Last year, my daughter came home from school and told me her friend did not believe in Santa Claus. She then asked me if I believed, and I replied with confidence, “If you don’t believe, you won’t receive.”
There has never been a truer statement, especially related to fundraising. If you do not truly believe in the organization’s mission and what you are raising money for, you will not succeed in securing gifts. And while fraternities and sororities have challenges, there is much to believe in when it comes to the experience they offer to today’s college students in the most important time of growth in their lives.
Just this summer, Dr. Gary Pike, a prominent researcher from Indiana University, found that fraternity and sorority members benefit both inside and outside of the classroom from their involvement. The study confirmed:
- Membership in a fraternity of sorority improves the learning gains students make in the classroom, and our members are more academically engaged than their peers.
- Fraternity and sorority members are more involved in campus activities than other students, and our organizations promote both personal development and the satisfaction they have in their college experience.
- As our organizations seed to enhance inclusivity, our members actually report higher levels-than non-affiliated students-of interaction with people different from themselves.
As people who work with our chapters and members day in and day out, you and I know these benefits are real because we see the impact fraternities and sororities have first-hand. And sharing this impact has helped Pennington & Company secure 17,716 gifts totaling $42 million through December 1, 2020.
This holiday season, the best way to inspire others to believe (and to give) is to tell alumni, parents and the community the important story of how fraternities and sororities change lives…to let them know you believe.
From all of us at Pennington & Company, happy holidays and best wishes in 2021.
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