On October 30, members of the Penn community came together in full force to participate in The Penn Fund’s fourth Giving Red & Blue Day campaign.
By the end of the campaign, 2605 proud Penn donors surpassed the goal of 1740 donors, set to honor the University’s founding year. The final tally exceeded $933,000, breaking the record of dollars raised on this Penn-centric giving day by $300,000.
Penn Fund staff revved up momentum for the record-setting performance throughout the week, sending a “Beat the Rush” email on October 23 and providing tips for committed alumni and friends to help spread the word. Digital outreach and social media helped spark the generosity of Penn’s committed global community, with creative and impactful emails and posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Bruce Konopka, W’78, a Class Giving Director for The Penn Fund, encouraged the global Penn family to put their best foot forward with a special Instagram post. “I’ve kept my shoes from the 1992 Olympics, when I was lucky enough to coach John Pescatore, C’86, in rowing,” Konopka says. “The shoes proved to be a good luck charm in helping us reach our donor goal.”
“I started raising money for Penn when I was a senior,” says Susan Groner, W’81, Penn Fund Board Member and “volunteer extraordinaire.” “I still feel such enormous pride with each additional gift given to support this wonderful institution, especially on Giving Red & Blue Day!”
Contributions to The Penn Fund go far in strengthening undergraduate financial aid, student programming, residential and campus life, and enhance the overall Penn experience. The strong performance during Giving Red and Blue Day is yet another example of the power of the Penn community and will be pivotal to helping The Penn Fund reach its fundraising goals for fiscal year 2019.
There is still plenty of time to be counted among Penn’s faithful supporters—reserve your place in The Penn Fund Honor Roll with a donation today! Make a gift through The Penn Fund’s online giving portal or call our office to find out how you can support unrestricted giving at Penn.
