By Dan Knapp
In just 24 hours, the University of Kentucky community showed once again what’s wildly possible when Wildcats rally together.
UK’s seventh annual 24-hour giving campaign, One Day for UK, saw 2,719 donors make 3,955 gifts totaling $989,369.73 on April 24. With this year’s effort, the campaign’s cumulative total has now surpassed $13.5 million since its inception.
“What makes One Day for UK so powerful isn’t in the numbers — it’s in the people behind them,” says Jake Lemon, UK’s vice president for philanthropy and alumni engagement. “Every gift is a reflection of belief: belief in our students, in our mission and in what’s possible when this community comes together. The generosity we saw this year is a powerful reminder that every single donor plays a part in moving this university forward, one meaningful gift at a time.”
Donors from across the country fueled friendly competition among more than 50 participating colleges, programs and causes. Challenges, leaderboards and matching gift incentives helped fuel excitement throughout the day, with several groups earning extra funds to further support their initiatives.
Several new challenges debuted this year to enhance the competitive spirit. In the Decade Duel Challenge, graduates from the 1980s rallied the most donors and in the UK Employee Giving Challenge, the College of Communication and Information had the highest number of faculty and staff donors earning bonus funds.
“The new challenges we introduced in 2025 added fresh energy and fun to One Day for UK, giving Wildcats additional ways to get involved,” says Andrew Palmer, UK’s director of annual giving. “As we look toward 2026, our team is committed to evolving the event even further, building on what worked, introducing new ideas and creating opportunities that bring the Big Blue Nation together like never before.”
Click here to see all of the groups that claimed victory on leaderboards, power hours and other challenges on One Day for UK this year.