NAU Giving Day 2024

NAU Giving Day is an annual celebration of the collective impact of Lumberjack Country’s generosity. This 24-hour event unites thousands of NAU alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents, fans, and more to make a difference for Northern Arizona University and beyond.

On NAU Giving Day, you can join the collective effort to provide educational access to students, enhanced academic programs and experiential learning opportunities, and quintessential Lumberjack experiences like student clubs, performing arts, and athletics. You have the chance to be part of something BIG!

Every gift enables current and future students to chart their own paths at NAU. No matter your background, each of us has the power to help NAU take the next step.

Join in this celebration of giving on April 3, 2024, because... We are Lumberjacks!

The Lumberjack spirit seed sprouted in 1899, when a teachers’ college opened in the mountain town of Flagstaff, Arizona. Officially Northern Arizona University as of 1966, more than 20,000 Lumberjacks now attend the flagship campus each year, but NAU’s reach extends outside Flagstaff to every corner of Arizona and beyond. Lumberjacks are now found among the saguaro in Phoenix, the date palm trees in Yuma, and coffee shops around the globe, thanks to the 20+ statewide locations and NAU online.

With more than 160,000 alumni worldwide, Lumberjack Country is anywhere that the True Blue and Gold spirit shines bright.

So, whether you’re in Flagstaff or Fiji, Prescott or Paris, Denver or D.C., YOU are in Lumberjack Country. Share your pride and swing your Axe of Kindness this NAU Giving Day to show that this is Lumberjack Country!

This is not Lumberjack Country’s first rodeo. Starting in spring 2019, these past five years of NAU Giving Day have been nothing short of remarkable:

    - Five years of an explosion of Lumberjack pride on social media—check out #NAUGivingDay

    - Five years of friendly (but fierce) competition—which college will win the most challenges?   

    - Five years of fashionable footwear—wait until you see this year’s Giving Day socks!

And, of course, five years of incredible Axe of Kindness: over $1.9 million that went directly to supporting hundreds of causes across the university: scholarships, Cline Library, emergency aid for students, research funding, study abroad support, and SO much more!

Challenges are created by donors for their favorite programs. They incentivize others to give by increasing the money raised based on donor participation. The passion of these challenge donors is contagious; they hope their generosity will inspire others to join the effort.

When a challenge reaches a specified number of donors on NAU Giving Day, the challenge donor’s gift is activated. For example, when 50 alumni donate, a $2,500 challenge gift will be activated. After a challenge is activated, the challenge box will disappear. Often, challenges are for specific colleges or units across the university, which adds to the day’s excitement and atmosphere of friendly Lumberjack competition.

Every donor, no matter the size of the gift, counts, and combining these gifts will compound, helping support NAU in incredible ways.

On April 3, your generosity has an even BIGGER impact than usual, thanks to several generous supporters who will be providing challenge funds. By making your gift, you can help your favorite areas and causes at NAU win these challenge funds. Throughout the day, leaderboards will show progress in real-time, and you’ll be able to watch dreams come true as challenges are unlocked throughout the day.

Your donation to the Northern Arizona University Foundation goes directly where you choose: a college, school, department, or any area you're passionate about at NAU (such as scholarships, a student organization, an impact fund—you name it). You can even choose to designate your gift to more than one area. Simply note your preference on the gift form and how much you want to give to each area.

State funding, tuition, and fees do not cover the total cost of providing a university education each year. In fact, Arizona ranks towards the bottom of states for per-capita investment in higher education. Like all U.S. colleges and universities, NAU relies on donors to help keep its budget healthy and diverse. Donations also allow the university to fund new opportunities and areas of need.

Generosity from donors supports every facet of the student experience at NAU. Your support opens the doors for students to attend the university through scholarships that can minimize loan debt. Philanthropic support helps make groundbreaking programs like NAU’s Access2Excellence possible, granting free tuition to Arizona students with household incomes under $65,000 and all members of federally recognized tribes.

Your generosity also helps NAU attract and retain outstanding professors who cultivate student potential and provide a myriad of programs and research opportunities that allow NAU to offer an exceptional education.

No matter what your generosity looks like, it matters.

Gifts of all sizes make a difference because they’re part of something much bigger. These gifts build momentum. They add to the collective impact of other gifts like it.

Your gift and many like it often fund NAU’s current-use needs. Many of these gifts directly aid students, whether it’s through scholarships or other vital student services that support their success at NAU. 

A gift of any size is incredibly powerful. It ensures the university can adapt to the needs of its students, faculty, and staff. It adds to an essential source of funding and helps close the gaps where endowed gifts cannot.

Passionate. Enthusiastic. Generous. Outgoing. Connected. Goal-driven. (And maybe a little bit competitive?) If this sounds like you, you may be the hero we need to make this NAU Giving Day the best one yet!

NAU Giving Day Ambassadors are the Lumberjack superheroes of the day! Their passion for NAU is contagious. They rally their friends and family to give to an area dear to their hearts.

If you’re ready to save the day, sign up online to get access to your own unique link to share with your networks. You can track the number of Giving Day gifts you personally inspire for NAU using your personal link. If you sign up by March 8, you’ll also receive a special package of NAU Giving Day swag to make it easy to showcase your True Blue and Gold pride. We’ll give you tips and templates for email and social media.

Beyond sharing your Lumberjack pride with #NAUGivingDay on social media, create Axe of Kindness in your Lumberjack Country. 

Share your time as a volunteer. You’ll make a big impact by helping others build stronger connections to NAU no matter where they are in the world.
While NAU encourages all alumni and friends to stay involved by making a gift of any size or shape, sharing your time as a volunteer is a great way to connect, contribute, and lead when you aren’t in a position to make a financial gift. Sharing your time with NAU matters and helps NAU deliver its mission to drive positive change in Arizona and beyond. Learn more about volunteer opportunities on NAU's Center for Service and Volunteerism website.

Spread the word on all social media by tagging your posts with #NAUGivingDay. Also, please talk about NAU Giving Day to your family, friends, colleagues, and anyone you think may be interested in supporting NAU. If you'd like to become an official Giving Day Ambassador, sign up online. 

We’re so glad you axed! One of the most exciting parts of the annual NAU Giving Day tradition is the reveal of the coveted, exclusive, limited-edition, kick axe Giving Day socks. Stay tuned for their exciting debut on March 21.

Once we receive your gift, you will receive a receipt verifying that your gift has been deposited into the account you have specified. For further guidance on tax matters, please consult your tax adviser.

Yes, under Donor Wall Settings, click: "Do not display my name on the Donor Wall."

Giving as an NAU employee is simple and secure through Payroll Deduction. Log in to manage or update your giving preferences—from one-time gifts to ongoing gifts deducted from each paycheck.

We are grateful to the many members of our faculty and staff community who share their time and talents as employees, and also give to support their passions at NAU. As employees, you know firsthand the power of philanthropy at NAU. From student scholarships to KNAU programming, the Santa Sleigh Fund to NAU Athletics—philanthropy ensures the university is able to maintain a margin of excellence that makes us all proud.

Manage your payroll deduction giving online.