Maria Santibanez JE ’25, the treasurer for Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Yale, was looking for money. The traditional Mexican dance group had already applied to their usual grants, but the group had increased in size significantly—and the maximum funding from grants had not.
Then Santibanez heard about Yale Student Organizations Annual Raise (SOAR)—a student-led giving week hosted by Yale's Office of Development. She applied for her organization to participate.
SOAR enabled Ballet Folklórico and other registered undergraduate student organizations to create custom fundraising campaigns and raise donations from alumni, friends, family, and other supporters with guidance from Yale’s fundraising staff.
“We were able to raise enough money to get dance shoes for our new members and buy traditional outfits from different regions of Mexico so we could perform new dances from different parts of the country,” Santibanez says. “Our campaign really made a difference for the club, which is such a special place for those of us trying to connect with Mexican culture on campus.”
Ballet Folklórico was one of seventy-five participating groups in last year’s SOAR and will be one of eighty four in this year’s campaign, which runs from December 3 to 10.
A Personal Approach
Launched as a pilot in fall 2023, last year’s SOAR brought in more than $100,000 in donations. Nearly half of SOAR 2023 donors were first-time donors to the university, and 80 percent of gifts were under $100.
“One of the most exciting outcomes of SOAR was how it brought in so many first-time donors,” says Abby Douglas, assistant director of student engagement for the Yale College Office of Development. “I think the peer-to-peer approach made it feel personal and direct, connecting donors to student efforts. They loved hearing from undergraduates firsthand and getting a glimpse of campus life.”
Now, SOAR is officially a permanent offering of Yale’s Office of Development in partnership with the Yale College Dean’s Office, and each participating organization has been assigned to a SOAR advisor, a staff member from Alumni Affairs & Development who lends their fundraising expertise to the group and helps them create unique fundraising goals, messaging, contact lists, and outreach strategies.
“It’s mutually beneficial,” Douglas says. “Our students are learning about development from best-in-class fundraisers, and our staff members are building relationships with the students they spend every day advocating for.”
Building Connections
Last year’s SOAR was the first time that Yale’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) had tried to fundraise as an organization. The group’s president, Deja Dunlap MY ’26, said they’d thought about trying to raise money before but just weren’t sure where to begin.
In partnership with fundraisers from Yale’s Office of Development, the organization connected with NSBE alumni, who became donors as well as mentors for current members.
“We learned about alumni who were part of the club more than forty years ago,” Dunlap says. “I didn’t even know NSBE existed at Yale back then. It was an amazing opportunity to reconnect with past members and learn more about the history of organization—and what things used to be like for Black engineers at Yale.”
The money NSBE raised through SOAR went toward a trip to the national convention.
“We were able to send seventeen of our members to the convention last year,” Dunlap says. “On top of amazing networking with thousands of Black engineers from around the country, a few of us came away with interviews and job offers from the job fair. This year, we’re hoping to send even more people.”
Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis applauds the drive, commitment, and creativity that all student leaders are bringing to their SOAR campaigns.
“Over the past few months, these remarkable students have defined their goals, explored fundraising strategies, and strengthened bonds within their networks,” Lewis says. “And the resulting generosity is inspiring—donors supporting students they know and love, alumni backing familiar groups from their time on campus, and the community endorsing student efforts with enthusiasm.”