Over the course of her senior year, Hailey Temple chose to donate $20.15 and divide it evenly between The IT Girls, a camp she had worked at, and the Remembrance Scholars fund that had helped her pay her tuition to Syracuse University.

That was all Temple, a dual public relations and information management and technology major, needed to meet the $20.15 individual donation goal that the Class Act campaign asks each member of the 2015 graduating class to contribute to their soon-to-be alma mater.

Students can give their gifts online on SU’s website, specifying any program or department they would like to receive their donation. As of April 30, the student participation rate was estimated at 13.5 percent, the highest it has ever been, Temple said.

“You talk to people about giving money and their eyes kind of glaze over,” said Temple, also a member of the 2015 Senior Giving Campaign committee that promotes Class Act. “They say things like ‘I have all these loans,’ or ‘I’m too broke.’”

The roughly $20 gifts are manageable for college students, and can really add up, Temple said. Last year the giving campaign raised $1.1 million, she added.

“People say, ‘It’s only 20 dollars, how far is it going to go?’” Temple said. “If a bunch of people meet their goal, that makes a huge impact.”

Kyle Fenton, another committee member and a senior information management and technology major, said the central purpose of Class Act is to raise awareness about what students can do for the programs they care about at SU.

“We’re more of an awareness committee,” Fenton said. “We’re asking students, ‘What made your experience at SU worth it?’”

Fenton gave half of his own donation to his a capella group, Otto Tunes.

The 10-person 2015 Senior Giving Campaign Committee has also been working on Class Act with the Philanthropy Council to encourage all students to donate whether they are graduating or not.

Aside from spreading awareness by word-of-mouth and encouraging friends to donate, Class Act campaigners have set up tables in Schine Student Center, Ernie Davis Dining Hall and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications during times like Philanthropy Week.

“It’s just to get people involved with that aspect of giving back,” said Ivan Rosales-Robles, Philanthropy Council chairman and a senior accounting, finance and policy studies major. “You can give back to where your heart lies.”

The Philanthropy Council was founded in 2010 by then-senior Helene Kahn, said Rosales-Robles, who joined near the end of his freshman year. The big-picture goal of Class Act and the Philanthropy Council is to change the culture of giving back among SU students, Rosales-Robles added.

The yearly Class Act campaign began in 2010 as well, and the percentage of student participation has increased every year since, said Kristen Duggleby, assistant director of annual giving programs.

“This year the Class of 2015 has been unbelievable,” Duggleby said. “Students from every school have made gifts.”

The period for students to give their gifts will last until the end of the fiscal year on June 30, Duggleby said.

“We really hope that all students will give gifts as seniors,” Duggleby said. “This is a chance to leave your legacy.”

Published on May 7, 2015 at 8:00 am

Contact Thomas: tjbeckle@syr.edu