The Stars Aligned for I-House during Big Give 2023

March 21, 2023

bhawnachowdhary

Big Give, the university-wide annual event, is a 24-hour fundraising blitz for all departments across campus, inviting friendly competition and philanthropy. It’s an opportunity for current and former residents to express gratitude towards I-House. The Big Give enables I-House to advance intercultural learning, provide scholarships, and maintain the historic home for future residents.

Image of star cutout with I-House dome in the center of star

This year’s theme was “Be a Shining Star,” and it was a fun way to connect with I-House as a beacon of light on the Berkeley campus and how the I-House community shines across the globe.

This year Big Give preparations started a week before the main event. Our social media ambassadors organized a photoshoot for I-House residents to spread awareness about the Big Give. Many residents participated in the photo shoot and used the Big Give Star and “Thank you” written on the blackboard for their pictures. The shoot boosted the excitement of residents for Big Give, and everyone was thrilled to kickstart the event.

Resident holding the Campanile and Star photo props

We also created short videos and Instagram reels to spread awareness about the Big Give. In one of the videos, I-House CEO Shaun Carver shared I-House’s tradition of the Sunday Supper candlelight ceremony and passed a candle to some of our residents who shared what makes them grateful.

Watch the video on our YouTube channel

Big Give at I-House kicked off with residents dancing to the beats of the Cal band at the festive German DiversiTea & Coffee Hour on Wed. March 8th. Social Media Ambassador Leonor Trinidad captured the excitement in this TikTok video. The house was full of enthusiastic residents spinning a wheel for I-House branded merchandise.

Eric Guntermann, the president of the I-House Resident Council (pictured below spinning the wheel) said, “It was great to see so many residents have fun giving back to the I-House community. In addition, residents got to know that they are part of a global community.”

César Rojas, an I-House Resident Council member, added, “Big Give was an excellent opportunity for residents to share how I-House has impacted their lives and tell others why they feel grateful for this experience.”

Mary Pompee, Resident Council communication officer, said, “I am really grateful to have experienced Big Give! Being part of an international community also means giving back and opening ourselves to others to grow as individuals. I am deeply grateful for all the interactions and growth Cal has given me, now it’s our time to give back in the future!”

The festivities continued during the lunch and dinner hours on Thursday, March 9th. The Social Media Ambassadors and Resident Council members Mary, César, Briana, and Ricardo resumed the spinning wheel activity for I-House swag and merchandise, including scarves, canvas bags, alumni mugs, power banks, etc.

Photo of the Big Give table and Spin the Wheel in the Dining Commons

Further, the residents wrote notes on our gratitude board and mentioned reasons why they are grateful for living at I-House. One resident wrote the names of her friends and mentioned how she feels lucky to have met her friends in I-House. A few wrote that they are thankful for the great food and Edmonds’ cafe.

Photo of the Gratitude board that residents wrote thank you statements on stars

Residents adding gratitude statements to the star board

Our staff and Big Give volunteers worked diligently to create awareness about the Big Give for this year and the years to come. All the I-House residents know about the Big Give and have good memories of it through participation in the fun activities.

I-House staff and residents checked the leaderboards throughout the day for real-time stats on how we were doing. We had a stretch goal of 150 gifts to unlock an additional $30,000 in matching funds from the I-House Board of Directors. There was a slowdown of gifts by mid-day, so it was a nail-biter! A timely reminder email was sent to our alumni and friends, which helped us to the finish line. Whew! In the end, we made our goal plus 18 gifts for a total of $57,206 raised for I-House!

Screenshot showing results of Big Give 2023. The Big Give is over, but you can still make a world of difference for I-House at ihouse.berkeley.edu/donate

As a final activity, I-House wanted to thank everyone who participated during Big Give, including residents who appeared in the Big Give video and those who helped to table during our “Spin the Wheel.” Therefore, we created a raffle using a spin-the-wheel app with the participants’ names which helped us randomly select our winners.

Screenshot of the spin-the-wheel app that randomly selected winners for the Big Give raffle

The prizes were $10 Edmonds’ cafe gift cards, the coveted I-House scarf, and two complimentary tickets to the Fun Home musical, courtesy of the Berkeley Playhouse. Congratulations to our resident winners: Francesca, Hashim, and Ricardo (pictured below from left to right), Nicolay, and Kanwar.

You can read more about our Big Give activities at

Big Give – I-House Results page

Shine Brightly for I-House: Today is the Day!

Big Give is on! Ways to Support I-House

Be a Shining Star for I-House During Big Give

Check out our Big Give Reels on our Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ihouseberkeley/reels/

It was fun to be part of this campaign and to help energize our residents and community to shine brightly for I-House! The Big Give is over, but you can still make a world of difference for I-House at ihouse.berkeley.edu/donate and get your name on the virtual donor wall. We appreciate our supporters!