UMass Amherst Celebrates Record-breaking $484,447 Raised for the UMass Amherst Community Campaign

This year’s UMass Amherst Community Campaign (UMACC) raised $484,447, significantly surpassing its $450,000 goal. This year’s effort also set a record for the most money raised in a single UMACC campaign, larger than the previous level of $482,488 in 2019-20.

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UMACC is the UMass Amherst workplace giving program that enables faculty, staff and retirees to donate to any 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the world that they choose. About 65% of the funds raised this year will go to Western Massachusetts nonprofit organizations. Overall, about 460 organizations will receive donations. The organizations that donors supported include well-known ones such as The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the United Way of the Franklin and Hampshire Regions as well as lesser known ones like the Franklin County Community Meals Program and Family Outreach of Amherst.

“It is immensely gratifying to see the generosity of UMass employees and retirees as they seek to improve lives around the world, and it is particularly rewarding to see the level of giving directed specifically into our community,” says UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy. “Given the stresses of the pandemic and the additional challenges of the past two years, more of our own friends and neighbors find themselves seeking help. I am proud of the UMass family for their resounding, unequivocal response to provide care and support in these most difficult times.”

Jen Gallant, campaign manager states, “Once again we are overwhelmed and inspired by the incredible generosity of the UMass community. We see employees from all levels and departments give to an impressive variety of causes because they care deeply and want to make an impact.”

Campaign co-chairs Greg Carvel, men’s hockey coach, and Barbara Krauthamer, dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, just completed their third and final year of leading the campaign. During their time as co-chairs the campaign raised a total of $1,430,541.

Regarding the campaign, Krauthamer states, “When the pandemic hit we were deeply concerned that local nonprofits would suffer at their time of greatest need. We knew some UMass employees might participate in the campaign, but we had no idea that so many would answer our call.”

Carvel adds, “We are overwhelmed by the continued generosity of our UMass community, and that in the midst of a pandemic UMass employees broke the all-time UMACC fundraising record.”