For 36 hours on February 25-26, the AU community came together to make Giving Day 2026 AU's most impactful yet. Records were smashed, matches and challenges met, and Eagles got their Talons Up to give back to vital causes and programs across the university. It was a perfect example of the Show Up For AU spirit!

Check out some highlights from the historic effort! 

Million-Dollar Milestone: $1,200,500 

• Powered by over 3,300 donors, Giving Day 2026 surpassed $1 million for the first time with $1.25 million in new gifts, matches, and challenges—this is the most dollars raised in its 12-year history and over $100,000 more than last year.  

Record-Breaking Participation 

• Nearly 1000 alumni—the most ever—made a gift in support of Giving Day. Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle!  

• Gen Z and Millennial donors had the highest participation, taking the baton with gusto. 

• Giving was global! Donors represented 47 US states and 13 countries. 

Peer-to-Peer Advocacy 

• The “Become an Advocate” program—which was a feature new to 2026 in which donors volunteer signed up to get a custom giving link to share with their networks—directly generated 401 gifts and over $50,000.