UC Riverside surpassed last year’s totals for the Giving Tuesday campaign, raising more than $300,000 from almost 2,000 donors.

During the 24-hour event on Dec. 1, part of the International Day of Giving, 1,985 donors contributed $315,330 to a wide variety of causes and programs on campus, according to the Office of Annual Giving. That beat last year’s total of $254,706 raised. The total number of gifts also increased to 2,813 from 2,400 last year.

“In true Highlander spirit, the outpouring of support from the UCR community was both humbling and inspiring,” said Marianne Paek, associate director of annual giving. “Our incredible donors went above and beyond, making Giving Tuesday another record-breaking year by demonstrating their commitment to our students and elevating the mission of UCR.”

Donors supported 134 different funds for programs, scholarships, and initiatives benefiting students and employees. 

The top three campaigns, based on number of unique donors, were the Guardian Scholars Support for Foster Youth, University Honors, and Science to Policy. Each one also received bonus award funds from the UCR Foundation Board of Trustees, which pledged $30,600 to the three best-performing campaigns.

Due to the pandemic, some of the projects highlighted emergency funding for students and employees facing hardship. 

“Because the financial hardships our students were experiencing were so real and urgent, we were more driven and emotionally invested,” said Katherine Kim, senior director of development, education and policy at the School of Public Policy. “We were also so moved by the outpouring of support. Many people drastically increased their support from the previous years, and we also had many new donors responding to our call for support.”

The School of Public Policy Dean’s ambassadors held a live online event in which four students who had previously received emergency funding support shared their stories while the ambassadors shared those of the applicants waiting to receive support, Kim said.

The event was an example of the ways campaign organizers had to adapt to spur participation, replacing on-campus challenges from past years.

“University Honors created different challenges to increase participation from our students, faculty, staff and friends,” said Lourdes Maldonado, a counselor and outreach specialist with University Honors. “Every member of the University Honors team committed to completing a personal challenge.”

For example, one employee agreed to participate in the ice bucket challenge for the first $50 donation,  while another promised to donate $250 as soon as they reached 25 donors, she said.

The funds raised by University Honors will go toward students demonstrating excellence in research and pursuing social justice projects, she said.

A full list of the areas on campus that participated in Giving Tuesday is available at dayofgiving.ucr.edu.