Make Your Mark: Babson’s Most Important Fundraising Day

Biz E. Beaver holds a giant checkmark
Listen

When Valibhav Vohra ’07 thinks about his life’s journey, about how he has grown through the years, he always thinks back to where that journey began: Babson College.

“Babson has had a very large role to play,” says Vohra, who lives in Delhi, India, and is the managing director of Continental Carriers, a global logistics management provider.

So, when Vohra heard about Make Your Mark last year, he thought about his journey and where it has led him, and he decided to give back. “Giving something back to Babson is always on my mind,” he says. “I feel like contributing toward the journey of others at Babson in some way.”

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 8, kicks off this year’s edition of Make Your Mark, the annual day of giving for the Babson community. It is the College’s most important fundraising day of the year.


Make Your Mark: Please consider making a gift of any amount, or become a Babson Defender through the College’s recurring gift program, which ensures your gift is counted every year.


Starting at noon EDT and lasting for 36 hours, Make Your Mark invites the Babson community to donate a gift of any amount to make an impact on the College and its students. It is an effort that spans the world. Last year, 2,358 donors from 41 states and 41 countries participated in Make Your Mark.

“Make Your Mark is about building community,” says Edward Chiu, the Governor Craig R. Benson Endowed Senior Vice President for Advancement at Babson. “It’s about the power of numbers when all our alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends join together to show their support.”

‘A Forever Fan’

Over the past five years, donors cumulatively have given more than $1.8 million to Babson during Make Your Mark. Last year alone, contributors donated more than $700,000.

One of those donors was Carla Curiel ’05, the co-founder and CEO of Lanugo Media, a Miami-based bilingual family entertainment company. “I will always be a supporter and forever fan of Babson,” Curiel says.

Much like Vohra, she thinks about the role that Babson has played in her life’s journey. “I give yearly to Babson because it has given me so much,” she says. “It has given me a world-class education, lifelong friends, amazing memories, and it has supported me in my entrepreneurial journey from the start. I had access to faculty guidance, participated in WIN Lab, and even attended an event at the White House thanks to Babson.”

A Wide Impact

The donations from Make Your Mark touch every part of campus and make a direct and significant influence on the lives of Babson’s students, from scholarships and financial aid to athletics and activities.

Donors may give to the College initiative of their choosing. For instance, they can contribute to The Fund for Babson, which addresses areas of most need across campus, or invest in academic learning, supporting term chairs and faculty fellows and sustaining and growing programs within the Centers and Institutes.

“Make Your Mark is about building community. It’s about the power of numbers when all our alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends join together to show their support.”

Edward Chiu, the Governor Craig R. Benson Endowed Senior Vice President for Advancement at Babson

To appreciate the wide breadth of Make Your Mark’s impact, consider some numbers from last year’s event. More than $60,000 was raised for The Fund for Babson, and more than $26,000 was donated to the Emergency Fund, which supports students most affected by the pandemic.

Some 370 donors provided scholarship assistance of more than $37,000, and more than 460 donors supported 10 of Babson’s athletic teams with gifts totaling more than $58,000. The Institute for Family Entrepreneurship, meanwhile, received more than $40,000 from 35 donors.

Fittingly enough, Make Your Mark falls on Founder’s Day, a long-standing Babson tradition that celebrates the College’s history and rich entrepreneurial legacy. To inspire the worldwide Babson community to action again this year, Carol and Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA’92, PhD, will personally donate $25,000 if the College reaches its goal of 2,500 donors in 36 hours.

As Babson’s president, Stephen Spinelli calls on the College community to come together. “Our community is composed of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, united by shared values and a common mission to educate entrepreneurial leaders who create social and economic value,” he says. “Your partnership is critical to sustaining that mission.”

Posted in Community

More from Community »

Latest Stories

a row of electricity meters
The Price of Power: What’s Driving Rising Electricity Rates? Electricity rates have been steadily increasing. Ryan Davies, a Babson professor of finance, unpacks the many reasons for that, including the massive data centers popping up across the country.
By
John Crawford
Senior Journalist
John Crawford
A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.
September 30, 2025

Posted in Insights

The Babson community and mascot celebrate at the Roger Babson statue last year
No. 2 Again: Wall Street Journal Ranks Babson the No. 2 Best College for the Second Year in a Row For the second year in a row, The Wall Street Journal ranked Babson as the No. 2 Best College in the United States, lauding the College for its impressive student outcomes.
By
Eric Beato
Editor / Writer
Eric Beato
Eric Beato is the Editor of Babson Thought & Action and Babson Magazine. A native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Eric has worked as an editor and writer at newspapers across the country, including the Chicago Sun-Times and Boston Herald. Eric joined Babson College in 2019 after working as the communications director for a private educational travel company and as the managing editor of six regional sports publications.
September 29, 2025

Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Insights, Outcomes

First row (left to right): Laura Bautista ’29, Ezel Bhatty ’29, Sydney Fojas ’29; Second row (left to right): Lucas Lebrija ’29, Tia Malhotra ’29, Remy Witt ’29
Class of 2029 Blank Leadership Scholars Bring Excitement to Campus The Class of 2029 Blank Leadership Scholars arrive at Babson equipped with entrepreneurial spirit and social impact experience, from launching nonprofits and tech solutions to championing environmental education.
By
Melissa Savignano
Writer
Melissa Savignano
Melissa Savignano, a content marketing manager at Babson College, has worked in higher education for almost a decade, where she tells authentic, compelling campus and community stories. Before Babson, she managed communications for Boston University’s largest college, the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. She previously worked in client relations, helping brands of various sizes launch content marketing strategies and storytelling initiatives. When not at work, you will find her in the city of Boston, probably at the movie theater.
September 25, 2025

Posted in Community