Thank you for supporting Univ’s Giving Day 2025

Thank you for supporting Univ’s Giving Day 2025 Thank you to everyone who has participated in Univ’s Giving Day 2025.

Univ’s second Giving Day took place over 36 hours on 25 and 26 November, bringing together members of the College community, friends and supporters of Univ across the globe. Whether you have engaged with Giving Day activities in person or online, the College would like to extend its thanks to all who have taken part.

A number of events were held both before and during Giving Day, involving staff, students and fellows. The Univ Giving Day Bake Off on 18 November saw 19 talented College bakers share their delicious creations across three categories: Oxmas, Free From and Chocolate. The Univ North Pole Run took place on 24 November, the night before Giving Day, and involved over 30 spritely participants as they embarked on a 5km fun run from Univ’s Main Quad to Univ North and back. On their return to the main College site, the runners enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine in the Hall.

During Giving Day itself, a host of activities took place in College, including a rowing Erg Challenge in Radcliffe Quad, carol singing and crafting in the Hall, free mini-cupcakes for all, and a friendly yet competitive Tug of War on the Goodhart Lawn. You can see all of these activities on the Giving Day website or the College’s Instagram page.

Members of the College community completed a number of challenges to unlock Matched Funding, which was generously provided by key donors before the start of Giving Day. These included reaching a final 250 Donor Milestone (surpassed!), a Global Challenge requiring donations from 10 different countries, a 25 First Time Donors Challenge and a US Challenge requiring 30 US Donors. There was also a popular Beat the Bursar planking challenge, which saw over 25 participants in College and further afield attempt to out-do Univ’s Finance and Investment Bursar, David Land’s impressive 5-minute plank to unlock further funds for the College. Amazingly, two students beat his time, the winner clocking a time of 5 minutes 47seconds!

Old Members and friends of Univ were able to get involved through the live challenges and also had the opportunity to test their Univ knowledge with a special Giving Day Quiz. Donors also left messages of support and reflection on the Giving Day Donor Wall.

One donor said: “I owe a great deal in life to University College and to the University of Oxford. I learned so much during my time there. This is just a small way of giving back, and ensuring that somebody else gets the opportunity to experience the life of an Oxford student and scholar.”

Another donor said: “How fortunate I was to be a student at Univ. I look back with gratitude at the many ways in which the experience has influenced my life.”

Thanks to the generosity of those involved, Univ’s Giving Day 2025 has raised a total of £204,327.28 so far, from 301 donors. The Giving Day site will remain open until Friday 12 December, so if you’d like to get involved, please visit https://univ.givingday.co.uk/

This year’s Giving Day has targeted three funds aimed at improving the experience of those studying at Univ:

Thank you to all who have taken the time to participate in this year’s Giving Day. The College is incredibly grateful for your ongoing support.

You can view photos from Univ’s Giving Day 2025 and a message from the Master, Baroness Valerie Amos, below.