photo by: Nick Krug

KU Endowment, at 1891 Constant Ave., is shown in this Journal-World file photo from Nov. 23, 2016.

The University of Kansas’ annual one-day fundraising drive raised $1,771,135 on Thursday — a new record for the event.

Thursday’s total was by far the biggest of the “One Day. One KU” campaign’s three-year run. The next most successful year was 2019, where donations totaled $1,084,062, according to a news release from KU.

“Jayhawks everywhere have once again shown their tremendous generosity for One Day. One KU,” KU Chancellor Douglas Girod said in the release. “Not just in helping unlock the Chancellor’s Challenges for student support, but in pushing this campaign to new heights and setting a record for giving in 24 hours.”

The “Chancellor’s Challenges” Girod was referring to meant his pocketbook got a bit lighter Thursday. He and his wife, Susan, promised to donate $5,000 to university programs for students faced with unforeseen obstacles if the hashtag #OneDayOneKU was used more than 2,020 times on Twitter — it was used 2,146 times, according to the release.

Overall, the university received 3,239 individual gifts during the fundraiser, all of which can go to a dedicated cause of the donor’s choosing — such as a particular school, endowment or scholarship program or a universitywide fund.

“Year after year, Jayhawks’ generosity exceeds expectations,” KU Endowment president Dale Seuferling said in the news release. “This record year of giving for One Day. One KU. shows how much this university means to its supporters. We are truly grateful for every gift.”