First instituted in the fall semester of 2012, the Thank-a-Thon is an opportunity to increase awareness about the importance of annual support, to express gratitude to consistent donors, and to highlight the direct connection between donor generosity and our student body.
The objective of Thank-a-Thon events is twofold:
• To create an additional point of contact for Fordham Fund donors who are not traditionally stewarded by means of a handwritten note of thanks from an individual Fordham student impacted by their generosity.
• To educate students as to the importance of philanthropy to the life of the University and their own individual educations, and to have them begin thinking about their own future philanthropy.
Representatives of the Office of Stewardship and Donor Relations, in conjunction with student volunteers and leaders, visit each campus to solicit thank-you notes from students. Event messaging emphasizes the importance donor support plays in bridging the gap between student tuition and the total cost of education.
These notes, handwritten in branded notecards provided by SDR and signed with the student’s full name and class year, are then distributed by the Fordham Fund to donors who have a history of consistent giving, but who have not previously received much outreach from the University.