Thanks #Giving

The University at Albany Foundation has set a goal of 1,000 donors for Giving Tuesday.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 23, 2016) — ’Tis the season to be thankful, and after you’ve finished all the Thanksgiving leftovers, you can help make others thankful as well.

For the past five years, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has been designated “Giving Tuesday” to kick-start holiday and end-of-year charitable giving. All over the world people make gifts to causes they care about, and then encourage others to do the same through social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

You can be part of the movement right at home by joining the #UAlbanyGivingTuesday challenge on Nov. 29, as one of a thousand donors to The University at Albany Foundation.

And any money you donate to the fund will be increased through challenge gifts. The Foundation has a matching challenge of $100,000 if it meets its goal of 1,000 unique donations in 1,844 minutes, a number chosen in honor of the University’s founding year. The fundraising event will start at 5:16 p.m. Monday and run all Tuesday, right up to midnight.

The Foundation has other matching gifts from various areas of the university, including schools and colleges, Student Affairs and Athletics, ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. One hundred gifts to Great Dane Athletics, for example, will secure an additional $25,000. Twenty-five gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences will garner an extra $15,000. Visit www.albany.edu/givingtuesday for more information on the challenge gifts.

Why give? Your donations support scholarships, activities and programs at the University. You can donate online at www.albany.edu/give. Gifts of all sizes and to any designation count toward the goal of 1,000.

After you donate, share that you gave via Twitter, Facebook and other social media with the hashtag #UAlbanyGivingTuesday and encourage others to give. Not on social media? Email, call or just announce the challenge to UAlbany alumni, students, friends and colleagues at the water cooler.

UAlbany’s Student Philanthropy Council will host a table in the Lecture Center hallway from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday. Students will be taking donations for Giving Tuesday at the table, and there will be raffle offers throughout the day. Volunteers also will be serving free hot chocolate.

The Student Philanthropy Council will take over @UAlbany’s Snapchat account to cover the event. You can also check @UAlbanyFund and @UAlbanyAlumni on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

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