Cassel Outdoor Theatre on Doane’s Crete campus has nearly 700 orange pennants on display atop the green grass. Giant letters reading G-O D-O-A-N-E can be seen near the pennants.
Nearly 700 orange ONE DOANE pennants are displayed in front of the large GO DOANE letters in Cassel Theatre, representing the success of this year’s One Day. One Doane.

Written by Mike Stehlik ’07

In its sixth annual appearance, One Day. One Doane. — Doane University’s extravagant 24-hour day of giving — a friendly “Battle of the Decades” competition helped bring 490 Tiger supporters together.

10 people, five Doane staff members, and five students, pose in front of large letters that read G-O D-O-A-N-E. The letters are black and orange and are raised on the stage of Cassel Outdoor Theatre. In front of the stage are many orange pennants on sticks that have been placed in the green grass and read “One Doane,” a nod to the name of the event — One Day. One Doane.
A group of staff members from the Advancement and Alumni Office pose alongside several Tiger students after nearly 700 orange pennants were placed in Cassel Theatre, one for every $200 raised in the campaign.

This year, Doane announced a 450-donor participation goal and leaned heavily on the fact that overall dollars raised, while always important in its own right, is less critical than getting a healthy percentage of supporters involved. Once the 450 donor goal was met, an additional $75,000 was gifted by the Board of Trustees—bringing the total of the campaign to an exciting $139,748.

One Day. One Doane., which began at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20, and concluded at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 21, extended its participation goal this year across decades. Alums, volunteers, friends, and former employees stepped up early and challenged their respective bases.

A group of staff members from the Advancement and Alumni Office stand inside Cassel Outdoor Theatre, placing one pennant per $200 dollars raised. Nearly 700 pennants can be seen in a tight area at the front of the amphitheater. The brick building known as Campus Center and the brick Merrill Tower can be seen in the background, as can a dark blue sky.
Michelle Faltin ’99, Megan Forbes ’06, Sandy Koll, and Halie Rohe ’21 worked diligently to place nearly 700 ONE DOANE pennants in Cassel Outdoor Theatre. Each pennant represented $200 raised during the One Day. One Doane. campaign.

As advertised, only one decade would emerge as the participation champions. That decade turned out to be the 1960s when they reached 96% of their decade's goal participation. For context, each decade’s goal participation number was calculated as 5% of its total donor base.

The 1980s came in second place, reaching 84% of its goal. The 1990s finished third with 73%.

Also of note, the decade claiming bragging rights to most dollars raised was the ’70s, with the most overall donors coming from the ’90s.

Several orange pennants are shown up close. The pennants are orange with white O-N-E D-O-A-N-E lettering that represents the One Day. One Doane. Campaign. The pennants are on sticks placed inside the green grass of Cassel Outdoor Theatre on Doane’s campus.
Multiple pennants can be seen up close during One Day. One Doane. 2024.

All donations made during One Day. One Doane. had a significant impact on the Doane Fund, which plays a crucial role in enhancing all areas of the Doane experience. From financial aid and scholarships to faculty and staff development, academics, athletics, fine and performing arts, and campus life, every aspect of Doane benefits. Thanks to the generous support from across the Doane, Lincoln, and Crete communities, and even beyond, current and future Tigers will continue to thrive and find their passion at Doane for many decades to come.