Carleton hosted its annual Giving Tuesday on Dec. 1, part of the worldwide movement that encourages philanthropy following the American shopping holidays Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Campus groups set up tables in the atrium with projects and causes that need funding, and students and alumni were encouraged to donate to these causes through the school’s FutureFunder page.
“Some of the students that you can support are right here in the galleria for you to meet and find out a little bit more about their cause or their project,” said Pia Chin, communications officer with the department of university advancement.
“FutureFunder is Carleton’s official giving page, so you can find research projects, you can find student design projects, you can find staff projects, you can find scholarships and bursaries that you’d like to support,” Chin said.
The fundraising goal for the day was $100,000, with an additional $50,000 in matching funds from the Alumni Association, Chin said. There were about eight groups presenting in the atrium, including groups looking to build racecars and fund other design projects.
Over $110,000 was raised overall, plus the additional $50,000 in matching funds.
Kirpa Grewal, a third-year public affairs and policy management student and director of social media for the Student Philanthropy Council (SPC), said the group was working to make students more aware of the day rather than looking for funding.
“At this table specifically, we’re doing unselfies, which is part of the Giving Tuesday movement,” Grewal said. “So you write on a sheet of paper why you think philanthropy or giving is important and you cover your face and we take a picture. So it’s more about your message than your selfie.”
Bradley Jung, a second-year masters of aerospace engineering student, was part of the group presenting funding to develop and build a micro air vehicle, a device like a small drone.
Jung said the group is hoping for about $2,000, and it will be used to fund construction materials including microcontrollers, batteries, and wires. Jung said the project was completely extracurricular, but does have engineering merit.
“If they’re interested in these kinds of drones, this flapping wing version could be the next one on the market. So people like these kinds of drones because you can put cameras on there, it’s a fun hobby to get into,” he said.
Chin said Giving Tuesday is important to make people aware of the projects and initiatives happening in the Carleton community.
“It’s not just about the money raised but awareness for what’s of immediate need at Carleton and the opportunity to see what students are fundraising for,” she said. “Giving Tuesday is great, it’s great to get that funding through the door, but it’s also a really great day for us to really focus on the needs here at Carleton.”
