EagleThon – Our First Big Event
Some of our team members created blog entries telling us how the EagleThon went. Here are their experiences and lessons!
Entry By Professor Puglisi:
It was a very moving Saturday night for me. I saw some of Steve’s brothers in
Lambda Chi–who performed and dedicated a song to him at Eaglethon.
I must share that I had to walk away for a few minutes–because I was getting teary-eyed. I remember how thoughtful Steve was….how passionate he was…and how much he dedicated his life to volunteering and helping others.
I was moved just to see such an outpouring. I know Steve would have loved it.
Thanks to the AU Community for putting together such an incredible event to help Children’s Hospital–one of Steve’s passion.
Gemma – Professor–PR Portfolio
Entry by Mikael Bernard
Last week, the Do Better team officially kicked off their campaign in Honor of Steve Cammorata. Do Better’s events team hosted a tabling event in the residence halls for students to write how they plan to do better for their communities. The legacy and fundraising team also coordinated with the staff at EAGLEThon to find a way to honor Steve at the event.
From the perspective of someone hoping to break into the Public Relations field, both of last week’s initiatives were great reminders of how meaningful relationships are in this industry. Had my team not been willing to cooperate and listen to the needs of the EAGLEThon staff, we would not have been able to develop a lasting professional connection that we can tap into later on in the campaign. Interacting with people respectfully and courteously is essential to running a successful communications campaign.
Entry by Grace Strong
Lessons from EagleTHON 2020
Carrying out Steve’s legacy this semester has been an honor. During his time at American University, Steve chaired the very first EagleTHON event–a 24 hour charity dance competition which raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network. The Legacy and Fundraising Team was proud to register, donate and attend the 2020 EagleTHON event this past weekend.
From the very moment I walked into the event, one of my first impressions of the event was how well-run it was. Here are some lessons and tips I learned from the EagleTHON leadership team about running a successful charity fundraiser.
- Set-Up: Make your event visually appealing, with lots of tables to keep people engaged. This way, people who have not registered beforehand will be likely to get drawn into the event and register on-site.
- Registration: Have a registration team that can help people get settled in. EagleTHON did this nicely by greeting everyone with a smile and asking if they could help get attendees set up and signed in.
- Be Creative with Fundraising: Brainstorm different ways to raise funds while at the event to engage the most amount of people and reach different audiences. EagleTHON did this wonderfully by having a diverse range of various fundraising activities ranging from raffle tickets to having to donate to get your friend out of ‘Isolation Cabin.’
- Thank You’s: Make sure you to say ‘thanks’ to everyone who donated and came out to the event. It really makes attendees feel like they are a part of something. One of the ways that EagleTHON did this was by having hand-made posters thanking all of the organizations and teams that donated.
- Keep Everyone Updated: Be sure to keep everyone who donates updated on the amount of money your organization is raising, as you never know if a team will want to donate more to help you reach your goal. EagleTHON used this tactic masterfully by sending email updates with the amounts they were raising — they managed to beat their goal of raising $40,000 with the total being $44,125.08.
So, if you want to pull off a successful event like EagleTHON, be sure to follow their lead and use their tactics to create a day that is meaningful for everyone and reach your fundraising goals. Being a part of EagleTHON was really special for our team, as it truly felt like we “did better” because of the impact this project has had on us.
Do Better 