The 11th Giving Blueday united the University of Michigan community to support students, research, the arts, sustainability programs, health and well-being initiatives and more.

Gifts came from more than 11,000 donors across the U.S. and around the world, including from alumni, students, faculty, staff, retirees and friends of the university, and were made to all three campuses, Athletics and Michigan Medicine. During Giving Blueday, supporters gave $4.7 million to the university in 24 hours.

The university’s annual day of giving, held March 19, encouraged Michigan supporters to make gifts of any size to programs and causes they are most passionate about.

“As we enter the second decade of our Giving Blueday tradition, I’m still amazed to see the generosity of the Michigan community and feel privileged to be a part of this long-standing commitment to support our university,” said Tom Baird, vice president for development.

Donors had the opportunity to participate in 18 different challenges this year, such as the Raise the Bar Challenge for student organizations, the Ready. Set. Give! Challenge from 7-8 p.m., and the Cuteness Overload Challenge, enabling supporters to access additional funds for their causes. For student organizations at U-M, Giving Blueday has served as a day to raise funds for their group’s needs. This year, more than 150 student organizations joined the effort, including Engineering Global Leadership Honors Society, Dance Marathon and Men’s Rugby.

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts received the most gifts through the Giving Blueday website, while the student organization that received the most gifts was Women’s Ultimate Frisbee (with Men’s Ultimate Frisbee not far behind). Various student organizations and causes won giving challenges throughout the day, including Wolverine Pathways, UM-Dearborn’s Google Developer Student Club and University Library, among others.