Why I Give on Rutgers Giving Days

Alumni discuss the why they donate to Rutgers each year on Giving Days, which will take place this year on March 12–13.

Rutgers Giving Days, a once-a-year event to advance Rutgers, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with a 48-hour giving campaign on Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 13.

We asked four alumni why they give each year.

Julie Petulla, a program manager for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in New York who graduated from the Rutgers Business School in New Brunswick in 2017 and serves Rutgers as a volunteer on various university causes, said the annual event is an opportunity for her to explore ways to get more involved.

“Giving Days is the time of year where I focus my efforts to donate financially by choosing a cause that I want to know more about,” says Petulla, who added that last year she learned about and donated to the Rutgers Center for Women in Business, of which she previously was unaware. “From there, I reached out to them and asked how I could get more involved in supporting their efforts. Since then, I’ve been an active member on their advisory board.”

Elizabeth Carter, who graduated in 2015 with a juris doctorate from Rutgers Law School in Newark and a master’s degree of city and regional planning from the Rutgers Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in New Brunswick, says Giving Days is a way for her show appreciation to the university.

“Rutgers meant a new chapter in my life—an exciting adventure to a new state and a new school where I gained the best professional education and acquired the best of professional networks,” says Carter, an attorney in Chicago focusing on redevelopment, community planning, and commercial real estate finance. “It is important for alumni to support Rutgers Giving Days to express pride and gratitude for an excellent education during one of the most pivotal moments in their lives.” 

Erik Cruz Morales, who holds a 2018 bachelor’s degree and 2019 master’s degree from the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University–Newark, also gives with a sense of gratitude.

“I support Rutgers on Giving Days because this institution has given me more than I could have ever asked for,” says Morales, who is policy and advocacy manager for the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “Rutgers was a gateway to opportunity in my life. By supporting Rutgers on Giving Days, we contribute to a legacy of academic excellence, innovation, and community. Every gift, no matter the size, plays a role in empowering the next generation of Rutgers graduates.”

Carla Davenport, who earned an undergraduate degree in English at Rutgers–Camden in 1987 and an MBA at the Rutgers School of Business–Camden in 2016, says “it is important to support Rutgers on any day,” but that the annual event is a good time for everyone to rally together.

“I love Giving Days because having one or two days where everyone shows their commitment in a tangible way—and often a public way, thanks to social media—reminds me I'm part of this huge community of people who love Rutgers and believe in its mission,” says Davenport, who is a senior director of marketing at AnewHealth in Moorestown, New Jersey.

Davenport, who is involved with the Rutgers University Alumni Association (RUAA) and the Rutgers–Camden Alumni Association, said a discussion she had with a recent Rutgers–Camden graduate illustrated the importance of giving.

“This graduate said she almost had to quit school in her last semester because she was short on tuition money,” Davenport says. “Fortunately, she was able to get a grant from a campus fund supported by alumni so she could finish school. Her story really affected me and underscored the importance of supporting Rutgers and today’s students.”