UPDATED MARCH 12, 2015

The hashtag #ElonDay connected thousands of Elon University students, faculty and alumni from around the world Tuesday in celebration of the school’s founding and in hopes to surpass last year’s total of more than $100,000.

“Last year it was a big change for us because we used to celebrate Founder’s Day,” said President Leo Lambert. “Elon Day is a new generation of Founder’s Day. It tries to bring in everyone from around the world. It’s a day to remember why we love Elon.”

In the end, 2,703 gifts were made to Elon to total $702,428, 73 percent of all gifts being $50 and under.

Donors presented challenges to other givers with the promise of matching gifts.

Chris Martin ‘76 and his son Nick ‘13 gave $25,000 to Elon because more than 500 new alumni contributed a gift before the start of College Coffee.

Kerrii Anderson ‘79 doubled all gifts up to $100,000 between College Coffee and midnight Tuesday.

Cindy and Rob Citrone P’17 challenged that if 2,500 people made a gift by midnight, all gifts would be matched one to one. 

The second annual Elon Day, formerly celebrated as Founder’s Day, centered around current students, alumni and friends of Elon. Members of the Elon community took to social media with the hashtag #ElonDay to share Elon-related anecdotes and photos in celebration of the university’s 126th birthday. 

“Social media has made it so people can give while they are telling their story,” said recently hired social media manager Adam Constantine. “People can share why they are giving.”

Constantine said the strategy behind Elon Day’s social media campaign was to send out all the information regarding Elon Day and let responses roll in organically.

But there was concern about whether people would engage with the hashtag and join the conversation. According to Constantine, a danger with social media is apathy. But this year that was not an issue.

“It shows how rich Elon’s history and culture is,” he said. “It shows the different ways that Elon has impacted people.”

The use of the hashtag spiked during Global College Coffee, which was a spin on the traditional College Coffees usually hosted every Tuesday morning.

Global College Coffee was live-streamed to make it available for people around the world to tune in and take part.

“We decided since College Coffee is such a great tradition at the university and so many alumni relate to it that it’d be a good way to bring everyone together around that tradition,” said Dan Anderson, vice president of communications.

Decked out in maroon and gold, students, faculty and staff enjoyed birthday cake — along with the traditional coffee and orange juice — to celebrate Elon.

“It’s a good reason for Elon students who don’t usually go to College Coffee to gather as a community,” said senior Alex Goeldner.

Elon pride was felt far outside of the walls of Alumni Gym.

Students studying abroad were able to take part in Elon Day through social media and the Global College Coffee livestream.

“It’s really cool to join in from abroad and watch the livestream,” wrote sophomore Christina Casillo. “I felt connected to everyone back at campus all the way from Morocco.”

Junior Margaret Holland celebrated Elon Day by appreciating the opportunities the university has provided her.

“Experiencing #Elonday while I’m in London was bittersweet because although I’m away from my second home, Elon has given me this incredible opportunity to experience the world,” Holland said.

While many students showed their school spirit by tweeting and wearing Elon apparel, not all Elon Day participants bled maroon and gold.

“Definitely the cake made me want to come out,” said freshman Kaz Colquitt. “This day didn’t make me feel any more Elon pride.”

The day did not just celebrate Elon’s roots – the university celebrated its 126th year as a college in 2015 – but it also pushed for all students, alumni and friends of the university to make a gift to Elon.

Global College Coffee was highlighted by the announcement that Kerrii Anderson ’79, former president and CEO of Wendy’s, would double all gifts up to $100,000 made to the university between College Coffee and midnight.

Kerrii Anderson, who grew up in Elon and went on to attend Elon College, remained connected to the university long after she graduated.

In 2008, she served as the commencement speaker, and in 2010, challenged donors, especially young alumni, to give back to Elon with the IGNITE Challenge.

“The IGNITE Challenge was about increasing alumni participation and allowing people to understand the impact they can make,” Kerrii Anderson said. “This time, I was excited about this new opportunity because this is a special day for Elon, and for me, an opportunity to be a part of something so impactful to the university.”

During March 2012, young alumni gifts plus Kerrii Anderson’s matches brought more than $490,000 to Elon.

Kerrii Anderson said she feels that she has gotten a lot back from what she has given to Elon and wants to continue investing in the institution.

“I know you have to reinvest in things to make them continue to succeed,” she said. “I feel like I am getting a great return on my investment in Elon.”

Leading up to Elon Day, campaigns and challenges were held to encourage people to give to Elon.

It was announced Sunday that Board of Trustees member Chris Martin ‘76 and his son, Nick Martin ‘13, would give $25,000 to Elon if 500 or more new alumni donors contributed a gift to the university before College Coffee on March 10.

The donation — met and surpassed before the start of College Coffee — was made out of a desire to inspire people to give back to Elon, according to Nick Martin.

“We hope our gift inspires people, especially young alumni, to give not only money but also their time back to the university,” Nick Martin said. “In the end, it’s not just about money raised but also participation.”

Chris and Nick Martin, both bankers in New Jersey, have long been tied to and supported Elon, most recently funding the renovation of the Martin Alumni Center.

Nick Martin said he enjoyed seeing Elon Day tweets and posts from around the world. 

“I’m all over social media today,” he said. “It’s great to see everyone re-engage and reconnect with each other over social media.”

Raising the bar

About 60 Elon students, faculty and staff and more than 700 alumni volunteers worldwide worked to orchestrate Elon Day.

“President Lambert wants this to be the single largest day of giving in our history,” said John Barnhill, assistant vice president for university advancement.

A total of 1,013 donors gifted a total of $116,867 to Elon last year. Barnhill said Elon hoped to double, if not exceed, the amount of donors this year.

Students saw Elon Day as an opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate their school.

“It’s a good time to make sure we are sharing what we have in this community,” said senior Junji Tsunomura.

Additional reporting by Leena Dahal, Assistant News Editor; Brett Gubitosi and Tanza Loudenback, Senior Reporters