UCLA Alumni Spark Campaign

About

Thirty years ago all you needed was an acceptance letter and $3,000 to embark on a journey that would change your life. Today, the 8,000 brilliant incoming freshmen will need ten times that amount.

That’s why we launched one of the largest crowdfunding campaigns of its kind. The goal of the UCLA Alumni Spark Campaign was to raise 1,500 gifts totaling $250,000 for student scholarships in March.

Since 1936, the UCLA Alumni Scholarships Program has provided financial support to students who embody excellence, optimism and pride. Applications are coming in and alumni volunteers are signing up, all in preparation for the Alumni Scholarships National Finals in April.

 

How It Worked

Spark is UCLA’s online crowdfunding platform aimed at providing critical fundraising support for innovative projects by UCLA faculty and official student organizations.

Crowdfunding is the process of asking many donors to give whatever they can to raise a specified amount (typically referred to as a goal) during a specific time period (typically referred to as a campaign) via digital platforms (e.g. email, social media, websites) to ultimately fund a project or initiative.

Different than most crowdfunding efforts, the UCLA Alumni Spark Campaign was a pilot program that provided a space for UCLA Alumni networks and organizations to raise funds for their scholarships by leveraging the power of crowdfunding.

The networks that participated in this effort included:

Affinity
Gold Shield Alumnae
Internship Alumni
Prytanean Alumnae
Diversity
Lambda
UCLA Latino Alumni Association
Pilipino Alumni Association
Regional
Conejo Valley Alumni
Inland Empire Alumni
Las Vegas Alumni
New York Alumni
Oregon Alumni
Rose Bowl Alumni
San Diego Alumni
Washington DC Alumni
Westside LA Alumni
Students
Alumni Scholars Club 
Student Alumni Association

Thank You

Thanks to the work of the 54 volunteers nationwide leading the 17 teams that participated in this effort, the UCLA Alumni Spark Campaign received:

838 gifts totaling $447,699 for the Alumni Scholarship Program!

In true crowdfunding spirit, each person who donated exemplified #BruinsGive, and every donation to the campaign helped.

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Corey Sanders
$250,000 gift to the UCLA Alumni Las Vegas Network scholarship fund
Corey Sanders graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics in 1989. Since June 2010, Sanders has served as Chief Operating Officer of MGM Resorts International. In this role he oversees the company’s wholly owned properties (which include which include Bellagio, MGM Grand Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay and many more) and oversees multiple corporate departments. Professionally he is known for instilling a culture of cooperation and improving operational efficiency. Corey is a proud Bruin and has been a Life Member of the UCLA Alumni Association since 1990. “It is an honor to give the gift of higher education to students from Nevada while playing a vital role in advancing UCLA’s mission of research, education and public service,” Sanders said.

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Victoria Dolan
$25,000 gift to the UCLA Alumni Network Washington DC scholarship fund
Victoria Dolan ’81, M.B.A. ’85 is a double Bruin and Life Member of the UCLA Alumni Association. Currently the Vice President and Corporate Controller for Colgate-Palmolive Company, Dolan is responsible for leading all aspects of the controller's function in addition to enterprise-wide strategic planning and business transformation. Victoria also serves on the UCLA Centennial Campaign Committee for the New York region.

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Sean P. Fox
$12,500 gift to the UCLA Alumni Network Washington DC scholarship fund
Sean Fox ’93, a senior managing consultant with IBM's Watson practice, grew up in South Pasadena and attended UCLA Football games when they moved to the Rose Bowl in the early 1980s. According to Sean, he started his college experience at USC but left before classes began because he knew it was the wrong fit for him. He later transferred to UCLA and never looked back. Fox became a UCLA Alumni Association Life Member before he graduated and always felt a sense of pride in giving back. When asked why he donated to the UCLA Alumni Spark Campaign he said, “I am fortunate to be a Bruin, and I hope that we can support current and future students in their endeavors to have that experience. Go Bruins!”

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