UC San Diego Joins National #GivingTuesday to Open the Holiday Giving Season

First there was Black Friday. Then came Cyber Monday. Now, #GivingTuesday is making its debut. UC San Diego is joining nonprofits and corporate partners across the nation to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. Taking place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—Nov. 27 this year--#GivingTuesday encourages charitable activities and celebrates the spirit of philanthropy.

Participants are invited to follow #GivingTuesday on Twitter and to share their acts of giving with their friends and followers on social media.

“UC San Diego is proud to be a part of the inaugural #GivingTuesday event this year, raising awareness of the importance of private philanthropy in supporting great organizations,” said Seth Klonsky, director of development for Annual Giving. “We look forward to welcoming alumni, students, parents and friends as donors this year thanks to the visibility of #GivingTuesday.”

#GivingTuesday began with organizations such as New York’s 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation and quickly grew as hundreds of nonprofits and corporations, including Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Blackbaud and Harvard University, signed on as partners.

Primarily a digital and social initiative, #GivingTuesday provides a new opportunity for the UC San Diego community to talk about the areas of campus they are passionate about supporting.  Individuals are encouraged to not only give back, but to share with their friends, families and social networks what they support and why it matters—that is, to leverage their social media activity to make a difference.

UCSD Alumni, UC San Diego Health System and General Campus Development are three areas of campus leading UC San Diego in #GivingTuesday. Here’s what they are doing:

• General Campus Development is raising awareness about the Employer Matching Gifts Program. Many companies will match their employees’ (and sometimes even employee spouses’) donations to nonprofit organizations. Visit www.matchinggifts.com/ucsd to see which employers are participating in the UC San Diego matching gifts program.
• UCSD Alumni is encouraging alumni to support future generations of Tritons by giving to scholarships and fellowships, or any area of campus that inspires them.
• UC San Diego Health System is sharing information with employees about the Health Sciences Annual Fund. This unrestricted fund allows Health Sciences to meet its greatest needs, including faculty recruitment and retention, student scholarships, research and patient care. It also gives Health Sciences the flexibility to respond to new opportunities and challenges as they arise.

UC San Diego students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends can join #GivingTuesday and support the university by participating in any of the above opportunities, or by giving to another area of campus they are passionate about. For more information about supporting UC San Diego, visit www.giving.ucsd.edu. To learn more about the national #GivingTuesday, visit www.givingtuesday.org or follow #GivingTuesday on Twitter.