You + Me = Bold
In 1870, Kappa's Founders made a bold choice to enter Monmouth College, one of few colleges offering enrollment to women at the time. How brave our Founders must have been! What does a bold young woman do when facing a challenge? She gathers her friends. As the story goes, the friends gathered on a little wooden bridge where they dreamed of creating something bigger than themselves, something bold.
In honor of our Founders’ bold vision, our goal for this year’s Founders Day Giving Challenge is to unite 1,870 Kappas and friends to raise $450,000 to support our areas of greatest need. One area of greatest need is support for member education. The Kappa Foundation supports education and training initiatives such as the Courage to Commit program, Talkspace and a variety of innovative member experience programs help Kappas reach their potential and thrive.
Over the years, as women's needs have evolved, so have our efforts to meet members where they are. With programs that help Kappas prepare for unexpected hurdles in life, members gain the confidence to pursue life's opportunities. To encourage and empower Kappas to succeed, Sandee Hill Smith, Rollins, has created a generous matching gift opportunity. Sandee believes in the Kappa experience, and you can read more about her story below.
This year’s giving challenge celebrates and embraces the opportunity to follow in our Founders’ footsteps by boldly investing in programs that help women gain deeper knowledge, valuable life skills, and new experiences that enrich their lives. Thank you for joining us and being part of the Founders Day Giving Challenge. We can’t do it without you!
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Meet Our Matching Gift Donor
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Sandee Hill Smith, Rollins
Sandee was a financial adviser for nearly 40 years and recently retired as a senior vice president for Morgan Stanley. She enjoys spending time with her family and grandchildren, traveling, playing tennis and golf, and participating in Kappa activities in both Kansas City, Missouri, and Palm Desert, California. She hopes that her gift will make a difference in the lives of more Kappa sisters and inspire additional support for the challenge.
“I am thrilled to offer an unrestricted $25,000 matching gift for the 2022 Kappa Founders Day Giving Challenge,” Sandee says, “because I believe in the Kappa experience. When I was in college, I was only one of two women pursuing a business degree. I want women to know that they are empowered to achieve anything they want with their careers and Kappa membership helps build the leadership skills necessary to succeed.
Please join Sandee by making a gift toward our challenge!
Meet the Kappa Foundation
Thousands of donors like you support and contribute to the Kappa Foundation annually. Thanks to you and your generosity, the Foundation continues to equip women with the resources to spark change and preserve the values laid by our trailblazing Founders.
The Foundation’s program areas enhance the member experience by providing resources for Kappas to succeed at every stage of their lives and to build flourishing communities. All contributions to the Foundation support our areas of greatest need. This year, gifts made to the Founders Day Giving Challenge will support one area of greatest need, member education, which funds hundreds of education and training programs for thousands of Kappas every year.
Member education: Through Kappa Edge — our member education program — we assist members in gaining deeper knowledge, valuable life skills and new experiences essential to their development.
Member education is one of our most far-reaching program areas. It is also one of our areas of greatest funding need. Through donor support, the Foundation provides over $1.2 million in annual funding for education and training initiatives. Your unrestricted gift to this year’s Founders Day Giving Challenge will ensure we’re able to fund Talkspace, the Kappa Education Trainer program, and Kappa Edge all-member experience programming.
talkspace services
Thanks to your continued support, a Kappa Foundation grant provides Talkspace services free of charge to collegiate members and provides a discount to alumna members. Over the past year, 1,572 collegians accessed Talkspace to get the mental health counseling support help they needed.
education trainers
Comprised of 120 volunteer trainers, this program provides educational and leadership programming through vital in-person and virtual interactive workshops, offering members valuable life skills and experiences essential to their development. Kappa Education Trainers focus on topics including effective communication, values-based leadership, self-esteem, goal-setting, teamwork, conflict resolution, and more.
kappa edge
Kappa’s Founders made academic achievement a priority to prove to the world that women deserved a place in higher education. Kappa Edge is a lifelong learning program that equips members with skills to succeed and encourages them to continue pursuing their potential.
additional areas of support
The Kappa Foundation funds four impact areas crucial to Kappas: member education as noted above, plus scholarships, financial assistance grants, and heritage. These areas are critical to enhancing the member experience. Our resources help Kappas succeed at every stage of their lives and build flourishing communities.
The Impact Your Gift Has
Over the past 10 years, donors like you have contributed to:
- Helping Kappas and their communities by giving an average of $3.9 million in annual support.
- Developing future leaders by funding hundreds of educational courses and programs to support ever-changing needs, including mental health and well-being resources.
- Providing $2.5 million in Rose McGill Grants to help over 1,000 members overcome unexpected financial emergencies.
- Awarding nearly $10 million in scholarships to help thousands of Kappa students achieve their educational dreams.
- Preserving over 150 years of Kappa’s rich heritage through the archives and The Stewart House Museum.
Your contributions are key to keeping our sisterhood thriving! By investing in each other, we’ll continue to grow and reach our potential together.
2022–23 annual report
Discover the stories of our shared Kappa experience and how your support transforms lives.
How We Help