Robert Gordon University (RGU) is set to get on board with this year’s #GivingTuesday charity campaign to widen access to higher education.
Led in the UK by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), #GivingTuesday is a global campaign taking place on Tuesday, November 29 to offer an alternative to the ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ shopping frenzy by encouraging people to support the charities they care about.
Last year #GivingTuesday broke a Guinness World Record for the most online donations in 24 hours as people gave away £35million to good causes globally.
This year the RGU Foundation, the philanthropic fundraising arm of RGU, is encouraging the university’s alumni, staff, students and friends to get involved in the campaign and give something back to higher education.
The RGU Foundation will be using the day to promote donations for access bursaries to widen access to higher education by supporting students at RGU.
Sarah Dingwall, RGU foundation development manager, explains: “Supporting students through widening access programmes and scholarships is a priority for RGU, and through this support the university aims to remove barriers that prevent students gaining a higher education.
“We hope that the university community will get on board with the giving campaign and help us to support students often under-represented in universities, giving them the opportunity to become skilled graduates with the confidence and capacity to achieve their ambitions, whatever their circumstances.”
Lara Seymour, who is in her fourth year of a pharmacy degree at RGU, is an outstanding student who has benefited first hand from an access bursary.
Lara, who won the Pharmacist of the Future award earlier this year, says: “Being awarded an access bursary to study at RGU was the greatest opportunity I have ever been given in my life. Without the support I do not know if I would have been able to study at RGU.”
As an added incentive for the RGU community to give something back, the Robertson Trust has committed to match every donation made to RGU on the day. The Robertson Trust, which has supported Lara, provide enhanced bursaries to the brightest and best students coming from the most challenging backgrounds.
The RGU Foundation is aiming to raise funds on #GivingTuesday to support two students a year through these access bursaries.
RGU #GivingTuesday donations can be made online on Tuesday, November 29 at www.rgu.ac.uk/giving or by post to RGU Foundation, West Lodge, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen, AB10 7AQ. Donations can also be made in person by visiting the RGU Foundation team at its address on the Garthdee campus.