Despite the efforts of the Phillips Academy chapter of STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur), it could not match its success of Fall Term. At the close of the fundraiser this week, STAND raised a total of $460 from the raffle ticket sales, making it “the worst we’ve had so far,” according to Daniel Glassberg, founder and president of STAND. STAND raised $1,647 during its Change for Darfur fundraising competition in Fall Term. STAND held the most recent fundraiser in the form of a raffle, selling tickets for a dollar apiece. According to Blaire Pingeton ’09, the STAND Liason Vice President, 90 percent of the money raised by the ticket sales will go to the Genocide Intervention Network, a non-profit institute based in Washington, D.C., and the other 10 percent will go to the winner of the raffle. “It’s not really ideal to have to give away any of the money to anything except Darfur, but I think students here and people in general want incentive when donating money,” said Glassberg. Pingeton added that giving a prize directly dependent on the amount of money raised was more practical than the types of gifts usually given at raffles, which have set prices. She added, “We wanted to do this to ensure [that the raffle would raise money.]” Along with the monetary prize, local businesses contacted by Glassberg gave gift cards as other raffle rewards. Member Robert Buka ’09 said that STAND had received $50 in credit at local French bistro Cassis, five $20 gift certificates at downtown restaurant Glory and $25 for use at the Andover Inn to give away as raffle prizes. According to Glassberg, however, several local businesses showed no interest in donating gift cards or cash to aid the cause in Darfur. “We pushed the two [options] equally,” said Glassberg, but only three businesses chose to donate gift certificates as prizes. Different STAND members came up with various theories as to why this fundraiser was less successful than others, most of them involving the logistics and location of Uncommons. “It’s easier to avoid the booth here than in Commons,” Glassberg said. Pingeton said, “It’s a new setting; I think it’s further away and people are less likely to bring their wallets.” “We were more aggressive last time,” she added, saying that this helped STAND raise money despite the fact that “people got a little sick of STAND by the end of the last [fundraiser].”
