Joining the international celebration of philanthropy, on Tuesday, Dec. 3, the Arcadia community participated in its fifth annual day of giving, #UKnightedTuesday. Gifts from nearly 500 donors brought in a record-setting $129,077, surpassing the dollar goal by over $79,000 and more than tripling the results of last year’s UKNIGHT 4 Arcadia campaign. 

Beginning at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 3 and continuing for a total of 1,853 minutes, until Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 6:53 a.m., Arcadia alumni, faculty, staff, Trustees, families, and friends united to celebrate the best of the University and provide a collective show of support for its students. 

Donors made gifts online, in person, and by phone and could designate their support to any area of the University, including The Fund for Arcadia, which provides unrestricted support to fund academic programs, faculty scholarship, financial aid, study abroad opportunities, student emergency funding, extracurricular programs, and more. 

The spirit of giving and Knight pride was alive on campus. In the morning hours, faculty and staff visited University Advancement’s coffee stations to make gifts and enjoy breakfast treats. Students, the main beneficiaries of #UKnightedTuesday, learned about the importance of philanthropy as they enjoyed a Fun ’til One event. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., students could stop by the Commons, visit a photo booth, play Arcadia trivia, and write thank you cards to donors. In the evening, Arcadia’s faculty, staff, alumni, and friends gathered for the Community Celebration in Grey Towers Castle, where they witnessed the giving total surpass the $50,000 goal and reach the $100,000 milestone. 

Miles, states, and oceans away from Glenside, Global Alumni Events spread the spirit and excitement of #UKnightedTuesday to alumni around the world. Hosted by 29 alumni volunteers in 20 different cities, these pop-up happy hour celebrations offered the opportunity for graduates to gather with fellow Knights in their local community as they participated in #UKnightedTuesday, shared stories of days on campus, and celebrated their Knight pride.

Throughout the 1,853 minutes of giving, a team of volunteer alumni social media ambassadors took to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to spread the word about #UKnightedTuesday, share progress reports, and encourage their classmates to make a gift. Additionally, 15 faculty and staff volunteered as campus champions to encourage their colleagues to participate in #UKnightedTuesday. As a result, the following departments achieved 100 percent donor participation: the President’s Cabinet, University Advancement, Athletics, and University Relations. 

Generous donors also provided giving challenges, including the Decade Challenge, won by alumnae of the 1960s with the highest percentage of graduates participating in #UKnightedTuesday. 

At the conclusion of #UKnightedTuesday, a total of 486 donors were united in a bold demonstration of pride and belief in Arcadia University.