UH ‘Giving Tuesday’ seeks donations online, in person

The University of Hawaii Foundation today is holding its third annual Giving Tuesday online campaign to rally donations to support students, faculty and research across the 10-campus public university system.

As an incentive, donations made toward selected UH programs, and/or reaching certain thresholds, will be matched or will help to “unlock” gifts for UH. For instance, once the campaign receives 1,500 gifts, UH President David Lassner’s “President’s Challenge” gift will be unlocked, meaning he will make a personal donation of $25,000.

The foundation has launched a special online platform at uhfoundation.org/GivingTuesday for the 24-hour Giving Tuesday period.

Donors may also call 808-376-7800 on Oahu, or 833-846-4262, to make a gift by phone.

UH also will present an in-person Giving Tuesday event that will be open to the public, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Campus Center on the UH Manoa campus. The event will feature live music from UH Manoa radio station KTUH and its deejays, a visit from the UH band and cheer team, games and food.

The campaign, themed “Stronger Together,” coincides with the global Giving Tuesday observance, when generosity and humanity are celebrated.

2021’s Giving Tuesday event for UH raised $245,639 from 1,209 donors, more than tripling the take of the UH Foundation’s inaugural Giving Tuesday in 2020.

“As we saw with the record amount raised in the last fiscal year, the students, faculty, alumni and donors to UH and its 10 campuses are indeed stronger together,” Tim Dolan, UH vice president of advancement and CEO of the UH Foundation, said in a news release. “We are so grateful for all the support for our students and programs. Every gift, from $1 to $1 million, makes a difference.”

More examples from the nearly 30 “challenges” on the website as of late Monday:

>> In the “$30K Humpback Whale Challenge,” an unnamed donor will match the first $30,o0o in donations to the Marine Mammal Research Program.

>> For the “Shidler Alumni Challenge,” every dollar donated to the Shidler Alumni Fund for Student Clubs will be matched, up to $5,000.

>> Receipt of 100 gifts to any UH Manoa project will unlock UH Manoa Provost Michael Bruno’s personal donation of $1,000.

The UH Foundation is a private, nonprofit corporation that works exclusively for the benefit of the university. For more information, or to donate to UH via the UH Foundation any time of the year, go to uhfoundation.org/give.