And the winners of Big Give Live are … Cal Parents!

14 student groups win big thanks to help from Cal Parents!

Cal Band … still providing foot-stomping entertainment virtually. Volunteers around the world … sending Cal students to Guatemala, Cambodia, and other countries to provide medical assistance and health education. Formula Electric at Berkeley … designing sustainable transportation technology.

These are just three of more than 1,200 student-run organizations that we’re part of whose work impacts the campus and global communities alike. Our organizations often rely on fundraising to help realize our goals — but how are supposed to raise funds during the pandemic? Enter a group of Cal Parent donors.

“I would like to thank all the Cal Parent donors. We really appreciate this money and will be putting it to use to develop, build, and race Cal’s first-ever electric race car!”

Student member of Formula Electric at Berkeley

This past spring parents, staff, and volunteers from Cal Student Philanthropy teamed up to host Big Give Live!, the annual online fundraising event's first-ever trivia contest. As more student organizations have joined Big Give each year, its goals have grown to include how fundraising can be fun — and educational.

In the inaugural contest, students answered questions about Berkeley buildings and programs supported by philanthropy such as:

Which buildings are open 24 hours during finals? (Moffit Library, Eshleman Hall and MLK Student Union)
Where can students go for academic support? (Student Learning Center).

The top 10 students won prize money for their organization of choice. This prize money, which totaled $2,600, came from Cal Parent donors. After two close rounds, Cal Student Philanthropy crowned 19 winners who dedicated their prize money to 14 different organizations including Model United Nations — in which students simulate UN roles — and Cal Band. While $2,600 might not sound like much, it has a big impact on student groups.

The generosity of our donors during Big Give offers another channel for boosting the educational experience by directly supporting what students themselves want to support. Big Give Live! will continue to be a hallmark of our revitalized student philanthropy program — educating students, impacting their organizations, and connecting Cal families. We can’t wait to see who will win this year!