Have you ever hesitated to financially support the University because you feel a gift of $20, $50, or even $100 doesn’t have enough impact? In an effort to change that misperception, the Office of Annual Giving and UM alumni Sandy, B.B.A. ’81, M.B.A. ’85, and Cindy Goldstein, B.S.N. ’79 and their son, Sean Goldstein, B.B.A. ’12, have created the GOLDstein Family Challenge.

The Goldsteins are challenging all GOLD (graduates of the last decade) alumni employed at the University of Miami to make a contribution of any amount, anywhere within the University. If 2,013 GOLD alumni make a gift before May 31, the Goldstein family will make a $25,000 contribution to need-based scholarships. Every gift from every donor has always been important. Alumni made over 17,000 annual fund gifts last year, with an average gift of under $350. Collectively these gifts provided nearly $6 million dollars that went immediately to the schools, colleges, and programs these alumni donors care most about. One of these priority programs is scholarships.

Deserving students are frequently unable to attend or complete their educations at the University of Miami because current levels of private, voluntary support do not adequately meet student need. Receiving a scholarship can thus be a life-changer. To galvanize support to help more students obtain and complete their educations at UM, the GOLDstein Family Challenge is utilizing the collective force of GOLD alumni. The initiative relies largely on an army of volunteers to saturate Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other social media to get the word out.

As its first donor, Sean Goldstein will serve as the Challenge’s spokesperson by asking GOLD alumni, “What’s Your Number”? Each donor to the challenge will receive an electronic badge that has their unique donor number to share on social media. Additionally, two mini-challenges have been made to GOLD alumni of the School of Communication and the School of Architecture. If those GOLD alumni increase giving to their schools by 25 percent and 33 percent, respectively, an anonymous alumni donor will make an additional $20,000 contribution to both schools.

Finally, a regional competition pilot-program between GOLD alumni in Washington, D.C. and Boston will begin in April and conclude in May, culminating in a giving rally party in each city, at which time, the winner will be announced.

The GOLDstein Family Challenge provides a fun, interactive way to galvanize young alumni to help to fill an $8,000 gap between the cost of tuition and the total cost of educating a UM student. For more information on the GOLDstein Family Challenge and to be a part of the army of volunteers, visit www.GOLDsteinChallenge.com or contact Gabriel Trieger, assistant director of young alumni and student giving, at 305-284-4331 or [email protected].