The Interfraternity Council is amping up its Movember effort this year, adding a competition between the Big 12 IFC’s and a new $35,000 goal.
For the past five years, Movember has served as one of the organization’s biggest philanthropy efforts. During the international Movember effort, participants are asked to raise funds to fight men’s health issues by growing mustaches throughout the month of November and collecting donations based on their effort. Movember also includes competition between IFC fraternities and individual members, along with a shirt sale fundraising initiative, a bowling tournament and an on-campus talk with a male cancer survivor.
Matt Lillard, Vice President of Philanthropy for the IFC, said he believes that the competition between fraternities inspires focus on men’s issues. Movember “is the optimal charity event for [the IFC] to be doing,” Lillard said.
Zeta Psi has raised the most money of the IFC fraternities for the past two years, taking in $3,460 in 2013. Last year’s individual winners were Michael Wiggins-Goff of Zeta Psi, who raised $2,820, and Dallas Logan Zamora of Phi Kappa Tau, who raised $2,783. More than $21,000 was raised last year by the more than 560 fraternity members that participated.
Movember kicked off this year with free shaves from a shave truck on Speedway Plaza, on Oct. 30 and 31. According to the official Movember rules, all participants must start the month off with a clean shave.
At the end of the month, each fraternity will nominate their member with the best mustache to compete in the IFC-wide mustache contest. Dec. 2 will be the last day for money collections for the competition. Winners will then be announced and they will receive free iPads.
“Participating in Movember is ridiculously easy and only takes about five clicks,” Lillard said.
Participants can register at us.movember.com, after filling out some simple information. Participants are then able to join their fraternity team. In order to increase donations, Lillard said participants should “send out emails to two to three people in their immediate family and friends,” asking for donations and then for those people to ask a few others in their networks to donate.
