Unlocking impact together
December 12, 2025
Education and impact disguised as fun, treats and games was the idea behind an enhanced Giving Tuesday event at UVic on December 2, 2025. A new location created more space for the giant “Philanthropoly” game, the “Wheel of Generosity” and the new “Plinko-pursuit”—giving UVic students even more opportunities to take part. After playing their game of choice (and perhaps learning something about the impact of philanthropy at UVic), students were invited to designate “Sprinkle bucks” to a Giving Tuesday fund of their choice. The sprinkle bucks represent donor dollars received before Giving Tuesday to use for this purpose.
This year, 2,632 students designated sprinkle bucks for Giving Tuesday. They spread these across 25 causes, but the funds they chose to receive the most support were the student food bank, the student meal share program and the student wellness fund.
“What that tells me is that students really do care about their community and supporting one another,” says Cortney Baldwin, the organizer of the event. “But I also think students really appreciate having choices and thinking about which causes align with their values. That’s the benefit of having donor dollars to support these activities for students.”
Students also took part in the online game, Campus Quest, and through an Instagram quiz.
Official Sprinkle count
UVic’s generous community truly shines, especially on Giving Tuesday! Thanks to many UVic employees, grads and friends, the total amount donated for Giving Tuesday was $177,488. That support came in the form of early matching donations, sponsorship, Giving Grams (for UVic employees) and gifts from alumni all over the world. In total there were 865 gifts for over 26 funds. That’s why the sprinkles motif works for Giving Tuesday—to illustrate how many acts of kindness and generosity add up to bring a lot of impact across campus.
Visit the Giving Tuesday webpage to see how much was donated to each of the priority and featured funds.
Spreading kindness
UVic employees sent more than 1,000 Giving Grams this year. These digital tokens of appreciation sent by colleagues and friends gift the recipient with donated money for a priority fund. Congratulations to the Faculty of Law for winning the Giving Gramalanche Challenge for sending the most Giving Grams, followed by Co-op & Career Services and Human Resources in second and third place on the podium.
Building community
Giving Tuesday at UVic is about more than dollars—it’s about bringing people together and building a sense of community. The on-campus activities are designed to give students something relaxing and cheerful to do at the end of the semester, when exams are looming. They can swing by between study sessions for hot chocolate and cookies, to take photos with friends, or to sit by the fire and make friendship bracelets. Throughout the day, many staff and faculty drop by to donate or to volunteer their time. Out in the “real world”, hundreds of alumni and friends take part to show their support for current students and give back to the community.
“We’re building a tradition through this event that we hope students will remember fondly once they graduate,” says Cortney Baldwin. “The funds raised positively impact university life for students now and in the near future. And for grads, it’s an opportunity to connect back to UVic and contribute positively wherever they are now. It’s a circle of community. We see it in the smiles of students on the day, and in the generosity of the donors, and that’s why Giving Tuesday is such a success.”