There’s been much talk about how philanthropies may be one of the greatest casualties of the recession. (Considering their various inefficiencies, maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world.) It’s hardly just the foundations who were invested with Bernie Madoff; donors simply have fewer discretionary dollars. (And, long-term, the picture may get bleaker if President Obama downsizes the charity deduction, as he wants.)
So what’s a philanthropy to do?
For more than 30 years, there’s been a student-run dance marathon at Penn State to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund, which helps fight pediatric cancer. It is a 46-hour, no-sitting, no-sleeping event.
There was legitimate concern that the fund-raising total would fall off significantly this year. But it didn’t: for the fifth consecutive year, THON (as it’s known) broke the previous year’s total. The amount is truly amazing: $7,490,133.87, some $874,000 more than last year.
It can’t be an easy time to be a professional fund-raiser, so maybe the pros should take a lesson from the college kids and start throwing some dance marathons.
(Hat tip: Mitchell Foreman.)
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I spent years doing THON as a Penn Stater… talk about a truly grassroots movements.
The key is mass participation of students collecting small amounts all over the northeast. By the end of my 4th year I had communities in NJ telling me they knew when and where we’d be just to give a buck.
Well established special events that involve people will continue to do well. Special events that rely on corporate sponsors to buy tables are going to suffer.
There are still people of means who are willing to make significant investements in the institutions and organizations closest to them.
The trend has become, more money from fewer donors. Those who can are beefing up their contributions, those who can’t are falling off.
Organizations and intitutions that were heavilly reliant on endowment and had not invested in building relationships with their donors are failing.
My sister who graduated from Penn State always talked wonders about “Thon” and how it united an entire campus around one cause. I was very happy to see that despite the current economic situation, it was still able to raise so much money.
As they would say in happy valley… “We Are… PENN STATE”
The first thing is that THON, contra to Penn State claims, is professionally run by the University development office and not by students. It is equivalent to your basic telethon where a university uses students to call up alumni to ask for money, only on a much larger scale.
Second, there is no transparency because both THON and the Four Diamonds Fund which receives the money raised by THON are part of Penn State they do not have to release information which charities in Pennsylvania typically must. Hence there is no way to verify the actual amount of money which is raised by THON.
In response to veblen:THON IS student run. Yes, the office may help with the finance committee by doing taxes but that is only one aspect of THON. Students are responsible for the letter writing campaigns, collecting money on the streets, entertainment throughout the weekend, organizing food donors and hotels for families and many, many more things. If you have ever been to Penn State and witnessed THON and met the amazing students who run it, you would know that it is not the University putting it all together.
Regardless, THON is For the Kids, For the Fight.
B, none of your claims contradicts my characterization of THON as equivalent to a student telethon. If student’s run THON, as you assert based on the grunt work that they do, then they should be able to make available all information that other charities in Pennsylvania makes available without any consultation with Penn State administrators. THON can prove to me that it student run by having students open up the books.
THON is for the kids. That’s a great appeal to emotions and it has historically been true, at least if one accepts the claims of the organizers. Consider this though, Penn State president Graham Spanier has been on building spree in the past few years. Guess how THON funds have been earmarked in recent years? A building at Hershey Medical Center.
Veblen,
You really don’t know what you are talking about. THON is entirely run by the students. As an active participant for the past 3 years who is currently involved in the upper leadership of the event I can tell you with confidence that we raise all the money and run the entire event. The only support the university provided is with providing facilities, but every donation and all the staffing is done but students at this great university.
Yes, a PEDIATRIC CANCER wing at the Hershey Medical Center.