Alumni of The University of Toledo showed their support for their alma mater during UT’s first Giving Tuesday campaign.
The day has been designated across the country as an opportunity to give back following the shopping frenzies of Black Friday and Cyber Monday just after the Thanksgiving holiday.
A total of 156 donors gave $56,083 to support University initiatives, including scholarships, Rocket athletics and individual college programs.
“Giving Tuesday is a day to celebrate philanthropy and the spirit of giving back during the holiday season, which provided a great opportunity to engage our alumni eager to support UT,” said Heather Slough, director of annual giving programs. “I look forward to building on this success as an annual outreach to our graduates, but also as an opportunity to connect with our University community and more Rocket supporters.”
In its first year, the 156 donors to the campaign included 123 alumni and a dozen first-time donors to UT. Donations of any size make an important impact on the University, Slough said, adding that this campaign included gifts and pledges ranging from $5 to $11,000 with an average gift of $350.
“Heather and her team did a terrific job in the first year of this campaign highlighting the people and programs that benefit from our generous donors and working to galvanize continued support for the University,” said Sam McCrimmon, vice president for advancement. “Our current and future students will benefit from the generosity of those who chose to show their Rocket pride for UT on this day of giving.”
UT’s Giving Tuesday campaign included a strong social media push to share videos and stories of those who are benefiting from donor-supported scholarships and research with the tagline “Mission: Gold, Blue and You” and the hashtag #GiveTOL.
Donors can continue to support UT through utoledo.edu/givetol.