1844 Society raises more than $2,000 with first fundraiser

Home Campus 1844 Society raises more than $2,000 with first fundraiser
1844 Society raises more than $2,000 with first fundraiser
The society’s logo. Facebook.

After fundraising last week for 1,844 minutes — about 30 hours — the 1844 Society raised $2,200 from 140 participants.

The society’s first fundraising campaign, which started Feb. 16 at noon and ended Friday at 6 p.m., collected money to go toward Ransom Dunn Scholarships for seniors with financial need and attracted the interest of hundreds of students, said Colleen McGinness, director of alumni engagement and the 1844 Society. The society is waiting until the end of the semester to determine how many scholarships it can provide to seniors next year, she said.

“When much has been given, we have a responsibility to give of ourselves — in whatever capacity we can — in gratitude, to pay it forward,” McGinness said in an email. “We saw that last Thursday and Friday, and it was awesome.”

A donation from Hillsdale alumni inspired the event, McGinness said.

“The Hough Foundation, named for alumna Bonnie and her husband David, pledged $100,000 for the entire year to match and challenge alumni and student giving from the previous year,” she said. “Their pledge and challenge matched student gifts dollar for dollar above what the students gave last year, if any.”

The 1,844 Minutes campaign was not a challenge for students to match the Hough Foundation’s donation but rather a way for students to donate money beyond what had already been given, McGinness said.