Frequently Asked Questions - Donor & Alumni Relations
Our Mission
The mission of the Donor & Alumni Relations Committee is to empower, motivate, and educate the THON community to increase awareness of pediatric cancer and to fundraise effectively. It is our goal to help THON continue its monetary and emotional contribution to the Four Diamonds Fund by maintaining and building relationships with THON’s individual, small business, corporate, and foundation donors.
What We Do
The Donor & Alumni Relations Captain Committee strives to spread awareness of THON by making each experience unique for every donor. They will have an opportunity to share their passion for THON through professional contacts at small businesses, corporations, and foundations. Each Captain will act as a fundraising liaison to a group of organizations. As a fundraising resource, the DAR Captains will be able to assist THON Chairs as they organize and implement a donor solicitation strategy in addition to contacting businesses themselves. Some DAR Captains will also be given Committee members to help with their specific tasks. DAR is truly an unforgettable experience!
Please contact Curran McCready at donor.alumni.relations@thon.org if you have any questions. Thank you!
This Captain needs to be highly motivated and organized. The Administrative Assistant will serve as project manager for DAR and work with the Overall to ensure functionality within the committee. The Administrative Assistant will be responsible for weekly meeting minutes, organizing DAR’s THON Weekend timeline, and sending out committee reminders and updates.
**This Captain is not eligible to dance THON Weekend.
This Captain must be an effective communicator as well as possess a greater level of ingenuity in an attempt to target a larger, more diverse population. This Captain will work closely with the Communications Committee to act as a liaison for Alumni fundraising and will also work closely with the Public Relations committee to enable effective outreach of THON’s message to all Penn State and THON Alumni.
**This Captain is not eligible to dance THON Weekend.
These Captains are critical in the final stages of the donor experience. They are responsible for coordinating the efforts to thank and benefit all small business, corporate, and individual donors. These Captains will have committee members to help them complete their tasks, which makes the ability to inspire and motivate essential. They will also have the opportunity to develop new benefiting and stewardship ideas.
**These Captains are not eligible to dance THON Weekend.
This Captain will need to possess solid communication skills in order to effectively communicate THON’s fundraising strategy to the Commonwealth Campus THON Chairs. The CCSG Captain will use their skills to develop fundraising plans and contact potential donors. Also, this Captain may be required to attend some break-out sessions for CCSG THON Chairs.
**This Captain is eligible to dance THON Weekend if given the opportunity.
These Captains must be organized and enjoy using spreadsheets. They will be responsible for updating and maintaining all of the donation information in THINK as well as cleaning up any obsolete donor information in the database. These Captains will be working closely with the Finance committee throughout the THON season.
**These Captains are eligible to dance THON Weekend if given the opportunity.
These Captains will work collaboratively to keep THON’s donors coming back every year. They must possess analytic skills necessary to pinpoint donor characteristics and capitalize on them to enhance donor retention. These Captains must also possess great time management skills and initiative in order to effectively meet goals. Their results will be crucial to the success of the entire Donor and Alumni Relations committee as we strive to maximize the donor experience.
**This Captain is eligible to dance THON Weekend.
These Captains plan various events throughout the year that cater to THON’s donors. These Captains will be responsible for planning the Donor Recognition Reception as well as assisting with the University Recognition Reception during THON Weekend. They will also be in charge of coordinating the decorating of donor suites in the BJC THON Weekend. Therefore, these Captains will work closely with the Hospitality Committee and Supply Logistics Committee. In addition, they will have the opportunity to develop new benefit or stewardship events for the donors.
**These Captains are not eligible to dance THON Weekend.
This person needs to be energetic, creative, and outgoing. They will be in charge of providing weekly inspirational and motivational stories and lead team building activities at committee events. The Inspiration Captain will also plan committee events. This Captain will be responsible for creating a greater connection between the DAR Committee and THON Families. In addition, they will plan a tour of Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital for donors.
**This Captain is eligible to dance THON Weekend if given the opportunity.
These Captains will be responsible for creating a solicitation strategy for all current and potential donors in Centre County. They have the opportunity to be innovative and promote THON throughout the local area by means of local networking events for Centre County businesses. They will also organize a Local Donor Tour THON Weekend.
**These Captains are not eligible to dance THON Weekend.
This energetic Captain has the opportunity to lead the DAR committee in all special projects. The Special Projects Captain will also have the responsibility of working with the Rules and Regulations Committee to review Alternative Fundraisers. Also, this Captain will plan and schedule all of the DAR-lead tours THON Weekend. This Captain will also work with the Communications Committee to help plan and promote blood drives.
**This Captain is not eligible to dance THON Weekend.
These Captains need to be capable enough to plan and implement larger scale initiatives. They will be responsible for THON’s individual donors and all aspects of the THONvelope (letter writing) campaign. They have the responsibility of coordinating the sorting, distributing, and collecting of all THONvelopes. Additionally, they will develop ways to effectively promote the campaign and communicate its message and importance to the THON community. These Captains will be working with committee members to complete their tasks.
**These Captains are not eligible to dance THON Weekend.
This position will work with THON Donors and University Contacts in organizing and planning recruiting events for THON volunteers. They will make presentations to donors about how donating to THON is more than a monetary commitment. They will also, have the unique opportunity of maintaining and expanding the support THON receives from Foundations. In addition they will also work with the Donor Events Captains to plan the University Recognition Reception THON Weekend.
**These captains are not eligible to dance THON weekend.
If you don't see your question here, you might want to check the list of all questions.
