UNIVERSITY PARK — In a statement on Tuesday, Jan. 14, Penn State University announced the total amount of monetary donations given to the university on Giving Tuesday, sharing that a record was set.
Giving Tuesday is a global movement that takes place annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, encouraging people to give back through charitable donations, acts of kindness and community support. On Dec. 3, 2024, Penn State received donations from over 9,700 donors who collectively gave 11,986 gifts that totaled more than $1.7 million.
“Giving Tuesday is a day that never fails to inspire, and this year’s results are truly heartwarming,” Molly Gibbard, vice president for Penn State’s Student Philanthropy Network, shared in a statement. “Witnessing students passionately support their causes and build meaningful connections with the community fills me with pride in Penn State and its unwavering spirit of generosity and unity.”
For Giving Tuesday, Penn State had featured fundraisers that included more than 150 individual projects, programs and organizations. Some of those were:
- The Penn State Fund for Dickinson Law — $63,113 received
- The Penn State Alumni Association’s free Blue and White Society membership campaign for first-year students from underrepresented communities — 276 donors
- The Penn State Blue Band — 215 donors
- Penn State Sustainability’s campaign for the installation of bird-friendly glass in buildings on campus — 176 donors
According to a release by Penn State News, donations on Giving Tuesday came from all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, plus seven other countries. Over 2,00 Penn Staters made their first donation to the school during Giving Tuesday and 40% of the gifts were $25 or less.
““It has been an incredible experience over the past 10 years to watch Giving Tuesday at Penn State grow from an idea into a signature event that thousands of alumni, friends, students and fans look forward to each fall,” Ray Marsh, assistant vice president for external engagement and interim director of annual giving, shared. “Our community’s choice to support each other so generously year after year — this is what we mean when we say, ‘We Are Penn State.’”
