The Ripple Effect of Giving Day

Building a culture of philanthropy through Giving Day

Giving Day – a proud INSEAD tradition of collective generosity. What began in 2017 as an idea by INSEAD alumni Dirk Luyten MBA’89J and Chandra Leo MBA’02D to galvanise the INSEAD spirit as a force for good has become the fun and anticipated annual event that our global community know and love today.

Giving Day has been an integral part of the Force for Good Campaign, contributing an amazing €8.7M from 14,032 donors. In 2023 alone, our 7th Giving Day – “It starts with you” – surpassed all goals by raising €1,355,237 from a record-breaking 2,637 donors. Particularly strong support was shown by alumni in the US, France and the UK and the Classes of MBA’08D, MBA’99J and MBA’09J, representing the Top 3 Countries and Classes respectively. Young alumni (up to five years after graduation) also brought enthusiasm in spades, with the Class of MIM’23 achieving 100% participation for their Robin Hood Scholarship Campaign during Giving Day and the Classes of TIEMBA’24 and EMBA’23 also making it to the Top 3 young alumni classes.

Giving Day makes waves

“It was beautiful to see my beloved Class of MBA’08D come together in support of our students, our school and our future. Now we just need to maintain our Number 1 position next Giving Day!”, joked Nourdin Hadj-Larbi MBA’08D.

More than just a number

But this global event is about more than the amount raised. Giving Day has helped to elevate the culture of philanthropy at INSEAD. Stressing the fact that every donor and every gift makes a difference – particularly for an independent non-profit school like INSEAD – Giving Day has been a major driver behind the success in exceeding the Campaign’s participation goal with 52% unique donors.

More importantly, it has brought INSEAD’s global community of almost 70,000 alumni across 180 countries closer together. From fundraising volunteers who rallied classmates to give or took their generosity a step further with a donor challenge, to those who organised engaging events in living rooms and virtual rooms, to individuals who shouted from the rooftops (or their phones) on social media – everyone had a hand in the success of Giving Day. The tireless efforts, especially, of volunteers from the INSEAD Alumni Fund (IAF), Young Alumni Initiative, National Alumni Associations, National Alumni Clubs and Global Clubs went a long way in making each Giving Day even better than the last. All of this was only strengthened by the close and continuing collaboration between the IAF, INSEAD Alumni Association (IAA) and the school, without which none of it would have been possible.

Impacting our world, our future

Our future Giving Day has proven time and again that INSEAD alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends stand by the school. This has created an astounding ripple effect, extending far beyond classrooms and communities and allowing INSEAD to invest in everything that makes it The Business School for the World. Unrestricted gifts to the Dean’s Fund during Giving Day have not only helped to fund scholarships for deserving students and fuel cutting-edge research to address the problems of our time, but also to respond with agility to changing circumstances.

It is clear that Giving Day has evolved and become something far more than anyone could have envisioned back in 2017. It is a beloved annual tradition, important source of funding for the future of the school, and a powerful reminder that, together, we can create waves of good that will transform business and society, far beyond the Force for Good Campaign.