Huskies Invest: The Campaign Surpasses $625,000 and $1.3M All-Time – 1,000 Donations Contribute to 2020 Fundraising Campaign

In an unprecedented year, Northern Illinois University supporters stepped up for NIU student-athletes at record-setting levels as Huskies Invest: The Campaign concluded with more than $625,000 raised from more than 1,000 gifts, NIU Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier announced Monday. Huskies Invest has raised more than $1.3 million since its inception three years ago.

For 2020, the annual fundraising effort for the Huskie Athletic Fund was extended from its traditional Week of Giving and incorporated a variety of initiatives in order to provide a focus on raising funds for COVID-19 relief, while still providing opportunities for donors to support individual sport programs as well as the Huskie Marching Band and NIU Recreation.

“We cannot thank all of our alumni, fans, loyal supporters and members of the Huskie Family enough, including our coaches and staff, who participated in Huskies Invest: The Campaign,” Frazier said. “We continue to raise the bar in support of NIU student-athletes, and what has been accomplished so far this year is uplifting to our entire staff. It is unbelievably humbling to see Huskie Nation continue to step up. Whether you gave $10 or $50,000, we appreciate every one of you!”

In addition to the record number of total gifts received, more than 500 donors participated in Huskies Invest: The Campaign in 2020, including more than 150 new donors. The total number of donors more than doubled the number of donors who participated in Huskies Invest in the past, as the previous record was 214 donors in 2019.

“The success of this year’s Huskies Invest has been simply outstanding and gives us tremendous momentum as we continue to battle the effects of COVID-19 within our department,” Frazier continued. “We recognize there is still a great deal of work ahead as we navigate this pandemic, but we do so with the peace of mind of having so many Huskies from around the country who have stood with us through an outpouring of support over the recent months.”