UW Giving Day Starts Wednesday

The University of Wyoming is going big this year for the Big Give -- UW Giving Day (www.uwyo.edu/givingday).

UW Giving Day is UW’s annual day of giving spearheaded by the UW Foundation that takes place online and across campus.

“UW Giving Day is a celebration of the University of Wyoming and the impact that philanthropy has on students and on our future,” says John Small, the foundation’s senior associate vice president for development. “I know I speak for the whole university when I say it warms my heart to see so many people join in. UW is able to do more and do it better because of our dedicated donors.”

UW Giving Day will take place Wednesday through Thursday, Oct. 19-20, noon to noon, online and across campus. Donors can give at www.uwyo.edu/givingday and support the effort on social media with the hashtags #uwgivingday and #thebiggive.

Leading up to UW Giving Day, all UW programs have the opportunity to set up campaigns to raise money where it’s needed most. So, for every gift in support of a college, another could go to a small initiative or program run by students not targeted by traditional fundraising. Donors also can support any other areas they choose. Gifts of any size make a big difference.

“UW Giving Day is about connecting donors with the area on campus they care most about,” says Clancee Rea, the foundation’s director of annual giving and the Donor Experience Program. “With over 155 campaigns this year, we hope to make a big impact for students, faculty, staff and the UW community as a whole.”

This year, more than $700,000 will be available in matching and challenge funds, which allow donors to increase the impact of their giving. Most will go live when Giving Day goes live at noon Wednesday.

Matches are funds that allow donors to double the impact of their gifts. For example, $100 given to a program that is eligible for a match is doubled with an additional $100, meaning that $200 goes to support that program.

Challenges are similar but are generally based on the number of donors. Once a threshold is reached, the fund is unlocked. For example, a challenge may be set up for a certain number of donors to a particular program and, if that is achieved, it unlocks that fund.

Matches include an overall match for all donors that was established by the UW Foundation Board of Directors; President Ed Seidel’s Faculty and Staff Match to be used by faculty and staff; the UW Foundation Board Midnight Match; and an overall donor challenge with 10 monetary awards to the campaigns with the highest number of donors. There also are more than 60 unit-specific matches and challenges.

In previous years, these matching and challenge funds have gone quickly, so donors are encouraged to plan ahead.

UW also accepts gifts of cryptocurrency (www.uwyo.edu/givecrypto) during UW Giving Day -- the first university to do so. UW has been accepting crypto gifts since 2018.