The ninth annual Phonathon has come to an end. Seward County Community College students and faculty gathered to call alumni and previous donors to meet their $30,000 goal. The Phonathon began Thursday, April 3 and ended Friday, April 13. The money raised will go to scholarships and organizations that SCCC students are involved in.

The 2018 Phonathon was a huge success; students and faculty ended up raising $30,595 in pledges, which was $9,000 more than the total pledges raised last year. Chandler Kirkhart, SCCC’s Annual Giving Officer, organized the Phonathon. Kirkhart believes that it’s important to involve students in calling alumni and previous donors.

“Most of the contacts our students made were with alumni whom were in the same programs & clubs that our students are currently in. Having a connection with a current student is detrimental to growing our alumni base..”Kirkhart said.

When students participated in the Phonathon, they were motivated by prizes and healthy competition. Students competed for individual prizes that will be awarded to those who raised the most in pledges. Some of the prizes include a nintendo switch, bluetooth speaker, wireless headphones, mini projector, and amazon gift cards.

The SCCC’s baseball team managed to get the most pledges in the group category, raising $7,000 in pledges.

Getting students involved in making calls not only pushed them competitively, but it also provided alumni with a chance to connect with current SCCC students.

“People join people, not organizations. What makes us a college isn’t the brick-and-mortar around us; it is the students, teachers, staff, and faculty all working together for one purpose: Higher Learning. To keep our alumni actively engaged with us, we must keep them in contact with our current students. The SCCC Phonathon is one way we succeed in this mission,” Kirkhart said.