Giving Day at College

On the 2^nd and 3^rd of September 2025 College hosted its annual giving day for the third time since its insurrection in 2023. It is a 36-hour event that has quickly become an important tradition with a large impact at College. Giving Day is more than just a simple fundraiser it is a celebration of heritage at College and across its community. This, all because of the shared belief that the boys of College deserve the very best opportunities in all aspects such as sport, culture and academics.

In the past two years, Giving Day has flaunted its ability to raise money. The 2023 Giving Day had raised a little over R1,35 million from only 410 donors, in addition every Rand was further matched by very generous donors. In 2024 a total of R1,2 million was achieved. The current 2025 Giving Day initiative set its sights on a lofty goal of R1,5 million over its course of two days.

The theme for this year’s Giving Day is “Illuminate the future”, a fitting theme as College aims to build on the momentum from the past two campaigns and invest in the future for the many who have yet to pass through these walls.

The idea of Giving Day was inspired by a similar initiative launched at schools such as Michaelhouse, with the College initiative having a unique Red, Black and White twist. The first campaign, held on the 5th and 6th of September 2023 held the theme of “Honouring the Past, Embracing the Future.” This was also the year of the school’s 160th anniversary, this milestone reminded the College community of the depth of its history along with the importance of investing in the future.
The funds from the inaugural event had to support many areas across the school, key areas were the:

• Endowment fund which is responsible for securing the long-term financial stability of the school.
• Aquatics, primarily by upgrading the swimming pool.
• Rugby and Hockey: by improving the training facilities and other infrastructure.

The initiative has gone far beyond financial gain as it has demonstrated incredible community culture and generosity, in keeping with the South African spirit of Ubuntu.

The second Giving Day held in September 2024 had the theme of “Honouring our Past, Shaping a Future without Limits; 1300 boys at a time” this theme along with the main call to action being #ShapingFutures really highlighted the effect that each donation has on the lives of the regular College boy, regardless of their background. The 2024 initiative yielded a community contribution of 1,2 million Rand.

The 2024 campaign created a foundation for wide-spread community engagement in the following ways:

• The form based fundraising initiative encouraged participation from learners, with the 2^nd formers exceeding R100 thousand in their contributions.
• The pupil leadership began taking a more active role in procuring donations, this gave the learners a sense of ownership towards the success of the campaign.
• Inspirational videos from the leadership figures of the school such as former Deputy Headmaster Mr. Matthew Marwick as well as Mr. Sutherland added a certain gravitas and credibility.

Giving Day 2024 added incentives mostly in the form of prizes which added to the excitement, especially for the boys. The donors had the option of entering draws in order to win prizes such as branded merchandise, coffee vouchers for the on-campus Coffeebox along with a couple mystery prizes. The Charidy platform which gave real time updates created a sense of achievement and momentum. According to Sally Upfold, the school’s marketing director, seeing the names flow in from all the donations caused great excitement among the boys especially when they saw their own name pop-up or one of their friends, while also seeing the number creeping higher and higher.

Building on its foundations, the Giving Day of this year aimed to “Illuminate the Future”. This theme has both a literal and figurative meaning as the funds generated will be used to continue the legacy of College far into the future. The second meaning ties into what the funds will be used for.

• Lights on Goldstones: (Where the theme comes from) installing floodlights on our historic field, this will allow to train and play after dark. This also increases school spirit.
• Arts and Culture: investment in the arts such as music, drama and visual arts are crucial as they contain some of the best talent in the school. Most of these funds will be allocated towards the much-needed upgrades to the Olivier Cultural Centre, where most of the school’s major productions take place.
• The deck on Pape’s: enhancing this important social and viewing area should increase spectator turnout.
• Boarding Establishment: to provide improvements to the boarding houses specifically Hudson and Calrk house so that boarders have safe, enjoyable and inspiring living conditions without compromising legacy and traditional values.
• The deck on Pape’s: upgrading classrooms investing in resources for the future and strengthening support will allow College to continue directing potential for many generations of College boys to come.

Together these projects showcase College’s commitment to providing a holistic education, deeply rooted in tradition.

Like many schools in South Africa, Maritzburg College receives limited funding from the government. This amount is insufficient for College to still meet the demands of modern education and provide a comprehensive education. While the school does still charge school fee’s the funds raised will be used to provide scholarships to deserving students. The funds also help to reduce the school’s fees and ensures the sustainability of the school so that it can expand its legacy.

It is vital to remember that Giving Day is not about large donations, while it is true that College has received donations of up to R50 000 at a time, they do not overshadow individual donations of R5 and R10 as all forms of participation are important. Be it a contribution of R50 or R50 000, every Rand contributes toward the initiative makes a difference.

Maritzburg College has stood for excellence in education since 1863. In its alumni you can find everything from leaders, athletes and much more across the globe but still, they remain a tight knit band of brothers. Giving Day is your chance to give back to the great school that gave you so much.

At Maritzburg College every amount counts no matter how big or how small, every donation counts because everyone benefits.

This year, thank you to the generosity of over 500 donors over R930 000 was raised. Although we didn’t meet the R1.5m target, every cent raised will help the school achieve its goal of providing the best possible environment for every boy to achieve his best!