Penn’s Way is back again, and running through Friday, Nov. 10. This year’s charitable giving goal is $1.6 million.

“It’s a challenging goal,” says Maureen Rush, the campaign’s co-chair. “But it’s attainable.”

After all, she adds, quoting this year’s slogan, “Giving is Penn’s way.”

Rush, vice president for the Division of Public Safety, has been co-chairing Penn’s Way for more than a decade. Every year, it serves to ramp up charitable support from faculty and staff at the University and Health System. The idea, Rush says, is that combining individual contributions can have even more of an impact.

“We are all very fortunate to work at the University of Pennsylvania and its Health System, and when you are fortunate in life, you should give back,” says Rush. “This is a labor of love for all of us who help run this campaign, and it’s very gratifying when we actually hear from some of the organizations who are recipients, about how much we affected their program and made it successful.”

Penn has partnered with three organizations—Penn Medicine, the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, and the Philadelphia Alliance for Change—which serve as “umbrella groups” overseeing many of the thousands of agencies—including those that benefit health centers, libraries, and schools—that participants may choose to donate to.

“Having so many options gives people the flexibility to find an organization that has personal meaning, and they can do it easily under the Penn’s Way campaign,” says Pat Sullivan, chief quality officer at the Health System and co-chair of Penn’s Way. “It puts the entire organization in a very unique giving position.”

Participants may submit donations via payroll deduction, check, credit card, or cash. And with a revamped, more user-friendly website, this year, getting involved in Penn’s Way is easier than ever before. Returning, too, are weekly raffle prizes for contributors.

Last year, Penn exceeded its goal of $1.5 million with $1,724,696.

“And that wasn’t with full participation,” Rush says. “We have almost 20,000 employees on both the University and Health System sides. Just imagine what we could do with 100 percent participation.”

Volunteers across campus have been trained as campaign coordinators, and are available to answer any questions that arise. Employees can contact a campaign coordinator from their school or center if they run into any issues.