Unbeknownst to many students, the Alumni House plays a crucial role in the success of the school. In an unassuming abode located across the street from the main campus, the staff of the Alumni House work diligently to both maintain connections with Belmont Hill alumni and to foster relationships with current seniors. Their work is essential to the daily functioning of the school because the cost of tuition alone does not cover all the expenses for items that we take for granted. The salaries of our renowned faculty and staff, the athletic programs, the arts opportunities, and the academic excellence all are paid for—in part–by donations to the school from our generous alumni. Belmont Hill leads the ISL with alumni participation in giving back to the school, an accolade in which the broader school community takes much pride. Furthermore, the Alumni House strives to achieve 100% participation from current seniors to the annual fund for the purpose of building a strong foundation for the future. In order to increase ease and accessibility in donating, particularly for the younger alumni base–the Alumni House recently launched the use of the app Venmo for donations.
Created in 2009, Venmo allows its users to instantly transfer money securely through the app by connecting to their credit and/or debit cards. More recently, Venmo has taken off for high school and college users because it makes payment simple and secure at the push of a button. Alumni House representative, Shannon Hutteman, describes the new Venmo usage: “Our young and recent alumni classes typically boast the highest class participation rates of our alumni body. We are always looking for ways to maintain and build upon this level of engagement with the School. The ease of use and accessibility of Venmo made the app a good fit for our office as a giving option, especially considering the app’s popularity with younger generations. Instead of having to call our office, mail a check or fill out an online form, Venmo users simply direct their gift amount to the School with a few clicks.” And indeed, Venmo is already being utilized by alumni. So far (July 1, 2017 – Feb. 27, 2018) in this fiscal year, the Alumni House has received 124 Venmo gifts.
In this technological age, the Alumni House is keeping up with the times through the use of Venmo. If you are interested in giving back to the school through Venmo, you can search for @BelmontHillSchool (the Chapel is in the profile picture) in the app.
