On April 21, 2022, more than 50 colleges, programs and causes at the University of Kentucky participated in the fourth 24-hour university-wide giving day, “One Day for UK.”
A total of 3,409 donors contributed $2,408,769. The four iterations of this event now total more than $9.3 million.
“One of the most exciting aspects of this year’s edition of ‘One Day for UK’ is that our number of unique donors grew by 17%,” Andrew Palmer, director of annual giving, said. “The more involvement that we can get, the more we can positively impact all facets of the UK community.”
Thanks to enthusiastic alumni and friends, 22 colleges and programs across the university offered challenge matches that unlocked additional funds upon meeting certain goals. Additionally, numerous UK faculty and staff made a gift online or through payroll deduction to contribute to the total.
Gifts came in from around the globe, including 46 states and six countries. The areas receiving the most gifts in five leaderboard challenges received additional funds supporting their students. The leaderboard challenges were categorized by size.
The College of Engineering finished on top of the “Large College Leaderboard” with 476 donors. The College of Fine Arts claimed the “Medium College Leaderboard” with 123 donors. The College of Public Health edged out the Martin School of Public Policy and Administration to win the “Small College and School Leaderboard” with 98 donors.
UK Athletics had 182 donors contribute to their funds, winning the “Large Programs + Centers Leaderboard.” The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s 174 donors helped it win the “Small Programs + Centers Leaderboard.” The Gaines Center for the Humanities finished second in that category and received an extra $1,865 thanks to Fliss Brereton from Glossop, Derbyshire, Great Britain, making the 1,865th gift of the day.
All donations support Kentucky Can: The 21st Century Campaign, the university’s comprehensive campaign to increase scholarship support, to fund innovative research, to advance health care, to strengthen the alumni network, to enhance UK’s athletic programs and to grow the university’s endowment.
“It is energizing to see how colleges, programs and centers from all across the university show enthusiasm for promoting their funds on ‘One Day for UK,’” Palmer said. “It’s even more exciting when passionate supporters make gifts that enable those groups to fund initiatives that will really make a difference.”