Alumni Interest Group at Penn State

The #1 Greek Fundraising Organization at Penn State for the 27th Year in a Row Raises a Record-Breaking $410,126.59

All thanks to consistent communication & strategic storytelling

This group at Penn State is gaining attention for all the right reasons, even so far as to receive features from CBS News and their national parent organization! From raising hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars for childhood cancer to changing the lives of children forever, the brothers and alumni of this Penn State fraternal organization are making a big impact.

While the amazing efforts and experiences of the undergraduates are not going unnoticed, members noticed one thing that was essential: alumni involvement! Throughout the fundraising process, we helped create the consistent communication that was needed to engage their alumni membership and encourage donations to THON. This included posting website articles, creating email campaigns, and sharing print newsletters with THON content and donation solicitations.

In addition, our team was able to utilize strategic storytelling about Tucker Haas and Robbie Schweitzer, both childhood cancer survivors and current brothers of the chapter. The group asked us to feature the journeys of both Tucker and Robbie, and we did just that. Alongside our professional writers, we wrote stories of their brave journeys as cancer survivors and active members.

We crafted eletters and print newsletters for the group that went out to over 700 members, and capitalized on website advancement to drive traffic to the blog articles. These features informed alumni of the great work and experiences of their very own brothers and served as a catalyst for encouraging alumni donations and support for the chapter’s THON fundraising efforts. Not only that, but their national organization featured the story of the Penn State Chapter’s THON efforts as well as Tucker’s story which was picked up by CBS News!

Fast forward to THON 2022 and brothers raised a record-breaking $410,126.59, achieving their 27th year in a row as the top Greek Fundraising Organization in all of Penn State, all thanks to undergraduate efforts and alumni communications!

THE BACKGROUND

Meet Tucker Haas and Robbie Schweitzer; former THON children, cancer survivors, and active brothers in their chapter. What exactly is THON? THON is the largest student-run philanthropy organization in the world, and their goal is to support and enhance the lives of children and their families who have been impacted by childhood cancer. In total, THON 2022 raised $13,756,374.50 for the kids.

Being a THON child means that the group theoretically adopted the young boys as a member of their organizational family. They donated their time, money, and efforts to supporting them throughout their cancer-treatment journeys. This experience not only encouraged Tucker and Robbie to attend Penn State and pledge, but it helped save their lives.

What we did:

Extensively interviewed Robbie Schweitzer and Tucker Haas
Created thoughtful and provoking stories about the life experiences of both Robbie and Tucker
Strategic communications that served as a catalyst for alumni involvement and donations for the group’s THON efforts
Custom content development and print production management
Website development to drive traffic to blog articles
eLetter and print newsletter production