Thousands of Spiders from every U.S. state, the nation’s capital, and a dozen countries around the world contributed $1.6 million to support students during UR Here, the University of Richmond’s annual giving day.

Donors made an impact in five areas across more than 160 individual funds: academic excellence, access and affordability, athletics, student experience and community, and well-being.

“On our fifth annual UR Here Giving Day, we were absolutely delighted by the generosity of our Spider community across the world,” said Martha E. Callaghan, vice president for Advancement.

Matches and challenges from alumni, parents, trustees, coaches, and other donors helped inspire others to give to their preferred areas. In one example, Saif Mehkari, associate professor of economics, offered a challenge for the mathematical economics program. The relatively small program had a big impact, ranking No. 6 on the leaderboard for the most donors.

 Here’s a snapshot of Spiders who gave:

• More than 1,400 grads from 1951-2022.
• Nearly 200 current students, a nearly 30 percent increase over the previous year.
• 338 faculty and staff.
• 991 parents of students and alumni.
• 774 first-time donors, a 76% increase from the previous year.

During the 36-hour event, undergraduate financial aid received $142,265, and Richmond Athletics set a record with more than $800,000, a 17% increase over 2022. Contributions to Spider Athletics on Giving Day have increased by more than 65 percent since 2021.

Giving Day events were held in seven cities: Richmond, Atlanta, Boston, New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Philadelphia, and 80 Spiders signed up to be ambassadors and helped spread the word.

“More than 3,000 spiders came together to support every corner of this campus,” Callaghan said, “and their collective impact is meaningful and powerful.”