When Tennessee Volunteers unite, the possibilities are endless. Big Orange Give is an opportunity to join fellow Vols in support of deserving students, courageous ideas, or an area of campus most meaningful to you.

Make a Gift

2020

8,095 donors

$2.55 million raised

1,032 first-time donors

405 student donors

692 faculty and staff donors

Big Orange Give 2020 was held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The needs of our students with food or financial insecurity were magnified by the pandemic, but Vols rallied to support the Student Emergency Fund and the Big Orange Pantry. 2020 broke a record for the number of donors that gave during Big Orange Give.

2019

6,869 donors

$2.55 million raised

1,509 new donors

507 Student donors

In 2019, we celebrated the 225th anniversary of the University of Tennessee during Big Orange Give. We set our goal at $2.25 million and offered over $100,000 that matched donors dollar-for-dollar up to $225. The Volunteer family surpassed our special goal and raised more than $2.5 million.

2018

6,455 donors

$2.14 million raised

1,026 first-time donors

460 student donors

Donors to the 2018 Big Orange Give supported 142 different scholarship funds. That included need-based and merit-based scholarships as well as campus-wide and unit-specific scholarship funds.

2017

4,999 donors

$1.45 million raised

1,629 first-time donors

Jim and Judi Herbert challenged the UT community to raise $500,000 during Big Orange Give. In return, they promised to give $500,000 to the UT Writing Center.  The community exceeded the goal, and the Herbert’s gift has revolutionized writing instruction at UT.

2016

4,162 donors

$1.52 million raised

649 first-time donors

VOLstarter, the university’s crowdfunding site, saw a 121% increase in the amount of money raised during Big Orange Give.  Three projects were fully funded, including a project for UT senior Payton Miller to pay for paint and supplies to create amazing, original designs on The Rock before each football game.