Giving Day Challenge

In the spirit of friendly competition, chapters will compete throughout the event based on both total dollars raised and number of donors. Chapters that come up victorious will receive special recognition prizes (more on that below).

A few rules to keep things fair:

• Chapters will be split into two divisions based on number of living members: (1) chapters with less than 1,000 living members, and (2) chapters with 1,000 living members or more.
• There will be two winners for each division: (1) the chapter with the most unique individual donors, and (2) the chapter raising the most dollars.
• Competitions end at 8:39 p.m. EDT on the final day of the event.

Donors must give a minimum of $10 to be counted and may only be credited for a chapter once.

While we know all donors give out of their love for Beta Theta Pi, we get it – a prize sounds nice, too. In 2025, chapter’s will be divided into two groups: those with 1,000 living members and those with less. Division winners for most total donors and dollars raised will receive one of the following prizes:

• A catered brotherhood event complete with FREE food prepared by professional chefs, courtesy of Giving Day Challenge sponsors Greek House Chefs and Upper Crust Food Service.
• $750 merchandise credit courtesy of Campus Classics and the Beta Foundation to use for chapter recruitment shirts or other Beta-branded apparel.

All winners will have their chapter’s name prominently memorialized on a plaque in the Administrative Office.

This year, all chapters will have the ability to earn a bonus prize when the event kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET on March 12 during the 60-minute Scholarship Surge. All chapters will compete against each other, regardless of division, over 60 minutes to have the most donors. The winning chapter will be granted an $1,839 scholarship by the Foundation to be awarded as they see fit.

While individual donors only count once during the overall Giving Day Challenge, donors will count again for the Scholarship Surge if they make another gift during that hour. For example, if John Reily Knox made his gift to Giving Day Challenge early by contributing on March 8, Miami would have one donor counted on the GDC leaderboards for his gift. If he made another gift during the first hour of Giving Day Challenge, Miami would not have an additional donor added to its progress on the overall leaderboard but he would count toward Miami on the Scholarship Surge competition leaderboard.

Stay tuned into the Giving Day Challenge on social media, there may be a surprise Scholarship Surge later in the campaign.

This year, we set an ambitious goal of $525,000 to fully fund a variety of Fraternity initiatives in the next fiscal year. Your Giving Day Challenge gift directly benefits all Betas through:

• Mental health resources
• Expanded attendance at Beta’s award-winning leadership programs
• Advisor and volunteer training opportunities
• Mission-driven initiatives, such as Beta Brotherhood and Beta Volunteer Assessments as well as Son of the Stars member orientation program

Gifts made during the Giving Day Challenge are special in a few ways. First, they’ll be posted in near real-time on our Giving Day Challenge Dashboard where they’ll help your preferred chapter advance on the leaderboards. They’ll also help unlock special Challenge Gifts throughout the event, meaning your participation stands to make a bigger impact than any other day of the year!

Through the year, the Beta Foundation offers bricks in the Beta Walkway to BLF donors making a gift of $500 or more. Each brick is engraved with a name, school and graduation year, and it is placed alongside other loyal Betas from the same chapter. During this year’s Giving Day Challenge only, this gift threshold has been reduced to $400 so that more loyal brothers and Friends of Betas can be placed along the Beta Walkway at the Administrative Office.

Your support is greatly appreciated! However, Giving Day Challenge participation is mostly limited to gifts made March 12-13 (or earmarked ahead of time specifically for the occasion). There are two exceptions to this:

1. Collegians who join the Sons of the Dragon Club. Any Club gifts made before the event begins are also counted as part of the Giving Day Challenge totals.
2. New Auto-Kai Donors. Auto-Kai members are those donors that give on a recurring basis (monthly, annual or quarterly). New Auto-Kai members and the chapter of their choice will receive credit for the 12 month total of their donation. (Ex. a $10 per month donation will receive Giving Day Challenge credit for $120.) Learn more about Auto-Kai here.
3. Current Auto-Kai Donors. Current Auto-Kai members looking to upgrade their donation amount, their chapter of your choice will receive credit for the new 12 month total. (Ex. A $10 per month Auto-Kai donor increases to $20 per month will receive credit for $240.) To upgrade an existing recurring gift, please contact Director of Annual Giving Travis Robinson at 513.520.9742 or travis.robinson@beta.org. 

All gifts made help unlock Challenge Gifts during the event, such as donor benchmarks and giving thresholds. With your help, we can make an even bigger impact on the future of the Fraternity by completing these challenges. Plus, supporting your chapter of choice can help secure big prizes at the end of the Giving Day Challenge as chapters compete for most donors and most dollars raised.

While we promise Beta’s online platform is secure (and did we mention simple?), we understand some supporters prefer to give the old-fashioned way.

Staff members are always available to accept your gift over the phone at 800.800.BETA. To make your gift via mail and have it count toward the Giving Day Challenge, it must arrive at the address below by the event date to be counted in the chapter competitions. Please make checks payable to the Beta Foundation, indicating in the memo line your gift is for the Giving Day Challenge.

Beta Theta Pi Foundation
PO Box 6277
Oxford, OH 45056

We’re so glad you asked! Because the Giving Day Challenge is a purely digital effort, that means you can (and will) play a significant role in its ultimate success. Reach out friends and family, and share the Challenge with your chapter brothers. Every gift matters!

Make sure you’re following Beta on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to follow along the progress of the 2025 Giving Day Challenge. Stay engaged and involved by sharing Beta’s posts on these social media platforms and by making your own.

It sure is. All gifts made to the Beta Foundation, during the Giving Day Challenge or otherwise, support educational opportunities for Beta Theta Pi undergraduates and are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. You will receive an email receipt/mailed letter shortly after you make a gift that you can save for tax records.

Ugh. We’ve failed you. Sorry about that. Feel free to contact Chief Foundation Officer Phil Fernandez, by email or phone (800.800.BETA) and we promise to fill in any gaps we may have missed here.