Fun and Fundraising: University of Miami students enjoy at Reds game and raise dollars for Circle

Miami University’s Panhellenic Council is getting creative with fundraisers for Circle of Sisterhood. They recently invited fraternity men to join in on the fun, hosting a “Brothers Helping Sisters” trip to a Cincinatti Reds game. The event raised almost $400 in donations, which were an add-on to the game ticket price.

We interviewed Molly Kenney, a member of Alpha Delta Pi and the Panhellenic Council’s Vice President of Community Service and Engagement at Miami University, who planned the event to help provide tips for our readers who are raising funds on their own campuses.

Tell us a little bit about how fundraising for Circle of Sisterhood is happening at Miami University:

We did our first fundraiser for Circle of Sisterhood last spring. We took a trip to see Wicked, the musical, and invited sorority presidents and Panhellenic delegates to attend. In the ticket cost, we built in a donation for Circle of Sisterhood and did some education about the mission of the organization.

I attended that event last spring. When I was elected to Panhellenic Council, I knew I wanted to continue fundraising for the Foundation, but I wanted to expand the scope and get fraternity men involved in helping. We decided to do a “Brothers Helping Sisters” trip to a Cincinnati Reds game. More than 100 students signed up to go. It was a fun outing for everyone in our Greek community — to take a trip, see a game and get out of Oxford for the day.

What next?

We’re already thinking about the future. I’m hoping to organize one fundraiser each semester — two per year — to provide continual support to Circle of Sisterhood. I want to take our efforts beyond Miami University. We’re hoping to involve other Panhellenics in the area, and we’ve already reached out to a university nearby.

Why was Circle of Sisterhood a cause your Panhellenic Council wanted to support?  

We love the mission of Circle of Sisterhood — sorority women helping others. It’s amazing to think about all of these women all over the nation working toward a common goal. We sometimes forget how powerful we can be as sorority women coming together to fight for something with one common mission.

Our fundraising started slow but it is growing. So far we’ve focused on collecting monetary donations and educating about the mission of the organization. Being able to raise awareness about the mission of Circle of Sisterhood has helped us to connect others to our cause.

How do you get the word out to your community about your events?

We use our [fraternity/sorority life] Twitter and Facebook accounts to tell students about what’s going on. These reach members who may not be as involved as others.

After the event, we also put out a newsletter about what we had accomplished. We shared this with our community and our local partners, like the Cincinnati Reds, the transportation company, and others, who helped us put on the event. It is so important to highlight the great news about the positive things we are doing together as a community! We hope this type of outreach will help us foster future partnerships.

What advice do you have to students at other schools starting to fundraise for Circle of Sisterhood?

The sky is the limit. Set your bar high. Our first opportunity last year was only for Panhellenic women. This year we expanded to include fraternity men, and now we’re reaching out to other campuses! Keep branching out. This can be a large movement and you can be a part of that.