Philanthropy Week is an annual Greek Life tradition committed to raising funds that impact the local and global communities, supporting one of Greek Life’s Core Values: Service.
Philanthropy Week combines a week of fun campus programming and competitive fundraising to bring the community together each November to support annually selected benefactor or multiple benefactors. Since 2016, Philanthropy Week also continues to fund the Greeks Give Back campaign to assist URI students, faculty or staff with emergency financial support.
Fraternity & Sorority chapters are paired together during the week competing in various campus programming competitions to promote fundraising. Past events include Ram’s Den Bingo, Powderpuff Football, So You Think You Can Dance, and Alumni Bingo Night hosted by the Interfraternity Alumni Council. Pairings compete at these events to win points toward an overall competition, with event and fundraising recognition held during the final Philanthropy Week event.
While competing in fun programs and fundraising, chapters also collect clothing, food, and toiletry items to donate to local shelters and food pantries including the Johnnycakes Center in Wakefield and Rhody Outpost.
Philanthropic Impact Over the Years
Here are the total amounts fundraised each year and the primary benefactors supported during Philanthropy Week.
Fall 2024: $150,000 was raised to support the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention through Mallory’s Army, P.S. I Love You, The Chris Collins Foundation, and the Jordan Porco Foundation. The winning pairing was Theta Chi and Sigma Delta Tau. This fundraising intiative contributed directly back into mental health work in New England and the Tri-State area.
Fall 2023: $130,000 was raised to support the Say the Bay RI, Day One RI, the South County Domestic Violence Resource Center, and 4 Animal Shelters across Rhode Island. The winning pairing was Sigma Chi and Sigma Delta Tau. This fundraising intiative contributed directly back into the local Rhode Island community.
Fall 2022: $137,000 was raised to support the Jonnycake Center For Hope, Toys for Tots, and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). The winning pairing was Sigma Kappa and Theta Chi. The money went back into the local RI community and has kept relationships with each group benefactor.
Fall 2021: $106,000 was raised for PeaceLove, Dare to Dream: Military Retreat, and The Matt Alsfeld Memorial Fund. A congratulations to the weeks winning pairing, Kappa Delta and Phi Kappa Psi.
Fall 2020: This Phil Week looked a little different than the others. Every pairing was able to pick their own philanthropy to give back to. $38,371 was the total amount raised by the community. Charities that received portions of this total included, the Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Miracle Network, The Tomorrow Fund, the American Humane Society, PCAA, USO, Military Kids, Massai Joy Children’s Center, Crossroads Family Shelter, and the Red Cross.
Fall 2019: $88,000 was raised to support the local and global community through the mission of Turning Rhody Blue into Rhody Green. This year’s program focused on how to impact locally & globally while promoting sustainability and environmental awareness. Proceeds will help to beautify and maintain the global ocean spaces through research with the URI Plastics & Microplastics Research Initiative to continually greening the space of Fraternity Circle through the Tsagarakis Collegiate Capitol Fund.
Fall 2018: $74,224 raised for Circle of Sisterhood Foundation and Sojourner House RI. Through the Circle of Sisterhood Foundation, URI’s fundraising efforts completely funded the build of a school in Mali Africa!
Fall 2017: $71,000 was raised for South County Habitat for Humanity. In the past 7 years, Greek Life raised over $670,000 for South County Habitat for Humanity. Chapters were also paired together collected clothing, food, and toiletry items to donate to local shelters and food pantries.
2016: The Greek community engaged the campus as a whole and local charities by raising money, collecting food and toiletry items for South Providence Neighborhood Matters, and contributing hundreds of service hours through projects in the south county area. Fraternities and sororities were paired together for the week and participated in a variety of events including Greek Sing, Jeopardy, Jailbreak, and Minute-To-Win-It. Students raised over $17,000 for the Greeks Give Back campaign to assist URI students with emergency financial support. Read an article here on the URI website about the efforts of the Greek students during Philanthropy week including pairing site visit locations.
2015: In honor of Vice President Thomas Dougan’s retirement, the Greek Community proudly dedicated this year’s Philanthropy Week to the ‘Harry Amaral Scholarship fund’. Together the Fraternities and Sororities of the URI community raised a total amount of over $20,250!!! The Greeks additionally donated to the ‘Edesia Global Nutrition Solutions’ and ASSA Messer Elementary School in Central Fall RI to assist in funding books for students.
2014: Fraternities and Sororities raised money for Violet Graney & the Graney family, Liberty Street in Kingston, Rhody Outpost Food Pantry at URI, and the Jonnycake Center of Peacedale, RI. The total amount of money raised is over $70,000!!! Greeks also donated food and toiletry items to the Rhody Outpost and participated in a Day of Service at several local sites in the South County area.