Donors from around the world helped Cornell University break multiple records on its 12th annual Giving Day, March 12, 2026.
In 24 hours, this year’s nature-themed event brought together 17,011 donors to raise $11,345,462, to support everything from student organizations to scholarship aid to groundbreaking research.
“Cornellians everywhere joined together to make our 12th Giving Day a great success,” said Fred Van Sickle, vice president for Alumni Affairs and Development. “This has been a challenging year for higher education, and it’s deeply energizing to see donors show up for our students in such a powerful way. They’re supporting tomorrow’s leaders and sustaining Cornell’s progress on solving real-world problems.”
Contributions poured in from Cornell alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends from all 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., and 63 countries, totaling 25,277 gifts across 803 funds.
Much of Giving Day’s success is powered by peer-to-peer engagement by Giving Day champions, who sign up to advocate for causes close to their hearts and rally others to donate through personal outreach and social media.
This year, a record-breaking 704 Giving Day champions secured more than 4,037 gifts. The new Champions Cup Challenge also inspired 255 champions to go the extra mile. Each champion who brought in five donors through their personalized link earned a coveted Cornell Giving Day camper mug.
Donors took advantage of 158 matches and challenges to unlock a record-breaking $2,457,365 in funds, multiplying the impact of their gifts across Cornell.
Setting up base camp 🏕️
Since its inception, Cornell’s Giving Day has focused significantly on supporting current students. On the Ithaca campus, a record 1,660 students attended 13 different events to write donor thank-you postcards, enjoy snacks and giveaways, play games, and compete for prizes. Students lined up in Willard Straight Hall to play the new Giving Day arcade video game, Touchdown’s Apple Harvest, and guess at Cornell trivia hosted by the Alumni Affairs Student Engagement Committee (AASEC).
“Giving Day to me is incredibly meaningful because it shows the strength of the Cornell community. It’s a day where alumni, students, faculty, and supporters all come together to invest in current and future Cornellians,” said Carley Canty ’26, co-chair AASEC, who helped with the trivia table.
A first-generation college student, Carley is especially passionate about helping students connect with alumni who can provide guidance, mentorship, and access to resources that support both their academic and professional goals.
“Giving Day is a moment where that sense of support becomes really visible. It is not only about financial contributions, but also about strengthening the relationships between alumni and students so that Cornellians continue to invest in each other’s success long after graduation,” said Carley.
“Many of the opportunities that students benefit from on campus exist because people chose to give back. Seeing that collective support reminds students that they are part of a community that believes in them and wants to help them succeed,” she said.
This year, 1,952 students across undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools donated to their favorite organizations and causes.
Browse student thank you postcards:
More than 2,000 donors from the Classes of 2016–2025 also participated in Giving Day, with recent alumni most often contributing to causes that helped shape their own time on the Hill.
Alicia Choi ’24, vice president of the Class of 2024, chose to donate to a student group that played a large role in her undergraduate experience, The Steminist Movement | Cornell (TSM), which helps present STEM content to middle school girls to reduce the gender gap in the field.
“I saw firsthand how access and representation can change trajectories,” Choi said. “Supporting TSM on Giving Day is my way of investing in the next generation of students, so they have the resources, mentorship, and platform to lead and expand opportunities for others.”
Choi’s classmate Sokhnadiarra Ndiaye ’24, president of the Class of 2024, also felt it was most important to give back to groups that helped her thrive and develop as a leader.
“I grew into myself at Cornell, so it’s my pleasure to give back to the organizations that shaped my experience,” Ndiaye said. “From the unforgettable African Cup of Nations (AFCON) watch party with the Institute for African Development to pitching at Silicon Valley with eLab, there’s not a thing I would change. Now, it’s my turn to pay it forward.”
Trailmarkers of success
- More than 400 international donors made gifts, unlocking $40,000 for Global Cornell, thanks to a gift challenge from Amane Nakashima MBA ’89 and Amit Ramani ’01.
- Social media users left more than a thousand comments in attempts to win the Cornell University LinkedIn challenge, two Cornell Alumni Association Facebook challenges, and the @cornellalumni Instagram challenge. Winners unlocked $2,000 each for the Nolan Hotel School, Cornell CALS, Cornell Bowers, and Arts & Sciences.
- A digital scavenger hunt also brought eagle-eyed sleuths searching for Cornell bears hidden within an Instagram post. The winner was randomly selected from all successful entrants and secured $500 for Cornell Duffield Engineering.
Giving Day in the great outdoors
This year’s Giving Day game transported players into the wilderness to Touchdown’s Apple Harvest. In this camping-themed quest, players guide Park Ranger Touchdown through forest obstacles to gather digital apples with the chance to win real-life funds for Cornell causes. More than 1,700 avid adventurers played nearly 18,667 times on Giving Day and collected a total of 92,445 apples! The top five areas to collect the most apples split $2,500 between the Cornell University Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell Duffield Engineering, the ILR School and the Nolan Hotel School. The player with the highest score—18 apples—earned an extra $500 for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Think you can beat the high score? Lace up your hiking boots and play here.
Cornellians also discovered their philanthropic nature with a new Giving Day quiz. Over the course of the day, 428 participants uncovered their Giving Day national park personality, which pointed them to causes that aligned with their inner compass.
