Written by Kaley Plaxton
In just one day, Tri Delta, a sorority at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, raised over $9,000 for Alternatives For Girls through an online fundraiser.
Emma Lucken, the sorority chapter’s next president, created and organized the fundraiser with the approval and support of the Tri Delta executive board.
With an original donation goal of $4,000, the fundraiser well exceeded everyone’s expectations.
When the fundraiser was announced to sorority members, Lucken shared AFG’s mission and community efforts. Members then posted graphics to their Instagram stories on Feb. 17. The fundraiser remained published for one day, but donations accumulated a few days after as well.
Lucken was drawn to AFG after discovering the programs and services offered in the Detroit area. She admires how AFG helps girls and women in the community by providing different types of support to those in need.
“I was drawn to the fact that AFG focuses on immediate care but also that so much of the focus of AFG is female empowerment,” said Lucken. “Giving women the tools to succeed and take control of their future is something that resonated with me and the girls in my chapter.”
The sorority’s fundraisers occur approximately four or five times per academic year, with one or two utilizing the social media bingo card format. Their typical charity is St. Jude Children’s Hospital, but AFG was an exception due to the sorority’s recent recommitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“AFG exemplifies all of these traits so well and we felt it was only fair to use our privilege to support such an incredible organization that gives opportunities to so many,” Lucken explained. “I heard about AFG through Instagram this summer but began donating monthly so I was connected to [the organization] which made setting up the fundraiser easy.”
The bingo fundraiser format has recently begun to replace standard fundraising events for fraternities and sororities around the country, in part due to the remote requirements of COVID-19. Members of Tri Delta encouraged their followers to send in the amount of money listed in one of the bingo squares on the graphic. Upon receiving each donation, the girls running the accounts filled in the corresponding boxes to fill the board as much as possible.
Reaching thousands of people, this fundraiser left Lucken feeling incredibly proud of the girls in her sorority.
“They worked so hard to collect donations and I know how passionate each of them are about what AFG does,” she said. “I also had members of the community not related to my sorority who reached out to me saying they were moved by what AFG does. The donations are incredible but [a bonus] is that AFG has caught the attention of many people in the community.”
