On March 12, alumni, parents and friends of the Benjamin Franklin Society (BFS) gathered for a reception at the New-York Historical Society in New York City. The event was organized to celebrate the generosity of BFS members, leadership donors who give $2,500 or more to unrestricted Annual Giving funds across the University within one fiscal year.
Lee Spelman Doty, W’76, PAR’06, Trustee and Vice Chair of The Power of Penn Campaign, welcomed guests, emphasizing the importance of unrestricted giving, which gives Penn the flexibility to address the areas of greatest need—and is a priority fundraising area in the Campaign. She thanked the audience for their leadership during a record-breaking fiscal year in which more than $82 million was raised through Annual Giving programs and introduced the evening’s featured speaker, Provost and Presidential Professor of Law and Education, Wendell Pritchett.
Provost Pritchett spoke about the many areas in which annual giving has an impact at Penn—including support for areas such as Penn First Plus, Wellness at Penn, and the Penn Online Learning Initiative. He also spoke about The Power of Penn Campaign and the many ways in which alumni and others can engage with the University. He affirmed Penn’s commitment to imbue students with the core values and skills that will make them effective global citizens and leaders, and closed by sharing how students across the University are united by a shared commitment to “grow inclusion, spark innovation and accelerate impact”—which are the central tenets of The Power of Penn Campaign.
More information about the Benjamin Franklin Society can be found here. Photographs from the BFS reception in New York can be found on both the BFS photo album and the @PennBFS Instagram page.
Learn more about BFS giving to some of our Schools & Centers:
The Penn Fund
Penn Medicine
The Fund for Penn Law
Penn Dental Medicine
Perelman School of Medicine
Loren Eiseley Society at the Penn Museum
The Wharton Fund
