Beta Mu Chapter Donates $26,000 to Dress for Success

In April, the Beta Mu Chapter at Salisbury University held its annual Mock Rock fundraiser with unbelievable success, raising $26,000 for Dress for Success, one of Alpha Sigma Tau’s National Service Partners. 

The chapter’s Mock Rock event, which is a lip-syncing and dance competition, started in the late 2000s. “The first time we did Mock Rock, we raised $80 for Pine Mountain Settlement School,” said Chapter Advisor Kate Gemeny Woolford (Beta Mu 2007/Salisbury). “But when you start something and keep working on it, you expand and add to it, and eventually it becomes an established event.” 

From humble beginnings, Mock Rock is now a well-recognized, must-attend event at Salisbury. Director of Fundraising Lydia Cordeau (Beta Mu 2024/Salisbury) said, “We were named the best student organization on campus, in large part because of this event. We work really hard to make it fun for everyone, whether they are competing as part of a dance team or just watching from the audience.” 

In fact, tickets to this year’s event were so popular that they leaked early and resold! “This year, we had more than 400 people who wanted to perform, and only 300 seats left to sell to audience members. Our tickets sold out a week before the event, and security had to check people in to make sure they had valid tickets,” explained Vice President of Community Relations
Maggie Healey (Beta Mu 2023/Salisbury), who oversaw Mock Rock’s logistics. 

However, while Mock Rock is a key event, it’s just the capstone of a much larger Anchor Week, where the chapter tables around campus to promote their philanthropic partner and fundraise. Vice President of Finance Nadia Gagnon (Beta Mu 2023/Salisbury) said, “It’s important to pick a philanthropic organization that
really motivates your Sisters and others to participate and donate.
You need to make sure you’re educating everyone on what their donations will do.” 

This year, the chapter hosted Dress for Success-themed fundraising activities, including a  “Plant a seed to help women succeed” plant sale and a “Success never tasted so sweet” pie-a-Tau event. Additionally, the chapter offered raffle baskets with gift certificates from local businesses, asked for donations from Sisters and other Salisbury students, and promoted Mock Rock tickets and the CrowdChange donation link on social media.

But the real key to fundraising success? Incentivizing the entire student body to get involved. 

Chapter President Karleigh Rolka (Beta Mu 2023/Salisbury) said, “Mock Rock has multiple winners. Your team can win the best performance, but you can also win because you fundraised the most. Fundraising points matter a lot to the total score.” 

Penny wars are the primary way that Mock Rock teams can dominate the point totals in the lead-up to the actual dance competition. “You can donate to add points to your team, but you can also donate to take points away from another team,” said Maggie. 

Additionally, every Mock Rock team is encouraged to share the chapter’s CrowdChange link with their parents, family, friends, and other students to make direct donations. Not only does this help Mock Rock teams gain last-minute points after performances, but it also helps boost awareness and fundraising throughout Anchor Week. Maggie said, “Between tabling, penny wars, ticket sales, and the CrowdChange link, we were raising about $1,000 per day even before Mock Rock happened.” 

Lydia had been preparing for Anchor Week and Mock Rock since the moment she was appointed to the Director of Fundraising position. “I already knew I wanted Anchor Week to benefit Dress for Success, and we were working on our Hollywood theme for this year’s Mock Rock. The bulk of the planning really kicks into gear about two months beforehand, when we start reaching out to other student organizations to get them involved,” she said. 

This year, Lydia oversaw 15 Mock Rock teams, each of which was randomly assigned two Sister coaches. “We ask Sisters to volunteer as Mock Rock coaches and hype up that organization and keep them in the loop with fundraising efforts, which helps us raise more for our philanthropy,” she said. “We spin a wheel where our Sister coaches get to select which team they’ll work with. It’s a great way for us to get to know other people on campus and get everyone involved.”

Josie Dike (Beta Mu 2023/Salisbury) and Ella Hawkins (Beta Mu 2024/Salisbury), who both have previous years of dance experience, volunteered as Sister coaches. They worked for two weeks with the Beta Mu Chapter’s dance teams. “Our Sisters don’t compete, but we have a dance number that opens the show. This year, we had about 50 Sisters who participated! And then, we also have a senior Sister dance that closes the show and is a big chapter tradition,” said Josie. 

Ella explained, “We practice two to three times a week in the lead up to Mock Rock, starting right after spring break. If you win the dance portion of Mock Rock, you do get a lot of points and can win the whole thing, so people get very into it! It’s very community-based and anyone can do it, even if they aren’t a dancer.” 

By noon on April 24, the chapter had already reached their pre-set Mock Rock fundraising goal. “We kept having to go back into CrowdChange and adjust the amount. We also kept the Mock Rock teams public so everyone could see who was fundraising the most money with the link, and that kept up a competitive spirit that spurred people on,” said Maggie. 

At the end of the event, the chapter donated the $26,000 to the Greater Baltimore affiliate of Dress for Success. Lydia shared, “It was a huge goal of mine to beat last year’s fundraising total ($24,000), so seeing that number made me know that everything we did to make the event a success was worth it. Knowing that I was fundraising for a good cause is what kept me sane when it got stressful!” 

Karleigh said, “My heart literally dropped from excitement when I saw our total. I was so anxious about meeting the goal from last year and upholding our commitment to keep pushing that limit. I wanted to make Mock Rock so special for everyone, and it was truly amazing.” 

Next year, the chapter looks forward to reaching new fundraising heights, directly impacting women with their philanthropic endeavors, and engaging the Salisbury community in even more fun ways during Anchor Week.