By: Diane Stirling
(315) 443-8975
To prompt the involvement of other alumni and to provide a leadership challenge gift to create momentum for a new, 60-day, crowdsourced fundraising initiative, alumnus Sam Clarvit, ’10, has provided a $5,000 challenge gift for the current School of Information Studies’ Fuel the Future campaign.
Clarvit’s $5,000 gift provides an added level of funding–and a sense of good-natured competition and excitement–to help boost the impact of giving to the campaign. The unique effort, a now-common way to raise funds in the world of entrepreneurship and startups, is something that is a first-time effort in fundraising activities at the iSchool, as well as a first for any college at Syracuse University.
Five signature programs will compete for Clarvit’s bonus level of funding based on the total number of contributions made during the 60-day period. Each contribution made to the programs—from students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends of the iSchool– counts as a vote for the bonus funding.
Based on the total number of gifts each of the five programs receives when the campaign ends (November 30), programs can earn cash beyond the amounts pledged. The program that secures the greatest number of gifts will be awarded $3,000 in challenge funding. The second place program will earn $1,500 and the third place program will earn $500 from Clarvit’s contribution, in addition to the monies contributed by donors.
“Sam has always been student focused and innovation oriented, so he is a perfect leader for this type of effort,” said Scott Barrett, assistant dean for advancement at the iSchool. “We greatly appreciate how his leadership and support have made this a unique and exciting effort to anchor programs that not only benefit our students but also provide an exciting new level of engagement for students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends,” Barrett said.
Clarvit, who works as an Infrastructure Service Support Analyst in the Corporate & Investment Bank at JPMorgan Chase in New York, worked energetically while at SU on student fundraising, and since his graduation, has focused on alumni campaign efforts. He is a board member of and is currently the chair of the Generation Orange Committee of the SU Alumni Association. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the iSchool in information management and technology, minoring in global enterprise technology.
Clarvit said his interest and support stems from firsthand experience seeing “the life-changing opportunities that charitable gifts provide.” He noted, “Many of my friends would not have been able to attend the iSchool without the generous support of alumni, parents, and friends. The truth is that all of us who are connected to the iSchool have benefitted from the generosity of those who have supported the iSchool over the years, whether that has occurred through scholarship support or the many extra opportunities provided to students. I believe that no school provides students with more opportunities than the iSchool does, and so I encourage all alumni, parents and friends to support this newest effort.”
“It’s wonderful to have Sam leading this effort, given his love for the iSchool and his concern for the well-being of students and their excellent academic experiences,” said iSchool Dean Elizabeth D. Liddy. “Sam is a superb role model for student and alumni engagement, and he provides the kind of momentum that keeps our school moving forward. We also acknowledge the contributions of current and recent graduate students, whose skill and knowledge have been central to this innovative effort. Both examples illustrate what belonging to the iSchool family is all about,” Dean Liddy added.