THON (Penn State's IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon) is so close, and we are getting pumped! Everyone has worked so hard for the entire year to make this possible, and it's all FTK (For The Kids). So many groups exist out there that all work relentlessly to ensure that THON weekend runs smoothly, and that the Four Diamonds Families are all accommodated and happy.
With this being my first year experiencing THON, I cannot help but notice a few important things. One thing that I cannot help but notice is the amount of competition between organizations to raise money. Sure, a little bit of healthy competition can be motivating to push each other to raise money. However, I have seen competition that is way past the point of healthy for THON. I have overheard people talking poorly about other competing organizations, saying that they are going to beat their total. It would be one thing if they said that they wanted to work together to raise money FTK, but I believe that these people are losing sight of what THON is all about. Some organizations even call each other out on rules and regulations violations in order to bring down their total amount of money raised. Why should groups be trying to bring each other down, when they could be encouraging each other? There should be a way for groups to get along and motivate each other to raise more, instead of breaking each other down in order to get the biggest total.
Between committees, special interest organizations and Greek life, everyone seems to be in fundraising gridlock. As a result, donors are often confused about who to donate to. Countless people post their links encouraging others to donate to their own group, and donors have to decide whose they click on.
How should we fix this problem? Well, one way would be having one single donation pile. However, some may see this as demotivating. To motivate people to keep raising money, instead of revealing the total at the end of THON weekend, there should be a live total of the amount of money raised so far online. This would be a more exciting way to get people involved, regardless of which organization they may belong to.
In the end, all the money is for the kids and for the cure. So, who cares who raises the most money? Why would you want to compete for bragging rights that your group raised the most? Bragging should not be the most important thing when so many children out there are suffering and waiting for treatment.
This is not about your group's reputation, this is about the cure. Forget about competition and remember that it is for the kids.
