For the first time, the Foundation Department partnered with Cortland Beer Company and hosted a tabling meet and greeting for new donors at the bar.
The goal, according to Natasha McFadden, the Director of Annual Giving in the Cortland Foundation Department, was to bring new attention to the program. Potentially gathering new donors who would attend Cortland Beer Company.
“We’re expanding. We wanted it to be not only a campus event, but something that all of Cortland is aware of and ready for,” said McFadden. “We wanted to make the event bigger, like a party or a festival, so we tried for the first time to have kind of like a happy hour, have everyone together, the campus directors, chairs, the staff, our partners, and celebrate while we wait for the finals numbers to come in. It’s a ‘thank you’ celebration.”
The 2025 Annual Giving Day at SUNY Cortland was filled with friendly competitions among departments and the student body as the campus sought to earn gifts for raising donations.
The Cortland Challenge is the Annual Giving Day that happens at SUNY Cortland. On Wednesday, April 9, the 2025 edition of the challenge was hosted by the college, involving different departments on campus and bringing together donors and participants from all over the country.
This year, the challenge counted with over 3,500 supporters and $575,000 was raised throughout the day.
McFadden said that last year, the event counted with 3,826 donors, and raised over $560,000. The goal for this year was to raise over half a million dollars again and get to another record-breaking level, which was achieved.
Jaida Menzo, a senior majoring in Communications with concentration in Public Relations and Advertising, tabled at the event and said that challenge was a success and that the participants were very generous with their donations.
Throughout the day, the organizers of the event had the donations broken up in different sections, and to every amount raised, the donors would doable it up and they would unlock a new award. The minimum donation gift was five dollars. The focus of the challenge was to have the highest number of donors rather than higher donation amounts.
“It’s just all about participation,” explained McFadden.
Different academic departments and athletic team also participated by competing against each other in a friendly matchup to see who could get the most donor participation. All the gifts and donations would go directly to the department of the donor’s choice, supporting the initiative that they believed in.
“If they give five dollars to the Biology Department, for example, it’s actually going to be doubled,” said McFadden. “The donors are supporting the teams, they’re helping them win this competition, but obviously their impact is being doubled by the support of our donors who are out here trying to increase participation.”
The recipients of these gifts will be able to use and invest those funds in anything they find fit for their program.
“I think Cortland Challenge Day really showcases the strength of the Cortland community,” said Menzo. “As an Engagement Ambassador, I see firsthand the hard work that goes into planning this event, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see students, staff, and alumni come together to give back, and because donors can choose to support a specific department, it makes the impact even more personal and meaningful.”
On the day of the event, the Cortland Foundation team had a table full of gifts, food and candy prepared for those who wanted to learn more about the event and for the donors that would want to make their contributions in person. The table was located at Brockway, from noon to 2 p.m., and at the Cortland Beer Company, downtown Cortland, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The first official Cortland Challenge happened in March 2018. At first, the challenge only consisted of the athletics department, but as the years went by and the event became more popular, the academic departments joined in on the challenge as well.
“Seven years in and it just keeps growing and getting bigger,” said McFadden. “I’m always afraid that people are over it and that this will be the last year, but no, everyone just keeps getting more and more excited about it. They want to participate. They have bigger dreams, and they want to invest in it, and so do we.”