during Give to the Max Day supported a range of Carlson School causes, including the Dean's Excellence Fund, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Fund, Undergraduate Student Emergency Support, the Carlson Women Global Connect (CWGC) Fund, Carlson Global Institute (CGI) Scholarships, Carlson Consulting Enterprise (CCE), the CHRLS Social Justice Fund for Masters Students, the Tom Burnett Scholarship at the Carlson School, the Medical Valuation Lab, MN Cup, and the Carlson Executive MBA (CEMBA) Leadership Fund.