The UNH 603 Challenge

The (603) Challenge is an annual, online fundraising campaign that offers alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends the chance to make a gift to their favorite areas across the university. Thanks to a generous group of supporters who underwrite the challenge, these gifts are matched, up to $300 per donor, until the pool of matching funds runs out. In addition, there are surprise bonus challenges throughout the five days that can make your gift go even further AND several areas that have their own challenge that can unlock additional funds if they achieve their goal.

• The (603) Challenge starts on April 8, 2022 at 12:00:01 a.m. ET.
• The (603) Challenge ends on April 12, 2022 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET.
• To be counted in the challenge results and be eligible for matching and bonus funds, gifts must be made online using UNH’s giving form. Unfortunately, due to the automated nature of matching and bonus fund distribution, gifts received offline will not count in the challenge results, unless part of the Underwriters’ Club, though we appreciate and will accept gifts not received online.
• $300,000 in matching funds are up for grabs.
• Gifts must be made online using UNH’s giving form in order to be counted for the challenge and be eligible for matching and bonus funds.
• Donors are eligible for a dollar-for-dollar match on their gift, up to $300 per donor, until the matching funds run out.
• Matching and bonus funds are distributed in the order that gifts are received through the online giving form but are not dispersed to the respective designations until after the challenge is over.
• If a donor gives to multiple designations, matching funds will be distributed to the various designations based on the same percentage distribution of the donor’s total gift amount.
  • For example: If matching funds are still available and a donor gives a total of $200 and directs $150 to fund A and $50 to fund B, the matching fund distribution would be $150 to fund A and $50 to fund B. If a donor gives a total of $500 and directs $250 to fund A and $250 to fund B, the matching fund distribution would be $150 to fund A and fund B, as an even split of their $300 match limit.
• If a donor makes multiple gift transactions while matching funds are still available, all of the donor’s gifts are eligible for a match until the $300 individual match cap is reached.
  • For example: If a donor gives $300 to fund A and then later in the day, while matching funds are still available, gives another $300 to fund B, the match will go to fund A since that is where the donor gave first and that used up the $300 matching cap.
• A donor giving multiple times to one fund will only count as one donor for that area on the leaderboard and in the overall challenge donor count.
• A donor giving to multiple areas (either in the same transaction or across multiple) will count as one donor for each area on the leaderboard but only count once in the overall challenge donor count.

We are fortunate to have a group of generous underwriters who provide the highly motivating pool of matching funds and issue the bonus and area challenges each year. Their generosity has been the key to this challenge’s success since its inception.

If you are interested in rallying your fellow Wildcats to join you in supporting UNH, you might consider being a member of the Underwriters’ Club next year. For more information, please contact the Office of Annual Giving at 603-862-0540 or annual.giving@unh.edu.

Yes, as always, we hope you’ll give to the areas you are most interested in. This could be scholarships, a college or school, academic department, athletic team, student organization, center, institute, initiative, or any other program at the university. If the area you want to give to is not listed, select the closest related area or “Other Fund” and provide a note in the gift instructions field of the online giving form – we’ll be sure your gift is designated accordingly. If your gift cannot be designated as you intend, we will follow up with you directly to confirm the best alternative for your gift. You can also select multiple funds!

There are always other ways to give back to UNH, but for this specific campaign, we are only counting online gifts made between April 8, 2022 and April 12, 2022 and commitments made by members of the Underwriters’ Club.

If you are interested in making a gift in another way or at another time but are unsure how to do so, or you would like to learn more about other opportunities to support UNH, please contact the Office of Annual Giving at 603-862-0540 or annual.giving@unh.edu.

No matter the day or time, making a gift to UNH is incredibly meaningful and makes a big difference for students and programs. During The (603) Challenge, however, your gift can be matched or amplified through one of the bonus or area challenges, magnifying the overall impact of your philanthropy. And you’ll be joining thousands of other Wildcats who are also signaling their UNH pride by giving back.

The amount is entirely up to you! From $6.03 to $603, gifts of any and all sizes are always appreciated, and because the goal of this challenge is maximizing participation, each gift counts the same in our quest to receive gifts from as many donors as possible.

Thanks to our generous underwriters, there are also several opportunities that will be unveiled throughout the challenge, separate from having your gift matched, that can help your gift have a greater impact. The exact details of these bonus challenges are a surprise until announced so be sure to check your email, social media and this website for that exciting news. The official rules for each bonus challenge will be detailed here once launched.

Leaderboard Bonus Challenge

The top three areas on each of the three leaderboards (colleges/schools, athletics and university programs) with the most online donors at the end of The (603) Challenge will earn additional funds. The first-place finishers will receive an additional $1,500 to their area, second places $1,000 and third places $500.

The Cat Scratch Bonus Challenge

A group of select recipients will receive a special “Cat Scratch Ticket” in the mail before the challenge. There are scratch off boxes on each of these tickets that will reveal details about the challenge and whether it is a winning ticket. There are a total of 100 winning tickets and each winner earns an additional $100 bonus on their gift when they give online during the challenge. This bonus is above and beyond matching funds and other bonus and area challenges the donor and their gift are eligible for.

The NH Numbers Bonus Challenge

The first 1,000 donors who make an online gift on Monday, April 11 (starting at 12:00:01 a.m. ET) with a TOTAL gift amount containing the numerals 6, 0, and 3 (in any order) will receive a $50 bonus added to their gift. Only donors who have not already given to this year’s challenge qualify. Other numerals can be included as long as you have 6, 0, and 3 in the dollars and/or cents. Giving to multiple areas in one gift transaction will result in an equal split of your bonus to those areas, so long as the combined TOTAL gift amount contains 6, 0 and 3. Examples of TOTAL gift amount that will qualify for this bonus include (but are not limited to): $603, $306, $60.30, $30.06, $16.03, $6.03, etc.

The Grand Finale Bonus Challenge

All donors who make an online gift on the last day of the challenge, Tuesday, April 12 (starting at 12:00:01 a.m. ET) will receive an equal portion of $75,000 added to their gift. Only donors who have not already given to this year’s challenge qualify. The bonus amount tacked on to your gift will be dependent on the number of donors that qualify and will be calculated after the challenge is over. Whether you make one or multiple gift transactions and/or give to multiple areas, your bonus amount will be split accordingly.

Thanks to generous underwriters who have directed their support to underwrite a challenge for a specific area of the university, those areas can unlock additional funding if they achieve the online donor goal they set for the challenge. The amount of additional funds the area will receive if it hits its goal and the actual goal varies by area but will be noted on the website.

Thank you! The best way to help now is to spread the word to your fellow Wildcats. Tag them on social media using #UNH603, call, text or email them to let them know this campaign is happening. It’s helpful to share with them why you choose to give back to UNH and encourage them to join you in making a gift to their favorite area(s) of the university for the chance to maximize their impact.

Matching gift programs through your current or former employer or through your spouse’s employer are another great way to double or even triple your gift. Simply contact the company’s Human Resources office for further information on how to participate in their program, as each company has different processes for requesting a match. If you are unsure if your company matches charitable gifts, you can use this search tool: unh.edu/give/giftmatching.