Pitt Community Drives United Way Campaign to Record High Pledges

This year’s United Way campaign wrapped up at the end of April with total pledges of more than $718,000, the highest amount ever raised by the campaign. The campaign’s total included nearly $25,000 raised from special events—also a record high for the University.

In all, the 2019 campaign saw $372,000 donated to the United Way’s Impact Fund, which supports agencies that provide support to key populations like struggling families, children, seniors and people with disabilities. Another $321,000 from nearly 2,500 donors made gifts allocated to specific agencies of their choosing.

“Change starts with one person standing up to make a positive difference. In these unprecedented times, that notion is needed today more than ever,” said Rob Rutenbar, senior vice chancellor for research and this year’s campaign chair. “Our Pitt community came together to contribute $718,026 to the 2019 campaign. That, too, is unprecedented—the highest total ever raised for the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania. This level of generosity makes a profound impact on those in need, and it’s all in thanks to all those who united to give back.”

“It would be natural to see that people would lean towards holding back because of all the uncertainties that come being in the midst of a pandemic. It’s exciting to see that once again, the Pitt community thought about others in our region and continued to give up to the end of our campaign, making this year the highest total that we’ve ever raised,” said Kelly Gilliam, Pitt United Way Campaign manager.