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甜瓜视频app is seeking an army of volunteers to get on board as advocates on behalf of the university鈥檚 annual all-in giving day titled 鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� through the new Catamount Captains initiative.

Catamount Captains is an effort to help spread the word, inspire participation and amplify the impact of one of the most important days on the university calendar in terms of philanthropy, said Ali Smith, WCU associate director of annual giving.

鈥淲e are inviting alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of WCU to use their personal networks to encourage participation in 鈥極ne Day for Western.鈥� Research consistently shows that people 鈥� especially unengaged or first-time donors 鈥� are more likely to give when they are invited by someone they know, rather than by the university alone,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淵our voice, your story and your connections matter.鈥�

Catamount Captains volunteers will be asked to share their personal 鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� giving link with friends, family, classmates and colleagues to help spread awareness and excitement leading up to and during the day of giving.

鈥淎dvocates help to extend the reach of 鈥極ne Day for Western鈥� by encouraging donor participation through sharing their story of why giving back to WCU matters to them,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭his role is designed to be fun, flexible and meaningful 鈥� not burdensome.鈥�

Alumnus Aaron Speyer, a systems engineer at Stellar Solutions supporting NASA鈥檚 human landing system program at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is among those who have already gotten on board as Catamount Captains.

鈥淲estern played a huge role in shaping who I am today 鈥� academically, professionally and personally,鈥� said Speyer, who earned bachelor's degrees in finance in 2021 and innovation and leadership in 2022. 鈥淚鈥檓 motivated to support 鈥極ne Day for Western鈥� because I believe in creating opportunities for current students the same way others once did for me. Supporting WCU means investing in future problem-solvers, leaders and dreamers, and I鈥檓 proud to help be part of that investment.鈥�

Scheduled for Wednesday, March 25, the fourth annual 鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� is designed to generate philanthropic support for multiple areas of the university and enhance student experiences by inviting WCU community members to make donations to priorities identified by campus partners.

The 2026 effort will prioritize excellence endowments that support enhanced student experiences for all of the institution鈥檚 colleges 鈥� Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts, Brinson Honors College, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Education and Allied Professions, College of Engineering and Technology and College of Health and Human Sciences 鈥� and for the Graduate School, Highlands Biological Station and Hunter Library.

For example, contributions to last year鈥檚 鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� supported a group of forensic anthropology students who traveled to Durham to help local police search for and locate human remains, cracking a missing person case unresolved since 2023 and providing the students with valuable hands-on experience in their future profession.

This year鈥檚 24-hour fundraiser also is emphasizing support for individual Catamount teams 鈥� baseball, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 cross country, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 indoor and outdoor track and field, football, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. The drive includes seeking support for the cheerleading program, Catamount Club Scholarship Fund and athletics facilities renovations.

The responsibilities of Catamount Captains will include sharing a personalized giving link with a clear call to action; posting on social media before and during the giving day; contacting members of their personal networks; and publicly cheering for WCU and areas of the university of interest to them.

Volunteer advocates will not be expected to ask for specific gift amounts, answer technical giving questions or make cold calls.

Support and resources will be provided to Catamount Captains every step of the way, Smith said, and the time commitment is intentionally light 鈥� approximately 30 minutes a day, one day a week, over a four- to six-week period.

That support will include a brief virtual training session and a digital toolkit with sample email, text and social media messages; graphics and hashtags; a suggested 鈥渨hen to post鈥� timeline; instructions for using a personalized giving link; and weekly reminders and encouragement from the WCU Division of Advancement team.

The Catamount Captains initiative will feature a friendly competition and recognition, with prizes in categories including most donors influenced, most first-time or lapsed donors reactivated, most GOLD (graduates of the last decade) donors, and student, faculty, staff and spirit awards.

For more information about 鈥淥ne Day for Western,鈥� visit the website or call 828-227-7335. To sign up as a Catamount Captain, visit

All gifts received during 鈥淥ne Day for Western鈥� count toward the official tally for the 鈥淔ill the Western Sky鈥� comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $100 million for the university鈥檚 academic, student engagement and athletics programs. For more information or to make a contribution to the campaign, visit WesternSky.wcu.edu, call 828-227-7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.