SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The eighth annual Day of the Dons celebrated a return to campus with a student carnival and commencement ceremonies for USF's newest alumni. Over 3,135 donors raised a record-setting $1.86 million in support of USF students in the first-ever 48-hour Day of the Dons, marking another historic day of giving.

On April 7, 2022, University of San Francisco alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and supporters came out in record numbers for the eighth annual Day of the Dons. This fast-paced day of giving was not only a celebration of being back on campus, but also a celebration of the newest USF alumni as the university welcomed back the classes of May 2020, December 2021, and May 2021 for their graduation ceremonies in St. Ignatius Church.

Within USF Athletics, many programs set new fundraising records specific to Day of the Dons, including men's tennis, triathlon, volleyball, women's basketball and cross country/track & field. USF also set a single day record for participation of the Dons Fund with 184 individuals supporting the primary fund for USF Athletics. Overall, $186,798.00 was raised during this year's event.
 
This year, Athletics fundraising was exceptional thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Tom & Gaylene Hoshiyama, who made generous challenge gifts to encourage broader donor participation across Athletics. 

"The Hoshiyama Family made a tremendous impact by their commitment to supporting USF in many ways," said Director of Athletics, Joan McDermott. 
 
"Their challenge gifts allowed USF to promote Day of the Dons by encouraging broad participation through alumni, fans, faculty/staff, foundations and families. We are especially excited for the number of faculty and staff donors that supported Athletics in addition to the growing percentage of alumni who participated in supporting their alma mater. Thank you to all who invested in our student-athletes with a donation on Day of the Dons. We are also especially grateful to our student-athletes who volunteered their time in an effort to make Day of the Dons more successful. We have 905 individuals to thank for this tremendous accomplishment within Athletics,"

As a university, USF's goal this year was to attract 2,500 donors to unlock a $600,000 gift from long-time USF supporter Craig Newmark. However, in the initial hours of fundraising, USF experienced an unprecedented number of donors. This high level of participation inspired an additional challenge gift from Mark Buell '64, Board of Trustee member, if USF reached 3,000 donors — bringing the total challenge gifts available to $650,000. To meet the new goal, Day of the Dons was extended for the first time ever.

With double the days, there was an opportunity to double the impact on USF students. Not surprisingly, the USF community rose to the occasion and exceeded all expectations. Every gift made on April 7 and 8 are combined to provide a life-changing education to all USF students, an impact they can feel today and for the rest of their lives.

"Day of the Dons has become one of our favorite traditions at USF. It's a day dedicated to our USF community acting as one to invest in allowing our graduates to truly Change the World from Here," said Chantel Smith, associate vice president, annual giving and operations.

The eighth annual Day of the Dons was made possible through the support from generations of Dons coming together to support over 100 programs, scholarships, athletic initiatives, and schools on campus.