Name: Becca Aloi
Major: Chemical Engineering 

Past THON Experience:
THON 2017 Rules & Regulations Committee Member
THON 2018 Donation Box Captain, Volunteer Safety
THON 2019 Fundraising Outreach Coordinator, Fundraising Safety

Name an interesting, weird, or quirky fact about yourself:

I was on my high school’s hip hop dance team, and I have danced classically since I was 4 years old. 

What made you want to apply for the Fundraising Safety Director position for THON 2020?

The reason I wanted to apply to be the Fundraising Safety director of the largest student-run philanthropy in the world cannot be answered in one single reason. The answer lies within the people I have met, the experiences, and the failures I have been a part of throughout my career as a THON volunteer. It also lies in looking at how much change has occurred in the past three years and the enormous potential there is for the future of THON.

As a sophomore, I was given the opportunity to transition Donation Boxes to Volunteer Safety. For THON 2019, the Fundraising Safety Director chose me to overhaul a position which required me to dive deeper into fundraising outside my knowledge of Donation Boxes. They both put their trust in me to accomplish projects that would have an impact. They supported me and will continue to support me until they no longer can and I wanted to have that same impact on other volunteers’ lives.

The first time I experienced THON as a freshman is an experience that solidified my love for this organization and will continue to do so every year I am in the Bryce Jordan Center. One of the reasons I have stayed involved is that THON has given me the ability to serve others and make an impact. This year is an amazing starting point and can lay the groundwork for years to come. Each year THON as a whole has so much potential and I wanted to be able to put it into action as the Fundraising Safety director. 

What are your responsibilities as the Fundraising Safety director?

My main responsibilities consist of the THON Rulebook, DonorDrive, Alternative Fundraising, Canvassing, Donation Boxes, and ultimately working alongside the Rules & Regulations Event Safety committee during THON Weekend to ensure the safety of all dancers, Four Diamonds Families, guests, and spectators.

For the THON Rulebook, I make sure that I can comprehensively understand all the official policies and review their purpose for the year through a critical eye. Throughout the year I make any additions, removals, or revisions of the rules or policies as deemed necessary by the members of the THON Executive Committee. I also make sure that the enforcement of all policies laid out in the Rulebook occurs to ensure the consistency and integrity of all THON-related activities. I also manage the administration and implementation of THON’s online fundraising platform (DonorDrive) as run by the Online Giving Team.

I also communicate with Penn State Development, Four Diamonds, and the DonorDrive staff to develop DonorDrive further. I also work with the Online Giving Captains to develop strategies for improving online fundraising success for the THON Community. I also oversee the approval process of Donation Boxes and Alternative Fundraisers as run by the Fundraising Safety captains approving them directly. I ensure all Alternative Fundraisers, Canvassing trips, and Donation Box placements comply with the regulations set forth in the THON Rulebook. Finally, I help to prepare the Fundraising Outreach liaisons to fully support student organizations in their fundraising methods. 

All these different duties are the building blocks that help student organizations to fundraise for THON. I am grateful every day that I can directly impact and help student organizations to successfully fundraise throughout my work.  

What do you want to implement in your position this year that’s unique and differs from years past?

This year I was able to add a captain position that focuses on featuring interesting and successful student organization’s alternative fundraisers. This captain spends time each week reviewing post alternative fundraising reports to find ones that were successful or interesting. After choosing the alternative fundraisers, they reach out to the chair of that organization and allow them to answer some questions that detail how they accomplished the fundraiser and any advice they have. The details about the alternative fundraiser are added to the THON Chair Update to allow other student organizations to see what everyone has been up to and what has been successful. This hadn’t been done before this year and it is always interesting to see what creative ways student organizations can come up with! 

What makes the Fundraising Safety committee so cool, fun, and/or important?

I think that the Fundraising Safety committee is cool because of our direct impact with student organizations being able to fundraise as well as getting to interact with spectators for THON Weekend. It is so interesting to me how each position on this committee has a hand in giving support regarding fundraising. This year we were able to establish ourselves as resources that continuously helps to push THON’s fundraising model forward. We also get to shape the future leaders of THON through all of the Rules & Regulations committee members that the Fundraising Safety captains lead. 

What are the overall goals you hope to reach with your committee for THON 2020? 

One of my overall goals that I hope to reach with the Fundraising Safety committee for THON 2020 is to give student organizations the support to try the creative fundraising ideas to push their organization forward. One of my other goals is to utilize DonorDrive to its full potential and support organizations so they can successfully use it throughout the year. Another one of my goals is to foster more collaboration across committees that will create a broader network of support for the THON community regarding fundraising. 

Why do you THON?

I THON so that every child has the chance to experience every moment of life that makes it truly special. There are a ton of experiences that I have been blessed to be a part of throughout my life and I want every child to be able to have those chances.

What’s your favorite THON memory?

My favorite THON memory changes every year, but currently it is from THON Weekend 2019, and it is when I saw the Line Dance for the first time from the Upper Bowl of the Bryce Jordan Center. It was really amazing to see everyone dancing in unison for a common cause. It truly symbolized that it doesn’t matter your background or organization, we are all dedicated to this amazing cause and there for one reason!

Per Onward State tradition, if you could be any dinosaur, which one would you be and why? 

I would want to be a Stegosaurus because they are said to be the friendliest dinosaurs.