The Washington State University community will hold its 11th annual #CougsGive day of giving on Wednesday, April 15, with a 24-hour virtual celebration of philanthropy and collaboration.
Since its first iteration in 2015, this fundraising event has generated nearly $5.7 million in gifts to WSU, while also providing a platform to share university priorities, donor impact, and engagement opportunities for alumni and friends.
The event runs from midnight to midnight on April 15 at cougsgive.wsu.edu and features live campaign counting, a donor wall, unlockable special match and challenge gifts, and leaderboards highlighting results from the day. Donors have sponsored more than $500,000 worth of special matching gifts and unlockable challenges to help encourage participation and friendly competition during the day.
One exciting addition of the day in 2026 is the expansion of a WSU student club and organization page that features 26 registered student organizations fundraising for activities ranging from sports to academic clubs to cultural events.
Donors who are interested in sponsoring a match, challenge, or making a special gift on the day should contact the WSU Foundation at 509-335-6686 or annualgiving@wsu.edu.
Alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends are encouraged to participate in promoting the event and sharing their own WSU experiences and connections online.
Alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends also are encouraged to participate in promoting the event and sharing their own WSU experiences and connections online as Cougar Ambassadors during the day. Participants can create an Ambassador account on the website and use a shareable link to recruit and inspire participants, with the top referrers of gifts earning bonuses to unlock for areas of their choice.
WSU community members can visit cougsgive.wsu.edu to see the featured content of the campaign that includes more than 100 pages for participating campuses, colleges, departments, and programs.
Giving days are widespread events in higher education and philanthropy that connect donors with inspiring stories and fundraising opportunities. WSU’s donors participated in record fashion a year ago on the institution’s 10th giving day with 1,645 gifts for $1,153,992.
Gifts through any WSU platform on April 15 will be counted in #CougsGive totals. Only gifts made on the cougsgive.wsu.edu website will count toward matches or unlockable challenges. WSU will announce the final results of this year’s #CougsGive on the afternoon of April 16 once all gifts have been counted and verified.
