While Greyhounds Give week lasted through Friday, one campus organization extends the mission throughout the entire year: Phonathon. The student-run organization helps to bring in tens of thousands of dollars to the university’s Evergreen Fund, but it is not just Loyola’s bank account benefiting from these calls.

Loyola’s Phonathon program gives students the opportunity to make meaningful connections with alumni of the university and provide each of them with a reason to give back. The Evergreen Fund is Loyola’s fund that gives students the opportunity to come to Loyola and experience the unique aspects of the university such as a wide array of clubs, activities to fit each student, and the community feel of the Evergreen Campus.

While this group of students is helping tuition rates decrease, their hard work is paying dividends for their futures.

“Phonathon has helped me better communicate with people as well as get great advice from alumni, which makes me feel more connected with the Loyola community–both past and present,” said Emily Manzo ‘21, who has been with Phonathon for two semesters.

Students who work with Phonathon have said that it almost feels like it is a club instead of a job. The student managers consistently work to instill a fun but competitive environment. Students have found that employers look fondly upon this challenging job as they search for college graduates to hire. Various Phonathon alumni have returned to Loyola to share their appreciation for the skills gained through this on-campus job, which landed them a post-graduate job opportunity.

Manager Devin Maus ‘19, first a caller and then a manager, recently found her Phonathon experience to pay off in the job search process.

“My phone etiquette has shown on phone interviews, as almost all companies’ first round of interviews are conducted via telephone. Whenever I am in an interview, the company recruiter always asks about my ability to fundraise,” said Maus as her time with Phonathon and Loyola begins to come to a close.

Director of annual giving and head of the Phonathon program, Elizabeth Rigsbee, spends countless amounts of time preparing the students to speak with alumni of the university.

“I am extremely fortunate to work with such a talented, driven, and inspirational group of young people,” she said.

Feature Image: Courtesy of the Phonathon Instagram page.