Dear Campus Community:

In October 2016, we publicly launched our first-ever comprehensive campaign with a goal of raising $300 million by the end of 2020. Because this type of effort was new to our university, we knew we faced a challenge. At the time, we could not have imagined the hurdles we would encounter in the campaign’s final year. 

But today, we are proud to announce that we have surpassed our goal ahead of schedule with the generous support of over 32,200 donors who contributed more than 86,000 gifts. 

The results also reflect the growing enthusiasm for our mission. In the last year, we secured three of our largest donations in UC Riverside’s history. Over the last ten years, we doubled our gifts from $20 million to more than $40 million a year and doubled the number of endowed chairs. Meanwhile, through the course of the campaign we expanded our base of support with gifts from 21,722 first-time donors. We also are close to reaching our goal of 12,500 alumni donors. 

This achievement does not mark the end; the campaign will continue through December 31, 2020. Additionally, when we launched, we explained that our theme – Living the Promise –meant remembering all who helped us succeed by extending our hands to the next generation. Our success in reaching this milestone reminds us of our charge to continue advancing for our students, faculty, research enterprise, and communities. 

We have many to thank, starting with campaign co-chairs Dr. Thomas T. Haider and S. Sue Johnson for their leadership and philanthropy. We also extend our gratitude to the UCR Foundation Board of Trustees and the many volunteers and alumni leaders who gave time, energy, and resources. 

I am grateful to our college deans and faculty who worked to build relationships. Their work and passion for discovery excited donors about research and innovation. 

Similarly, the University Advancement staff broadened our reach and deepened our engagement across many constituencies. Thank you to Vice Chancellor Peter Hayashida for leading us from beginning to victory. 

Finally, I am especially grateful to all of you who contributed or plan to this year. We appreciate each of the donors who chooses to invest their resources in our care.

As we look toward the end of the year and beyond, we will look to boost participation in the campaign and focus our fundraising efforts on student support initiatives. To combat the many ways the pandemic has worsened disparities, we will continue our efforts to aid the most vulnerable students.

In a year when so many are struggling, when many nonprofits are unable to meet their goals, I want to underscore the significance of this achievement. “Living the Promise” is not just a theme, but it is a description of how we find ways to rise, even against historic challenges, and deliver new knowledge to our community, the region, the state, and the world. 

To our entire community, congratulations and thank you!