5 September 2023
It is the early afternoon of Tuesday, 5 September. In the Boardroom at Maritzburg College, members of staff sit huddled over their laptops, tracking donations. This is the nerve centre of the 160-year-old school’s first-ever Giving Day.
College Business Manager, Kevin Smith (class of 1985), said the format was chosen from an American model, and it was chosen for a variety of reasons. One of those was to avoid donor fatigue, where the same people are constantly approached to give. Another was to open up giving to a community of College supporters who haven’t previously been involved.
Interaction
“We’re using this as a tool to get interaction going with them,” Smith explained. “It’s not necessarily all about the money. It’s about getting people back and involved, and understanding what we are doing at the school. So many people haven’t been back since they left school, but they’re still interested in it. We want to engage with them.”
Smith said the interaction was hugely important. “What we’re trying to do is to say ‘look at what we’ve done and come up with ideas about how we can improve’. In order to stay relevant in the market, we have to be ahead of everyone.”
The funds being raised will receive a huge boost from a group of donors who have promised to match every donation received. But, said Smith, most chose not to simply stump up the money up front. They want others to show their support, too, and then they’ll get behind the initiative with their matching donations.
Projects
People are able to choose one of four areas in which to support College, namely academics and boarding, aquatics, hockey (lights for Pape’s Astro are on the wish-list), and the Kent Pavilion.
The latter has not been pushed much, Smith admitted: “We did a Goldstones project last year, so we backed off of that. We said the focus must not be on rugby and cricket, so it’s going to be hockey, aquatics, boarding and academics and the endowment.”
Smith said he expected support for the fundraising to continue after Giving Day, once people see the money being put to good use.
International support
During the course of the night, the Boardroom will go silent, but the work will continue at home on laptops. “We’re hoping all the international guys will show their support during the night,” Smith concluded.
For more information, check out College’s social media accounts to learn how you can add your support and to see how the giving is growing:
Maritzburg College | Pietermaritzburg | Facebook
Maritzburg College (@maritz_college) • Instagram photos and videos
Maritzburg College (@MaritzCollege) / X (twitter.com)
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