UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — On Dec. 1, members of the Penn State community are invited to make a gift to any area of the University as part of Penn State’s participation in #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving by nonprofit organizations and their supporters.

This is the second consecutive year that Penn State is participating in the giving holiday, and the University hopes to garner a broad base of support for this year’s effort.

“On #GivingTuesday, we are calling on alumni, parents, friends, and fans to raise their voices in support of Penn State students by making a gift of any size to any area of the University,” said Rodney P. Kirsch, senior vice president for development and alumni relations at Penn State.

To enhance the impact of giving in certain areas, supporters will have the opportunity to contribute to one or more daylong fundraising challenges:

• Help the University Libraries to purchase textbooks that will be available for use by all Penn State students. Gifts from members of the Penn State community will be matched up to $10,000 (for a total of $20,000) by the Penn State Bookstore, managed by Barnes and Noble.
• Help Penn State Mont Alto to provide resources and facilities to students in the campus’ 12 varsity sports programs and the Cheerleading Club. Gifts to this challenge will be matched up to $6,000 (for a total of $12,000) by two donor couples: Craig and Page Nitterhouse and Matt and Tana Oyer.
• Help provide opportunities for Penn State student-athletes through gifts to support scholarships or enhance the Morgan Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes. Incentives will be provided throughout the day at participation milestones, and the Nittany Lion Club will match points accumulated through personal gifts. Visit gopsusports.com in the coming weeks to learn more about the specific giving opportunities that will be featured.

As part of the #GivingTuesday celebration, Penn State student groups will be promoting their own philanthropic engagement and calling on the broader student body to join one of Penn State’s many philanthropic organizations.

The event’s success will be measured by the breadth of participation across the Penn State community, in addition to the total amount of support raised at the end of the day.

“No matter how much you give or what you support, our goal is to hear as many Penn State voices on #GivingTuesday as possible, proving just what our community is capable of doing when we all act together,” said Kirsch.

To learn more about #GivingTuesday or to make a gift, visit giveto.psu.edu/givingtuesday. Members of the Penn State community are also invited to follow or share updates about the event on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the official hashtag, #PSUGivingTue.

Penn State supporters are invaluable partners in fulfilling the University’s land-grant mission of education, research and service. Private gifts from members of the Penn State community enrich the experiences of students both in and out of the classroom, expand the research and teaching capacity of our faculty, enhance the University's ability to recruit and retain top students and faculty, and help to ensure that students from every economic background have access to a Penn State education. The University's colleges and campuses are now enlisting the support of private supporters to advance a range of unit-specific initiatives.