Alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, and friends showed up in a BIG way last month to support our 2019 Giving Challenge, “Go for the Gold.” 1,089 donors and $293,951 later, the School is truly strengthened by the generosity of its incredible community. Funds raised represent a significant portion of this year’s annual fund (which closes on June 30th), and are put to direct use bolstering everything from academics to athletics, maintaining our beautiful campus, and supporting Trinity-Pawling’s distinctive faculty and programs. None of this would have been possible without the hard work and creative efforts of a dedicated team of alumni and parent volunteers, who earnestly reached out to peers to encourage participation and widespread support.
Tommy Seitz ’90 has led his class to the top of the participation leaderboard for two years in a row! Asked how he maintains the momentum, Tommy states, “We developed a master list during our 25th reunion four years ago. Each year during the Challenge, I send out an email blast and incorporate a little jesting, to stoke the fire so to speak! It’s all in good fun, and really works for 1990.”
Each class has different strategies to inspire engagement. Social media has become an effective and fun way to spread the word, and the Class of 1991 incorporates Facebook in addition to “hammering the phones!” Another class that always dominates the leaderboard is 1988. “It’s all about consistency,” states class agent David Tyree ’88, regarding the connections he and his fellow class leaders make and have maintained over the years. “Don’t get me wrong, this is work and it takes time, but we laid a strong foundation during our 25th reunion and the Challenge provides a great excuse to get in touch with everyone each year!”
For the “Fighting Gentleman,” Trinity-Pawling’s alumni from 1948-1980, email is a critical tool. The Class of 1971 has captured 2nd place for two years in a row by reaching out to classmates multiple times during the 3-week campaign, utilizing gratitude and a willingness to engage with T-P history, current campus life, and humor! John McDermid ’65 finds that the yearly reach-outs provide a wonderful opportunity to reminisce. The Class of 1965 email thread, initiated by John during the Challenge, was filled with stories of their days at the School — conversations around a mini-reunion were even sparked by the group communications! Tom Linacre ’62, keeps in touch with classmates year-round via phone and email, and enjoys visiting with them on his summer motorcycle trips.
Those most-recently graduated alumni rely on their networks of prefects and alumni ambassadors. AJ Beckwith ’14 has a great system, dividing up the work between the class prefects and shares, “2014 wouldn’t have had the success we did if it wasn’t for our combined efforts and teamwork!”
This year, parents were just as busy connecting with their peers and their efforts reaped impressive results. Because of their emails and phone calls, there was a 63% increase in parent giving during this year’s Challenge! Many parent volunteers commented on how much they enjoyed the reach-outs, and that they made a few new friends along the way.
We couldn’t be more grateful to all of our faithful volunteers for the time and energy they put forth each year — because of their initiative, the School is able to thrive and flourish. It is certainly a team effort (driven by a little healthy competition!). No matter who tops the leaderboard in the end, however, Trinity-Pawling takes the WIN!!!
by Kate Vengrove