For 72 Hours, Foundation to Match New Alumni Gifts Tenfold – Count ’em – Tenfold

Act now! With a diverting message designed to elicit giggles while it solicits donations (and with all the subtlety of the late-night infomercials it so pointedly parodies), the Penn College Scholarship Campaign is offering first-time alumni benefactors a sweet opportunity to help current students. The Penn College Foundation is hoping to attract 72 gifts in 72 hours, from midnight Monday through midnight Thursday. (An online ticker will count down as each new donor pitches in.) If a contribution of $25 or more is received from an alumnus or alumna who hasn't donated in the past, the foundation will contribute $250 in that person's name. With the combined donation, a one-time scholarship will be awarded to a first-year student in the major from which the alum graduated. To help sell the campaign, admissions representative Sarah R. Shott and Matthew A. Wagner, a building science and sustainable design: architectural technology concentration major from Selinsgrove, co-star in an attention-getting video modeled after those witching-hour hucksters who peddle products to bleary-eyed insomniacs. "As part of the college’s Centennial, increasing alumni participation in the Penn College Fund is a priority," said Valerie L. Fessler, annual giving specialist. "We thought this playful video would be a fun and engaging way to generate support from our social media audiences. I can’t wait to see our alumni step up to the challenge!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QePhXpRicAM