Johns Hopkins aims for 1,200 donors in 24 hours on annual ONEHopkins day

A donation made today to Johns Hopkins could help unlock more than $400,000 in challenge gifts to support what matters most to members of the Hopkins community, whether it's boosting undergraduate financial aid, directing funds to a specific department at Johns Hopkins Hospital, or bolstering a variety of other Hopkins-based causes.

Today is ONEHopkins, an annual institutionwide day of giving during which Hopkins hopes to attract a record 1,200 donors in 24 hours. Six challenge gifts are up for grabs, along with the bragging rights for division that reach their fundraising goals by midnight—here will be an online leaderboard to help divisions track their standings. Donors are encouraged to share their giving activity on social media with the #ONEHopkins hashtag.

"ONEHopkins 2019 is an opportunity to celebrate and strengthen the schools, programs, and people that make us proud to be 'one Hopkins,'" says Wudassie Teklehaimanot, director of content for Annual Giving. "We are counting on the generosity of our community to help us achieve 1,200 donors in a 24-hour period. We are incredibly excited to experience the power that one day and one goal can have on our community."

Image caption: Kirby Leo, a second-year student majoring in biomedical engineering

Image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University

It's up to each donor to decided exactly how their gift should be used. Past donors who directed their gift toward student financial aid helped to bring talented young researchers to Hopkins, among them Kirby Leo, a second-year student majoring in biomedical engineering. Leo came to Hopkins to combine her interest in the physical sciences with her knack for biomedical research, which she had already started to nurture as an intern at the University of California, San Francisco before to coming to JHU.

She says her financial aid package has given her a support system that goes beyond paying for school—it also gives her valuable guidance in her field. She's a co-founder of Health 3D, a student-run social venture that creates 3D-printed equipment for pediatric patient education, supported in part by the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab.

"Scholarship support is really important for me because my mom and I have been through financial struggles, and I don't come from a family with a background in medicine or engineering," Leo says. "I'm the first one of us venturing into this field."

Supporters can give any amount to any designation, either as a standard gift or a fulfilled pledge, in order to be counted toward the 1,200-donor goal. As an added incentive, several generous donors have stepped forward with challenge gifts totaling more than $400,000. Over the course of the day, as donor goals are met, additional gifts will be provided to Johns Hopkins for reaching:

• 200 donors ($10,000)
• 500 donors ($30,000)
• 750 donors ($50,000)
• 1,000 donors ($100,000)
• 1,200 donors ($200,000)

There's also a bonus challenge: Once the 1,200-donors benchmark has been cleared, the institution will receive an additional $30,000. Participants can donate and watch the day's progress at givingday.jhu.edu. They can also let people know they gave by downloading and sharing a social media sign.