Future-proofing heritage and ensuring access to education top priorities for 2024 Giving Day

Starting at 8am on Thursday 23 May and lasting 36 hours, the digital campaign will see Oriel College reach out to over 7,300 alumni globally, asking them to financially support their alma mater.

Alumni and friends will be asked to support an ambitious decarbonisation project to install air source heat pumps on Oriel’s estate. Their donations could also help install a lift in the library so that every student can study in the iconic space.

Complementing the fundraising push, at 5.15pm on Thursday Dr Phil Grünewald, a supernumerary fellow of Oriel College, will deliver a lecture on what colleges, communities and individuals can do to support global efforts to cut carbon emissions.

The lecture will be livestreamed so alumni unable to attend in-person can tune in.

Donations can also be made to the Boat Club — which has its eyes on achieving the first ever Summer Eights double headship at any college as Giving Day is taking place — and student support.

Director of Development Marco Zhang says that Oriel aims “to take a lead on sustainability in the heritage sector and to ensure all students have access to the same high standard of education.” “But to do this we rely on the generosity of others, especially alumni,” he adds.

Increased living costs mean some successful applicants can only afford to make the most of the opportunities on offer at the College with additional financial support in the form of bursaries, travel grants and hardship loans funded by alumni and friends.

After last year’s Giving Day, which raised over £170,000, Zhang said: “The fantastic amount raised from such a diverse group of donors shows that our community understands the real pressures that our students feel every day.”

Over the course of Giving Day there will be a number of matched funding opportunities, when donations are doubled thanks to pledges made by alumni on Oriel’s Campaign Board.

To find out about these opportunities and learn more about the campaign, visit the giving page now.