The University of Michigan will conduct its third annual Giving Blueday, a 24-hour fundraising campaign that coincides with Giving Tuesday Nov. 29.
U-M joined the Giving Tuesday movement — a worldwide initiative celebrating giving back — in 2014 with its own giving day.
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The goal of Giving Blueday is to raise more than last year, which was $4.3 million from more than 6,927 donors. For 24 hours on this day, the university encourages alumni, students, faculty, staff, retirees, parents and others to give to causes important to them, at the Giving Blueday website.
“Giving Blueday is a terrific way for donors to make gifts of any size to support areas of the university they feel passionate about, whether it’s the school they graduated from, or an area they enjoy,” said Jerry May, vice president for development.
“We are particularly excited that students learn about the power of philanthropy through fundraising for the organizations they belong to. We encourage everyone to participate in this 24-hour day of giving.”
All three U-M campuses — Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint — will raise funds for many areas. The U-M Health System, for instance, will fundraise for the Bedside Art program that brings free art project kits to patients, families and visitors.
Acting as both fundraisers and donors, students can make a huge impact on Giving Blueday. More than 100 student organizations will raise money for programs like the Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, Girls in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Impact Dance, among others.
To increase the impact of their gifts, students can take advantage of the $45,000 donors have provided to match gifts from students. Donors have also provided funds to match gifts to areas at the university, like the School of Information and the Health System, among others.
In addition to taking advantage of matches, all donors can participate in universitywide challenges and receive real-time updates throughout the day.
Twenty-one social media challenges will encourage participants to post about Giving Blueday on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a chance to receive a $1,000 donation to the cause of their choice at Michigan.
Gifts of all sizes contribute to the success of Giving Blueday. In fact, most donors in previous years made gifts of $100 or less to support causes at Michigan.
Thanks to these funds, the Student-Run Free Clinic purchased a new A1C hemoglobin machine to better assess patients’ diabetic status, and the gymnastics club purchased new duffel bags. Donors to the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design gave $12,572 last year to create academic scholarships, with the first scholarship awarded this year.
All gifts made on Giving Blueday will count toward the university’s ongoing $4 billion Victors for Michigan campaign, which includes a $1 billion goal for student support.
