In the late fall of 2016, we were stumped. 

A few of us at the UVM Foundation and a group of Student Alumni Association (SAA) students needed to come up with a new way to get students excited about fundraising. 

An overwhelming majority of students participated in more than 200 different clubs and most clubs needed money over-and-above what they were given by the SGA budget.

That’s when LUVMyClub was born.

Nearly a decade later, we are about to launch the 10th edition of this annual fundraiser. 

Reflections 10 Years Later

I reconnected with two people who were at the table when this annual tradition began – and asked them to reflect on what it means to them now. 

Renee Cruise ’17 was the President of the Student Alumni Association (SAA) and Claire Julianelle ’18 was the Philanthropy Chair during the 2016-17 academic year. Together with their fellow members of SAA and a couple of my colleagues, we created LUVMyClub together. 

What I remember most from those early conversations was how energized the students were – and hearing from Renee and Claire 10 years later brought all of that right back.

When I asked Claire what she was thinking in that first year, she said she kept coming back to one question: “How can I engage current students in philanthropy that will then carry into their alumni years?” 

At the time, philanthropy felt “nebulous” to students – something tied to scholarships or big institutional projects, not something they could take ownership of themselves. She wanted students to “go to bat for their passions and see immediate results,” and LUVMyClub became the vehicle for that.

Renee echoed that feeling. 

As SAA President and a senior watching her class get ready to graduate, she was wrestling with how to make giving back feel accessible – especially when UVM was in the middle of the ambitious $500M comprehensive campaigned called Move Mountains. “It didn’t necessarily feel accessible or personal to graduating seniors,” she told me. 

But asking alumni to support the clubs that shaped their own experience? That felt real. That felt possible.

Both remembered, too, how much clubs needed that extra boost. Most received SGA allocations, but leadership teams were constantly stretching dollars, covering shortfalls, and hustling on their own to make things happen. “There were gaps between what clubs hoped to accomplish and what they were able to fund,” Renee said. 

LUVMyClub solved a real problem: it gave students a centralized, university-supported platform to raise the mission-driven dollars that fueled their work.

They also talked about the feeling this campaign gives students. 

Claire shared one moment that still stands out to her: After the annual campaign had been going for a few years, a student came up to her to say that LUVMyClub had become their club’s most impactful fundraiser every single year. “That is the whole reason we started this campaign and I’m so proud that vision has been realized,” she said. 

[I'll add that my original name for the campaign was Connect4UVM. Claire - thankfully - came up with the much better name of LUVMyClub and the rest is history.]

Renee’s pride comes from watching what she called the “ripple effect.” Students learn to advocate for their organizations. Alumni see directly how even a modest gift moves a club forward. 

And over time, that ownership creates momentum — a culture of philanthropy that feels approachable and personal. “It was an entry point,” she said, “and it has grown into a tradition that strengthens the entire university community.”

Ten years later, both of them still follow the campaign each spring. Claire tracks the club standings. Renee watches participation climb. And each year, they see something they helped build continue to grow — not because of grand strategy, but because the idea met a need shared by thousands of students over a decade.

Their reflections reminded me that LUVMyClub wasn’t just a fundraiser. It was an invitation. 

A chance for students to champion what mattered to them — and for alumni, even brand-new ones, to lift up the experiences that shaped their time at UVM.

And that simple idea has held strong for nearly ten years.

Turns Out, Students Are Really Good At Fundraising

That first LUVMyClub happened during the entire month of March 2017. It was a spectacular success.

More than 650 donors gave $17,000 to 60 different clubs. The Alternative Energy Racing Organization (AERO) and the Dressage Team each won prizes in that first year. 

And each year since, the annual fundraiser has gotten bigger and bigger – thanks to more than 17,000 donors since 2017. Even during the COVID years, the annual tradition held strong. More clubs participated each year and students got better and better at raising money. 

Last year, students raised $261,784 for their clubs – a 1,440% increase since that first fundraiser.

Of course, there are also donors on the other side of that fundraising effort – responding with kindness and generosity year after year. Alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and fellow students all contribute what they can to help each club reach their goal.

And for those alumni who graduated in the last 10 years, they have moved from the “askers” to the “givers.” They know what it is like to be vulnerable and to ask alumni they don’t know for support. 

Now they are the alumni who say “yes.” 

This Year’s Campaign

On Monday, February 23, the 10th LUVMyClub officially begins. With a goal to raise more than $250,000 by Monday, March 2, this is our most ambitious campaign to-date. Anyone - alumni, parents, family members, friends, and fans - can donate to their favorite club(s). The more donors a club gets, the better their chances of winning extra prize money!The prizes up for grabs are:

• Top 5 clubs in donor count (for both Club Sports & Academic/Cultural/Recreational groups) can win up to $1,000.

• Top 3 in alumni donor count in each category can win up to $500.

• The club with the most donations from Advocate links (signing-up and sharing from the campaign platform) can win $200.

Last year, we had a whole slate of clubs win prizes and meet their fundraising goals. 

Viridescent(a gender inclusive a capella group),WRUV, and theVermont Cynictook the top three spots in the Academic, Cultural, and Recreational Club category. 

Women’s Ultimate Frisbee(Ruckus),Men’s Ultimate Frisbee(Chill), and theSailing Teamtook the top three spots in the Club Sports category. 

Who will rise to the top this year?

Head togo.uvm.edu/luvmyclubfor more details (you can even donate a little early, if you can’t wait).