UC ANR receives over $142,000 on GivingTuesday 2025

As of 11:59 p.m. on GivingTuesday 2025, UC ANR’s generous donors contributed over $142,000 to Cooperative Extension and the statewide programs, institutes, and research centers that make up the UC ANR network. That included more than $33,000 to support California 4-H youth.

This was one of the best GivingTuesdays for UC ANR, according to Emily Delk, director of annual giving and donor stewardship, who has led the campaign for the last eight years.

“It's impossible to pinpoint exactly what makes a fundraising campaign successful from one year to the next – which is why we don't compare totals year to year,” Delk said. “Simply because there are so many factors that impact a donor's decision to give – personal finances, global events, national economy, just to name a few.”

Delk said she attributes success of this GivingTuesday to at least three things:

• Leaning in – participating groups embraced this opportunity and chose to use this campaign to connect and motivate their local constituents. They shared impact stories. Some held in-person events to watch online leaderboards as gifts came in; and most took advantage of the toolkit materials and customized templates to promote the giving day on their social media channels.
• Teamwork – participating groups not only worked together at the local level to promote the campaign, but they also worked with our Development Services team to develop strategies to engage their supporters, as well as grow their network. Also, the statewide teams were key in promoting this opportunity and facilitating communication by including messaging and promotions in their statewide newsletters and meetings.
• Set goals – participating groups were motivated by incentives to engage more donors and raise more money; they reached out to current supporters and secured matching gifts to help motivate others.”

She added that donor relations is an ongoing activity.

"Now it's time to steward your donors -- reach out to learn more about why they gave and how you can continue to engage them in your work,” Delk said. “Strengthening your relationships is an investment in building lasting support!"

Top Earning Counties:

1. San Mateo-San Francisco counties
2. San Diego County
3. Orange County
4. Placer County
5. Sonoma County

Top Earning Statewide Groups: 

1. UC Master Gardeners
2. 4-H
3. UCCE
4. Research and Extension Centers
5. UC Master Food Preservers

Winners of Prize Challenges

UC ANR Donor Challenge: $500 prize to the four funds that had the greatest number of unique donors on Giving Tuesday.

1. Orange County MG - 76 donors
2. Riverside County MG - 64 donors
3. San Diego MG Endowment - 61 donors
4. Sonoma County MG - 59 donors

UC ANR In-It-To-Win-It Challenge: $500 prize to the one fund that raised the most on Giving Tuesday.

1. Orange County MG

4-H Donor Challenge: $500 prize to the four 4-H funds that had the greatest number of unique donors on Giving Tuesday.

1. Placer County 4-H Robotics - 47 donors
2. El Dorado County 4-H General Support - 14 donors
3. Nevada County 4-H General Support - 8 donors
4. Sacramento County 4-H General Support - 7 donors

4-H In-It-To-Win-It Challenge: $500 prize to the one 4-H fund that raised the most on Giving Tuesday was awarded to Placer County 4-H Robotics 

Donors sent messages about why they support UC ANR programs:

“I have found that the world is becoming a better place through the efforts of the LACMG program and its members. I hope my donation will assist the program in continuing this work,” William Winkelmann said of the UC Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles County.

“I believe the program is an excellent channel to educate the public regarding food safety and minimize food waste,” Paulynne Liang said of the UC Master Gardener Program in Orange County.

Social Media Stand Outs (in alpha order)

• 4-H State Ambassadors
• Hopland REC
• Fresno County Master Gardener Program
• Los Angeles County MG
• Nevada County MG
• Orange County MG
• Riverside County MG
• Sacramento County 4-H
• Sacramento County Master Food Preserver Program
• San Diego MG
• San Mateo/San Francisco MG
• Sonoma County MG
• Statewide 4-H

• Statewide MG