U of R introduces a donation day for the athletics department
The inaugural University of Regina (U of R) Day of Giving was held on Sept. 22. Day of Giving is a 24-hour donation blitz for community members and alumni to give back to the varsity athletics department.
The Day of Giving campaign originated in 2012 when Columbia University debuted the idea. Since then, it has been developed at institutions across North America.
The money received by the varsity sport teams from the university is only for travelling. Other aspects, such as food, clothing, equipment, academic support, mental health support, and day-to-day team operations, rely completely on fundraising.
[This is the] largest volume of giving. That’s never happened in campus history in one day, so we’re absolutely thrilled. -Lisa Robertson
Day of Giving replaced the various fundraising events the athletics department would host throughout the season, making it easier for alumni and other community members to donate.
During this period, the donors had the option to do a general donation to be distributed evenly amongst the Cougars and Rams teams or make sport specific donations.
2026 U of R Day of Giving
Athletics director Lisa Robertson came into the inaugural first Day of Giving this year with a goal of $150,000. This was also the amount the Office of the President pledged to match in donations. In the 24-hour period, the initiative received 778 gifts for a total of $273,829.
“[This is the] largest volume of giving. That’s never happened in campus history in one day, so we’re absolutely thrilled,” Robertson commented.
Day of Giving will be happening again and they will start planning shortly, with tweaks to keep the initiative engaging every year.
This was an event that took hours of planning and required many people to get it started. The Cougars’ and Rams’ social media pages were flooded with videos and photos promoting the event starting a few weeks prior. These campaigns included a sit-down talk with varsity athletes, coaches, and staff explaining why donations were so vital to the functioning of the programs. Student intern Carter Williamson was also an integral part of promoting the initiative.
One of our main goals is our student–athlete experience and, so again, we compete with some big, big schools, and so we need to really invest in our student–athlete experience so our student–athletes go away with a high-high caliber experience both in the classroom and in the field of play. -Lisa Robertson
But why is Day of Giving so crucial for the athletics department?
The U of R is one of the smallest schools in the Canada West League. In order to compete with larger institutions like the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the University of Calgary (U of C), the U of R needs the funds provided by Day of Giving.
Beyond that, Robertson wants to provide student–athletes with an experience to promote U of R as their destination to play varsity sports for their five-year eligibility period.
“One of our main goals is our student–athlete experience and, so again, we compete with some big, big schools, and so we need to really invest in our student–athlete experience so our student–athletes go away with a high-high caliber experience both in the classroom and in the field of play,” Robertson adds.
Along with the Office of the President’s donation match, the department will be coming out of the first Day of Giving with over $400,000, all of which is going back into the athletics department to help run the varsity programs.
Go Cougars and Go Rams!
