April is Employee Giving Month, an ideal time to support the UC Davis programs and services that matter most to you. Whether you're funding inspiring exhibitions at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, backing your favorite Aggie team for success, or enhancing the well-being of animals at our renowned School of Veterinary Medicine, there are endless opportunities to make a meaningful impact at our university.

Research for a better world

Daniel Sperling, distinguished professor and founding director of the Institute of Transportation Studies, or ITS-Davis, began working on campus in 1982 and hasn’t looked back since. “UC Davis is really an extraordinary place and it’s why I’ve stayed here all this time,” he said. “We are committed to engagement and making sure our research makes a difference. We don’t do research to be on the bookshelf; we do research that’s going to influence policy and decision-making to make the world a better place.”

Today, ITS-Davis is a global leader in sustainable transportation with more than 50 researchers and faculty, more than 100 graduate students, and affiliated centers in Europe, China and India.

Sperling and his wife donate to various areas around campus, but supporting research has been a driving force behind their philanthropy. “Supporting research at UC Davis is more important than ever, as university research is getting politicized,” he said. “We researchers need to make sure we’re developing core expertise that can be used to inform policy and make breakthroughs that are key to our future.”

Contributing has never been easier

UC Davis offers a wide range of areas where you can make an important impact as a volunteer or a donor, as well as an employee, this April. It’s easy to participate in Employee Giving Month as part of Give Day. Early giving has already begun for the event, which takes place Friday-Saturday the weekend of Picnic Day (April 11-12).

Employee Giving Month runs through April 30 and provides a way to help keep UC Davis strong. And it’s easy to give as little as $10 each month through payroll deduction.