Great Things Happening at the 11th Annual Gettysburgives

Posted By Gettysburgian Staff on Mar 31, 2025 | 0 comments

Students enjoying lawn games during the Gettysburgives event on Stine Lake. (Sofia Gutierrez/The Gettysburgian)

By Heather Wirick, Assistant News Editor

The spirit of giving has taken over Gettysburg once again! The 11th annual Gettysburgives festival kicked off at 9 a.m. on March 26 and concluded at 9 p.m. on March 27th. This is a 36-hour challenge for the College community to raise as much money as possible for different areas of the school, ranging from organizations such as the Eisenhower Institute to need-based initiatives such as the Student Emergency Funds.

Donors have the option to make a general donation or allocate these funds to a specific cause. This year, 2,267 donors raised a total of $719,496.

Gettysburg has taken full advantage of digital marketing to encourage donors with different challenges and incentives. Donation statistics are ranked to promote friendly competition. For the 2025 year, the alumni contributed the most, making up 65% of donors and contributing 80% of the final total.

580 participants donated a total of $182,733 to the Areas of Greatest Need Fund, which allows additional allocation of assets to areas of the school that need them most. Contributions came from all around the country, as well as Canada. Pennsylvania topped the charts with 661 donors.

While donations are mostly granted digitally, every year the college hosts an event for students, faculty, and visitors to enjoy and celebrate the spirit of philanthropy. This year the event was hosted on March 26 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm on Stine Lake.

The event included food trucks, including the students’ favorites of Ziggy’s Donuts and Uncle Moe’s Soul Food in addition to OSAGL offering popcorn and snow cones. Guests were also welcome to play lawn games, make their own stuffed animals and enjoy music.

Senior class officers encouraged the class of 2025 to purchase this year’s class gift, a Gettysburg College baseball cap, while employees were encouraged to make donations at the neighboring table.

Although Gettysburgives has concluded, all members of the community are welcome to donate at https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/42290/donations/new?donation_type=general.