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One day. One gift.
ENORMOUS IMPACT. BY MOLLY WILLIAMSON
On April 17, the University of Kentucky will rally its alumni, friends and fans to support One Day for UK, a 24-hour day of giving during which donors can support the college, unit or cause of their choice. In its first year, the goal of One Day for UK is to raise awareness about the campaign and to encourage giving for UK. “This is an opportunity for people to show their UK pride,” said Sarah Fitzgerald, associate director of annual giving and One Day for UK organizer.
“Many people are unaware of the many areas they can support at UK. This is an opportunity for us to spend one day celebrating UK, teaching people about the different ways they can give to the university and showing them how they can help us continue to grow.” — Sarah Fitzgerald The day also has larger implications. One Day for UK supports the university’s comprehensive campaign, Kentucky Can: The 21st Century Campaign, which increases opportunities for student success, funds innovative research, improves health care, strengthens the alumni network and enhances athletic programs. Now more than halfway to its $2.1 billion goal, Kentucky Can benefits from every gift made to One Day for UK. “Kentucky Can is our challenge to give back, to come together, to serve others, to leave a positive mark, to share our good fortune and to show love and compassion,” said D. Michael Richey, vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement.
“One Day for UK is one component of that effort. It is an opportunity for us to rally around UK and to encourage giving to the many wonderful programs that distinguish us and are helping us to transform the Commonwealth and inspire the world.” — D. Michael Richey
One of Kentucky Can’s goals is to increase alumni giving by 21 percent, Richey said. Alumni participation rates show the loyalty and dedication of a university’s alumni base. Higher giving rates indicate a broad base of support for an institution, positioning it for future success. Alumni giving also impacts national rankings, the university’s reputation and future enrollment, and it shows corporations, foundations and other donors that UK is a wise investment. As a result, high alumni giving rates can attract additional private support that will strengthen UK’s endowment and provide necessary funding for future programs and initiatives. Gifts at any level on April 17 will help UK improve its alumni giving level and come closer to fulfilling its campaign goal, Richey said. UK is currently ranked 13th in the nation among the 50 flagship universities and 33rd among the 484 public universities that participated in the Council for Aid to Education’s 2017 Voluntary Support of Education Survey. www.ukalumni.net
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“These are incredible statistics that truly show the loyalty and dedication of our alumni base,” Richey said. “One Day for UK could elevate those rankings, making UK one of the top 10 state flagship universities and one of the top 20 universities nationally for alumni participation.” Most of UK’s colleges, units and causes have selected a specific fund or funds to highlight on One Day for UK. A complete list of area-specific funds is located on onedayforuk.uky.edu. Many of the funds support initiatives within the college, and some have an immediate need for funding. To further promote the day, each college, unit and cause is seeking ambassadors – students, alumni, friends and donors – to help publicize One Day for UK through their personal social media accounts. Each ambassador will receive a toolkit with language and strategies to help them spread the message. To become an ambassador, visit onedayforuk.uky.edu. “Ambassadors are a critical part of a giving day, because research has shown that gifts are 10 to 20 percent higher when solicited by and given to people we trust,” said Brian Gawor, vice president of research at Ruffalo Noel Levitz, the company helping UK organize its giving day. “The value of having alumni ambassadors is we cannot predict the many ways people’s lives were changed at the university. Having people relay their own experiences diversifies and intensifies the message and provides other people who had a similar experience a reason to give.” Giving days also help UK to engage people in different
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ways, Fitzgerald said. Many alumni who are not active online may choose to lead the giving efforts, offering matching gifts and challenges to other donors. These increase the excitement of the day and motivate more people to give. “It is a community effort,” Fitzgerald said. “Together, we can make a huge impact on campus through One Day for UK. We can provide more scholarships and research opportunities for students, enhance our creative and outreach efforts and give our colleges and departments the resources they need to be successful. We look forward to a fun day of showing our support for UK and improving opportunities for everyone we serve.” Though the focal point of One Day for UK will be April 17, the university will mail information about the giving day to alumni in March and early April. You can make a gift to the college, unit or cause of your choice by sending a check in the mail or by visiting uky.networkforgood.com before April 17. Once you complete the gift information on Network for Good, you can check a box to have your gift applied to the overall One Day for UK total. On April 17, visit onedayforuk.uky.edu to make a gift or to track the campaign’s progress. To join the online conversation, follow #OneDayforUK on all social media platforms throughout March and April to learn more about the campaign and to discuss how private gifts transform the lives of people helped and healed by UK.
UK JOINS NATIONAL MOVEMENT It is not simply a day, it is a movement. Throughout the nation, universities and nonprofits have begun launching giving days dedicated to celebrating their achievements, promoting their programs and encouraging their alumni and friends to support their causes. It started in 2012 with Giving Tuesday, a day devoted to raising awareness about and money for community organizations, said Brian Gawor, vice president of research at Ruffalo Noel Levitz, a company that has helped organize and manage over 200 giving days throughout the United States. Highly effective, Giving Tuesday introduced a new platform for charitable giving. Using online tools and social media, organizations could quickly and effectively reach their target audience without spending much money. But, as its popularity grew, Giving Tuesday created more competition for universities. Their message was lost among the thousands of organizations participating in the day, Gawor said. Many universities began creating their own giving days, often choosing their founder’s day or a significant day in their university’s history to encourage people to give. Now, more than 75 percent of universities host a dedicated giving day. “The resources that are most scarce and most valuable in 2019 are time and attention,” Gawor said. “The most fun way to get people’s attention is through a giving day. Generally, giving days are very exciting, because they have challenges among alumni and colleges, and they give people an opportunity to cheerlead for the university.” For 24 hours, universities focus on engaging their alumni and friends on social media, encouraging them to post pictures, reminisce about their time on campus, describe how private support enhanced their education and give to their favorite college, unit or cause. By making the day more personal, more people can get involved, Gawor said. They can support the university through social media posts, by rallying others to give or by making a gift themselves. As a result, many universities set a record during their giving days for the most donors who have given in one day or the most money collected in a day. “People are investing less in accumulating stuff and more in unique experiences, and giving days are powerful experiences for alumni and friends,” Gawor said. “The excitement can be contagious. It allows people to see themselves as part of something bigger, as the next donor to make a difference.” Giving days also capitalize on the “gamification” of America, Gawor said. Throughout the day, universities post challenges and matching gifts. These special offers are only available for a limited time, spurring competition among colleges and alumni groups and causing more donors to give and to give more generously. “There is an urgency to the day,” Gawor said of giving days. “Most universities do a good job of explaining why donors should give, but a giving day tells people why they should give now.”
UK IS C UR R E N T LY R A NK E D
13TH IN THE NATION A M ON G T H E 5 0 FLAG S H IP UN IVER S I T I E S IN A LUM N I PA RT ICI PAT I O N www.ukalumni.net
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