You Have Made It Count for Meredith

In the fall of 2015, the 125th birthday of Meredith College was approaching. Conversations about how to celebrate were swirling around Johnson Hall and down Main Campus Drive to the Mae Grimmer Alumnae House, where the Meredith Fund Office and the Office of Alumnae Relations are located.

“We knew we wanted to do something special, but we weren’t quite sure what that was,” said Erin Cleghorn, ʼ18 MBA, the former director of the Meredith Fund and current director of fundraising research.

At a Board of Trustees meeting, Fran Teeter, ʼ83, a board member, asked Cleghorn to investigate the successful Day of Giving efforts at Elon University and Davidson College “I went to meet with fundraisers at those institutions and just thought it would be the perfect thing for us to do,” said Cleghorn. “A great way to rally our alumnae and get them really excited about giving back to the College in honor of our 125th birthday.”

On Meredith’s first Giving Day, a goal of raising $125,000 was set. Cleghorn and her staff had no idea that 10 years later, the College would be raising over 10 times that original goal. The amount raised has grown each year, as have the competitions, the memories, and the fun. The excitement this day brings for the College and alumnae is immeasurable.

At the end of each Giving Day, Meredith’s students and the campus community benefit from the dollars raised. These funds are designated to initiatives like Meredith’s Greatest Needs, scholarships, grounds, athletics, study abroad … the list goes on and on.

To read the full story, visit https://magazine.meredith.edu/2025/05/09/you-have-made-it-count-for-meredith/ , our online interactive Meredith Magazine.