Giving Tuesday: an Opportunity to Help Build a Better World

GivingTuesday, the global philanthropic event held each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is Tuesday, December 3 this year. Since 2012, when the initiative launched, donors have followed their post-turkey holiday shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday with giving to causes dear to them. In recent years, participating US organizations have raised more than $3.1 billion from over 20 million donors on Giving Tuesday.

For its 11th annual Giving Tuesday, BU is focused on causes in service of the wider community—local and international—in keeping with the University’s founding principles. These funds aim to improve lives on campus, in Boston, and beyond, through scholarships, campus resource centers, research, community service, and more.

Following are ways members of the BU community can help.

Scholarships

The Boston University Alumni Association (BUAA) Scholarship, launched last year, invites BU’s nearly 390,000 alumni, and the entire Terrier community, to support future generations of students. The BU Century Challenge will match the BUAA Scholarship’s income dollar for dollar for 100 years, multiplying the life-changing impact that this scholarship provides for students in need.

Other scholarship and financial aid funds BU is highlighting this year are the General Scholarship Fund and the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), where undergraduate students from across the University can participate in faculty-mentored research projects. To support these and many other scholarship funds, visit the Giving Tuesday scholarship fund page.

Campus life

Founded in 2021, the Newbury Center provides BU’s first-generation university students—both undergraduate and graduate—with programming and services to help them better navigate financial aid, academics, internships, study abroad, mentorship programs, and more. The center aims to empower these “Terrier F1RSTS” with the same rich experiences as their continuing-generation peers.

This Giving Tuesday, BU is also focusing on campus resources like the LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center, the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, and the BU Arts Initiative.

Building a better world

Along with supporting students, BU is committed to enriching the off-campus community through such programs as the Community Service Center (CSC). Founded by BU students in 1986, the CSC aims to address critical concerns in Greater Boston and to grow students into active, responsible citizens and civic leaders. The CSC oversees programs like the First-Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP), a community service program for first-year BU students, held in August the week before Move-in, where students volunteer for a variety of education, service, and reflection activities, helping them get to know BU and the city of Boston. Other volunteer opportunities are Alternative Service Breaks (ASB), a week spent volunteering over spring break, and Student Food Rescue (SFR), which provides volunteer opportunities to address food insecurity in Boston.

Other funds making positive societal impact, specifically through public health and medical research, include the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) Discretionary Fund and the BU CTE Center’s Faculty Fund. Visit the BUild a Better World fund page to learn more about these outward-facing initiatives and make your gift.

In addition, each BU school and college will highlight a fund of its own, giving all donors the chance to support the causes that mean the most to them.

“Giving Tuesday illustrates the countless inspiring ways BU is serving our community on campus and worldwide,” says Kellie Sullivan, senior director of Annual Giving. “We are excited for all that we can do with support from generous Terriers.”

During 2023’s Giving Tuesday, nearly 1,500 donors supported a wide array of funds, donating nearly $300,000. With a dedicated webpage, emails, texts, social media posts, and tables around campus, organizers hope to raise even more this year. All gifts made on December 3 (midnight to midnight, EST) will count toward BU’s Giving Tuesday 2024 totals.

For more information, and to make your tax-deductible gift today, visit bu.edu/givingtuesday.

Sarah Leithner (MET’25) is executive assistant for alumni engagement with BU Development & Alumni Relations. She can be reached at smleit@bu.edu.