{"id":15628,"date":"2026-05-12T08:05:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=15628"},"modified":"2026-05-12T14:32:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T14:32:21","slug":"alumni-come-together-for-a-record-breaking-giving-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2026\/05\/12\/alumni-come-together-for-a-record-breaking-giving-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni come together for a record-breaking Giving Day\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 24px\">&#8220;I&#8217;m pleased to support the University of Reading as it enters its next century. Centenaries honour what has been achieved \u2014 and giving helps make the next century possible.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>We are please to share that the University\u2019s second Giving Day \u2013 a special 36-hour online event, dedicated to supporting our students, programmes and community \u00a0&#8211; has been a huge success. Raising over \u00a337,573, even more than last year&#8217;s Giving Day, to support projects that will help build a lasting legacy in our centenary year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Over the course of the campaign,\u00a0170 donors from 25 countries\u00a0came together in support of Reading &#8211; \u00a0surpassing last year\u2019s total and\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0the strength and global reach of our community. An amazing\u00a0114 of these donations were gifted by alumni.<\/p>\n<p>Giving has always been at the heart of the University. From the earliest gifts that equipped the first classrooms, to today\u2019s global fundraising initiatives \u2013 philanthropy has played a vital role at the University in creating opportunities for students, supporting research, and strengthening our connection with the local community.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Giving Day 2026 - Thank you\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iWxY0QpFI4M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Creating new opportunities<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>The funds raised will support three key initiatives: the new\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/givingday.reading.ac.uk\/p\/bursary26\/\">Beyond 100 Bursary<\/a>, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/givingday.reading.ac.uk\/p\/outdoorlearning\/\">Outdoor Learning Garden<\/a>, and flexible student support through the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/givingday.reading.ac.uk\/p\/centenaryfund\/\">Where the Need is Greatest Fund<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign also saw an extraordinary individual contribution from 1954 graduate and \u2018keen gardener\u2019,\u00a0Gillian Smith, whose gift of\u00a0\u00a35,000 will support the Outdoor Learning Garden &#8211; an inspiring example of alumni giving back across generations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Janice Galvin, Fundraising Manager, reflected on the campaign\u2019s success:\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cGiving Day has been incredible. We\u2019ve had gifts coming in from the Arctic Circle to the Gold Coast of Australia. Our global community of alumni around the world really came together.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h4><strong>Hear from our donors<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Giving Day\u00a0provided\u00a0an opportunity for the University to reconnect with long-standing supporters and welcome new donors &#8211; \u00a0all united by a shared desire to give back and support future generations of Reading students.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s\u00a0what some of our donors had to say:\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThis place was never just a university to me \u2014 it was where my path quietly began to unfold. Within these walls, I found knowledge that shaped my mind, moments that shaped my spirit, and a love that shaped my life.\u201d\u00a0<br \/><br \/><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI was lucky enough to be granted a scholarship by the University to pursue my postgraduate studies. I would like to hand something back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope the outdoor learning garden can inspire young people to have a passion for nature and our planet, and to do all they can to care for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m pleased to support the University of Reading as it enters its next century. Centenaries honour what has been achieved \u2014 and giving helps make the next century possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI spent three very happy and rewarding years at Reading Uni. Now my grand-daughter is studying there too so I &#8216;m delighted to be able to make a donation today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday I want to give back a little something, and I hope one day I\u2019ll be able to do much more. Reading has been home to me in so many ways \u2014 it will forever hold a special place in my heart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/givingday.reading.ac.uk\/donor-wall\/\">Hear from more of our donors<\/a><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Thank you<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<p>Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraising effort &#8211; whether by making a gift or helping to spread the word. Your support is already making a real difference.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/givingday.reading.ac.uk\/\">Find out more about Giving Day 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m pleased to support the University of Reading as it enters its next century. Centenaries honour what has been achieved \u2014 and giving helps make the next century possible.&#8221; We are please to share that the University\u2019s second Giving Day \u2013 a special 36-hour online event, dedicated to supporting our students, programmes and community \u00a0&#8211; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":15629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,27,227,230,62,56],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Alumni come together for a record-breaking Giving Day\u00a0 - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We are please to share that the University\u2019s second Giving Day has been a huge success. 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