FAQ's

What is Giving Day?

Giving Day is a 24-hour online fundraising drive to support UC Santa Cruz students, faculty, and campus programs. Project teams raise money for their favorite programs by connecting with supporters and inspiring them to become donors.

When is Giving Day?

Giving Day is September 30th. Donations made between 12:01 a.m. and midnight count toward Giving Day.

Has this been done before?

Yes! This is our 5th annual Giving Day at UC Santa Cruz. Last year, over 150 areas across campus participated, raising $676,584 dollars in just 24 hours. You can visit givingday.ucsc.edu and click a link to see last year’s giving website and projects.

How are gifts made?

Donors make gifts through a special Giving Day website, givingday.ucsc.edu. The site keeps track of gifts in real time so everyone can see right away how each project is doing as the projects compete for matches and challenges. Gifts made by other methods on Giving Day will count toward the day’s totals, but only gifts made at givingday.ucsc.edu count toward matching funds and challenges.

What are “matches”?

Matches, created by donors for favorite projects, create an incentive for others to give. When someone makes a gift, the donor matches it 1:1 up to the stated amount. For example, when you make a gift of $100 to a project with a pledged match of $1,000, an additional $100 will go to the project. That 1:1 match continues until the full amount of the pledge (in this example, $1,000) has been reached.

What are “challenges”?

Challenges, also funded by donors, create fun competition between project teams and are additional opportunities to raise bonus funds. The project that has the most unique donors in a specified time period is awarded bonus dollars. . Note: If one person makes multiple gifts to the same project during the specified time, it counts as one gift for purposes of the challenge.

Sign me up! What's next?

After you identify the campus project your want to raise money for (it can be club, program, college, team, department, etc), identify your project leaders and then submit your project using the online submission form. In advance of Giving Day, reach out to your supporters and start building a network that will help you reach donors for your project.

Can I sponsor a match fund or a challenge?

Yes! If you would like to support a matching dollars program, we'd love to hear from you! If you would like to create a challenge, we’d love to hear from you! Please connect with Hanna Mengo at hmengo@ucsc.edu

How do I spread the word?

• Talk about Giving Day to your friends, colleagues, and to anyone you think might be interested in supporting the great work at UC Santa Cruz.

• Reach out directly to prospective supporters on Giving Day.

• Share early and often on social media.

How do I make a gift?

The quickest and most efficient way to make a gift, is at givingday.ucsc.edu website, where you will pay using a credit card or debit card. When you use the website, your gift is counted in real time and is eligible for matches and challenges.

Can I give more than one time or to more than one project?

Duh! Your impact will be that much greater when you do.

Can gifts be made to funds not featured?

Yes. Donors can support any campus fund they choose, whether or not it is one of the projects featured on the Giving Day site. Note that projects not featured are not eligible for match and challenge funds. You can search or browse the A-Z list of all giving opportunities to access funds beyond those featured on the giving website.

Will my contribution be tax-deductible?

Yes. Your gift is irrevocable and tax-deductible as prescribed by law. You will receive an e-mail confirmation that will serve as your receipt for tax purposes.

Do pledges or planned gifts count toward Giving Day?

While all contributions are welcome and appreciated, only outright gifts will count toward the Giving Day totals.

Is it safe to make my gift online?

Yes. The information collected during Giving Day is stored and protected by UC Santa Cruz and will only be used for recording your gift and the business of the University of California.

Is there a gift processing fee?

Yes. As is customary, a small portion of your donation (6%) will go toward the university’s operating costs associated with fundraising, including accepting, administering, and reporting on your gift.

I still have questions...

Contact the Giving Day team at givingday@ucsc.edu

Interested in being more involved? We are always looking for Giving Day volunteers! Contact givingday@ucsc.edu for more information