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The fabled football rivalry between Lafayette and Lehigh has extended beyond the gridiron.
For the first time this year, the two schools are facing off in a fundraising challenge to see who can rally the most donors for their alma mater. Bragging rights go to the school with the greatest participation of any gift amount leading up to and during Saturday’s game.
“We’re trying to feed off the atmosphere of the competition between the two schools,” says Brook Wolcott, assistant director of the annual fund. “This is a chance to beat Lehigh twice — first on the field and then in the Giving Challenge.”
The goal is donors, not dollars, says Wolcott, and there’s a lot riding on the outcome. The winner will be announced during the fourth quarter of the game and presented a trophy by a representative of the losing school.
“It would be very embarrassing if we had to present Lehigh with a trophy on our home field,” Wolcott says.
During the game, any Lafayette fan can make a donation by texting PARD to 20222 up until the third quarter. Each text is a $10 donation to the Maroon Club, Lafayette’s athletic fundraising team. The $10 is added to the donor’s cell phone bill. For each text message, Lafayette scores a point and participants can text as often as they want.
No one is taking the challenge more seriously than seniors, who are directing their gift toward internship stipends for underclassman, says Wolcott. “A lot of internships are not paid,” he says. “It’s difficult to do an internship in New York City when you’re not receiving an income.”
Last year, seniors raised a total of $25,000 for internship stipends.
Asked if he had any inspiring words for the players, Wolcott repeats the battle cry of hardened Leopard fans across the globe, “Beat Lehigh.”