Zeffy saved AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation, Inc. They used that time to raise more money for middle school STEM education.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) was founded in 1881 to gather women who had achieved a degree despite the formidable barriers to education at the time. These women wanted to create opportunities both to use their own education and to support women hoping to enter university. The earliest meetings had only 15 members, but today the organization has 1,000 branches and 800 college and university partners across the United States. AAUW has a large presence with a network of 170,000 members and supporters Nationwide.  AAUW mission advances equity for women and girls through research, advocacy and education. 

AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation, Inc. runs programming at Florida Atlantic University and Stetson University to promote young women’s interest in STEM majors and careers in Florida.

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Background

Every year, AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation, Inc. hosts two Tech Trek camps, where dozens of 7th grade girls learn about something they care about in math or science. That means hosting classes in everything from marine biology to civil engineering.

Science and math teachers nominate students to the program, and only five from each participating school are selected. These girls get to experience college for a week, living in dorms, eating at student meal halls, and spending their days in university classrooms and labs. They get to pick their courses and workshops, just like undergrad students, and spend class time engaging deeply with their topic. Some build wearable tech while others practice mapping the ocean floor or learn how to create weather predictions. They’re also immersed in college life, getting an idea of what life could be like pursuing their interests with other girls who are equally interested in learning.

The Tech Trek camps give middle school girls a vision for what their lives could look like in college, but the organizers’ vision does not end with a degree. Each of the courses also introduces the students to what careers in these fields could involve. Marine biologists, meteorologists, civil engineers, and other women working in STEM fields share their stories with the students over a closing dinner.

Best of all, students are only responsible for a $50 registration fee. The rest of the costs to put on the program are covered, ensuring that girls from all walks of life can learn about, imagine, and take steps toward futures that they love.

To cover the vast majority of the Tech Trek camps, AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation, Inc. raises funds from interested community members,  and the AAUW Florida branches across the state. The branch members work tirelessly with us educating the middle schools of our program, interviewing applicants, raising funds, and volunteering where needed. Over the years, the organization found that the most reliable way to gather funds was to collect checks.

This was a consistent way to collect funds, and it came without the fees that many more 21st-century platforms require. But collecting physical checks was also the most time-consuming way to raise money, and it created barriers for interested donors who didn’t have their check book on hand.

AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation could only gather checks by hand or mail, and they had to take time out of the day to drive those checks to a bank. Then they had to hand write thank you letters. That responsibility often fell to Deborah Nelson, the organization’s treasurer, and it took hours away from her work. Nelson was eager for a system with less friction for everyone involved.

As a member organization of a large national nonprofit, AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation, Inc. had access to a wide network of friends who were constantly gathering donations. One of the other AAUW chapters told the team about Zeffy.

“An active AAUW member presented the opportunity, and we ran with it due to the ease of use and reputation of Zeffy,” Nelson said.

Zeffy immediately changed the way Nelson did her work.

“The trips to the post office and bank were time consuming compared to going to the Zeffy site. Thank you letters and follow-up letters at year-end consumed a lot of effort using the postal service rather than email,” she says.

Zeffy’s easy back end and constantly available support made Nelson’s life easier on several levels. “I enjoy using the site and reconciling the donations. It is surely a great tool for our nonprofit,” she says.

And that free time didn’t go to waste. Thanks to the hours saved every month, Nelson and her colleagues actually get to dedicate more time to gathering support for their eager 7th graders.

“It was a no-brainer to start with Zeffy for ease of operation and the fundraising benefits. They are always available to assist.”