A former student at Lincoln College, Oxford, was inspired to match funds raised by his alma mater as part of #givingtuesday, the global day of giving.

After seeing a tweet by Bill Gates and reading an email appeal sent by the College, Jason Chang committed to match donations given between #givingtuesday 28 November and 3 December up to the value of $25k (£18,686).

More than £50,000 ($66,880) in total was raised which will be used to offer financial assistance to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the form of help with living costs and travel expenses.

Lincoln College was founded by Richard Fleming, Bishop of Lincoln, in 1427 and named after his Cathedral as The College of Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln, in the University of Oxford. Famous alumni include Theodore Geisel, better known as children’s author Dr Seuss, and David Cornwell also known as successful spy writer John Le Carré.

#givingtuesday originated in the US in 2012 and now takes place in over 70 countries around the world including Canada, Germany, Spain, Singapore, Australia, Tanzania, Russia and Israel. It has been celebrated in the UK since 2014. The event encourages people to make a donation, volunteer their time or support their favourite cause on social media. This year over 2,000 individuals, organisations and businesses took part generating millions of pounds for good causes.

After completing his degree in 2009 Jason Chang became Chief Operating Officer of CSBio, a leading peptide manufacturing company located on the edge of Silicon Valley in Menio Park, California. On a trip to London for a friend’s wedding he learned about #givingtuesday.

“I was inspired to take part in #givingtuesday after seeing a tweet about Bill and Melinda Gates’ involvement’” he said.

“Having studied at Lincoln College, this global day of giving seemed like a perfect opportunity to give something back and encourage others to do the same.”

“I am so pleased with the amount raised by the initiative and that Lincoln College will be using the funds to provide assistance to students currently studying at the University of Oxford.”