Donors made 12,635 gifts to the University of Michigan on the fifth annual Giving Blueday, held on Giving Tuesday — a worldwide day of giving.
For 24 hours Tuesday, all three university campuses — Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint — encouraged U-M supporters to make gifts of all sizes to causes of their choice. Donors gave $3,638,612 to the university on Giving Blueday this year.
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The event focuses on expanding the university’s community of donors.
“Giving Blueday speaks to the power of the community,” said Jerry May, vice president for development. “Each year, donors demonstrate the significant impact we can all make in just one day when we come together to support our passions.”
LSA received the most gifts through the Giving Blueday website, and Dance Marathon brought in more donations than any other student organization. The Michigan Sailing Team had the greatest percentage increase in gifts this year over 2017’s Giving Blueday.
Challenges, campus events and real-time updates throughout the day motivated giving. Eighteen different challenges encouraged people to make donations. Donors who posted about Giving Blueday on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram had a chance to increase their donation by receiving a match from other donors and the university.
For instance, first-time donors who gave $50 or more to U-M received an extra $50 toward their cause while match money was available, and student donors who gave $25 or more received an additional $25 to support the fund of their choice.
Causes including MRun and the Women of Color Task Force each won an extra $1,000 toward their fund by posting on social media during different hourly and daylong challenges.
Student participation on Giving Blueday increased for the fourth straight year, with students acting as both donors and fundraisers on this day.
More than 150 student organizations raised money for student organizations and causes such as MUSIC Matters, club sports, the Collegiate Recovery Program and more. At the Diag and Pierpont Commons in Ann Arbor, students nominated causes to receive donations.
By making gifts on Giving Blueday, donors also supported the Victors for Michigan campaign, which concludes in December and has raised more than $5 billion to date.
Patti Fitzpatrick
I find it distasteful and offensive for an employer to repeatedly request donations from its employees, many of whom cannot even afford to live in the community in which they work.