In a little more than 24 hours, the Pacific community will come together to support students and university programs through Pacific Gives, the university’s annual 24-hour online fundraising event, which kicks off at noon tomorrow and runs through noon Wednesday. 

Participants can give any amount to a variety of programs from scholarships to internships to experiential learning opportunities. 

With support from generous donors, there are 55 challenges and matches available. Donations will be amplified in the form of dollar-for-dollar matches or by reaching goals that unlock additional funding for a particular program. Some of the challenges and matches include:

•    A donation from School of Health Sciences Dean Nicoleta Bugnariu and retired professor of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Bob Hanyak ’79 and his wife Martha Hanyak will match up to $10,000 in gifts to the Dean’s Transformative Resilience Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to students who have overcome tremendous challenges; 
•    McGeorge alumna and Pacific staff member Sheila A. Hard ’09 is matching the first $100 in first-time gifts to McGeorge School of Law up to $3,000; 
•    A $1,000 gift from Karen Nakamura ’77 will be unlocked after 25 people donate to the Kara Brewer Endowed Scholarship Fund;
•    Faculty and staff can make their donation go further with a match from President Christopher Callahan, First Lady Jean Callahan and Provost Maria Pallavicini, up to $10,000;
•    50 donors will unlock an additional $5,000 from the Community Involvement Program Alumni Club for the program’s emergency fund;
•    The Dugoni School of Dentistry will receive a $1,000 bonus if 10 people donate to Kids in the Klinic; and
•    A gift from Price '81 and Joretta '81 Burlington will match the first $1,750 in donations to the Edward Carson Burlington ’12 Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded annually to students pursuing business degrees.

Pacific Gives set a record in 2021, raising $1.2 million from more than 1,500 donors. This year’s goal is to increase participation by 10%.

“We want to build on the tremendous success of last year’s campaign where we saw this phenomenal outpouring of support from Pacific alumni, faculty, staff, leadership and friends,” said Scott Biedermann ’05, ’20, vice president for development and alumni relations. “We’re grateful to everyone who takes part in this special day.”

Supporters who donate before noon tomorrow can take advantage of an early match that is available for the first $20,000 in gifts with a dollar-for-dollar match up to $100 per donor.

The university is looking for ambassadors to encourage participation through their networks. Ambassadors are asked to recruit two other donors and will be given Pacific branded merchandise for their contributions. 

“As alumni, we're all ambassadors for Pacific, but sometimes we get a chance to stand up and say it out loud and that’s when the magic happens,” said Greg Aghazarian ’93, a McGeorge alumnus and Pacific Alumni Association board member who is an ambassador. He also is a former California State Assembly member. “This is a great time for anybody who cares about the future of the university and its place in the community to reach out to friends and family and reconnect with old classmates to make a difference.”

Each school and college across Pacific’s three campuses in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Stockton have selected the areas where they need the most support, allowing donors to choose where their money goes.

“This is a tremendous way to invest in Pacific’s students,” said President Christopher Callahan. “Supporters can donate directly to areas they’re passionate about, from scholarship funds that make higher education more attainable, to state-of-the-art technology that allows students to conduct innovative research.”

One fund that significantly benefits students is The Pacific Fund. Donations are used to enhance the student experience with unrestricted support for any urgent needs or opportunities that arise. It’s also used to financially support students experiencing hardships.

View the full list of opportunities to support Pacific’s students.