University of Florida: Campus-wide charity campaign is helping Gators help others

September 26 marks the start of the annual University of Florida Campaign for Charities, a campus effort to raise money for local and national nonprofit organizations. Last year, faculty and staff raised $1.04 million, 6% more than the year prior.

The campaign asks UF employees to donate to a list of 97 charitable agencies, including the American Cancer Society, Florida Wildlife Care and the Humane Society of North Central Florida.

“Imagine the impact of $1 million invested in our community each year by the generous employees of the University of Florida,” said Susan Crowley, assistant vice president for Community Relations. “In these times of diminished nonprofit budgets, our UF Campaign for Charities’ funds are vital to many agencies.”

The program started in 1993, and since 2005, UF has raised more than $1 million each year.

“The UF Campaign for Charities has been the top charitable campaign in the SEC for more than 15 years,” Crowley said. “We are consistently among the top five universities in the nation in similar giving campaigns.”

Employees can donate through payroll deduction, cash, check or credit card to a specific agency or agencies, or by making an undesignated gift that supports all agencies participating in this year’s UFCC. Online donations can be made using myUFL or the campaign’s website, www.ufcc.ufl.edu.

Donors can give to a specific charity, or they can contribute a general donation to support all 97 agencies. Each agency has the potential to receive significantly more through undesignated gifts, which are divided proportionally among all agencies. In 2021, employee donations to agencies were increased by approximately 28%.

The campaign runs until October 14.