For the 32 days of March Mania (including a final April Fools push), Hamilton engaged NESCAC rivals Bates, Trinity and Colby in an high spirited competition to see which school could garner the most GOLD donors and thus lay claim to having the most loyal young alumni. Yet, as the challenge came to a fever pitch in the final week, it was clear that regardless of the final outcome each school had won. No school had fewer than 600 young alumni donors, and the impact of these generous contributions will go immediately to work for each college’s students; thank you.
It should be noted that Hamilton GOLD trailed all three schools in donor totals until March 31 when, at the last moment, Hamilton emerged from the basement, climbing into a strong second place finish over Bates and Colby. To achieve this result, a monumental effort was made by the incredibly dedicated GOLD Annual Fund volunteers. To them the College as a whole says 'thank you'. Hamilton simply would not be able to accomplish its mission without such amazing alumni support.
The final results are now posted on www.marchmania.org and I’m certain that every donor will be proud of their contribution. We will celebrate the outcome and toast our rivals at three March Mania Parties planned in Boston (April 15), Washington, DC (April 15) and New York City (April 22) in the coming weeks.
The purpose of March Mania was to encourage GOLD alumni to give back to Hamilton. And give you did. One should never doubt that giving $10, $50 or $100 matters even though the financial needs of Hamilton are so great. Collectively, the gifts of GOLD alumni allow Hamilton to thrive and to educate the brightest students for leadership roles in our competitive world. The value created by GOLD group contributions is made crystal clear in the GOLD Scholars Program.
Hamilton is now able to name 2 more GOLD Scholars as a consequence of GOLD generosity. These scholars will be selected on two criteria, financial need and a demonstrated ability to perform to the highest Hamilton standards in and out of the classroom. These students, and for that matter all students on College Hill, are the true winners of the March Mania competition.
To everyone involved with March Mania, the donors, the volunteers, the student callers, the C&D team and the Alumni Office – thank you. This was an exceptional month for philanthropy at Hamilton and an exceptional month for GOLD.
