When Syracuse University students share a vision, incredible things happen. Take the Student Organization Challenge. More than a crowdfunding campaign, it’s also a catalyst for turning bold ideas into reality.
Twice a year, the challenge invites registered student organizations and student-led club sports groups to compete for funding while fostering a sense of collective achievement.
The philanthropically minded Orange Pulse Dance Troupe (OPDT) raised more than $2,000 during the latest Student Organization Challenge.
OPDT president Kaitlyn Hulme ’26 says the campaign provides “critical support” for program enhancements that, in turn, enrich the Orange experience. “For students, this creates a stronger academic environment and better return on investment.”
Co-organized by the Office of Alumni and Constituent Engagement and the Student Engagement team, the fall Student Organization Challenge involved 10 other competitors. Finalists included Fox Force Seven, a women’s Ultimate Frisbee team that secured $6,000, and First Year Players, a student-run theater company that brought in $5,000.
Top of Their Game
Fox Force Seven at an Ultimate Frisbee tournament in New York City.
“The Ultimate Frisbee community is larger than you think,” says Maya Espinel ’26, who is the fundraising and community service chair for Fox Force Seven. “The minute the Student Organization Challenge started, we called, texted and emailed everybody we knew.”
As a result, she and her teammates raised more than $4,000 during the first 24 hours of the campaign.
Maya Espinel ’26 (left) says proceeds from the Student Organization Challenge “reduce the financial stress” of playing on a travel team like Fox Force Seven.
A dual major in political science and public relations, Espinel says support came from all corners of the campus community—from friends, alumni, members of the University’s club and intramural sports teams, and even USA Ultimate competitors.
One alumnus gave money in honor of his frisbee-fetching dog, Brandy, despite never having played Ultimate himself.
“We want to make frisbee accessible to everyone,” says Espinel, whose team uses the money to pay for transportation, lodging, uniforms and equipment. “Fundraisers like this reduce the financial stress of participation.”
The team takes its name from Fox Force Five, a fictional TV pilot referenced in the 1994 drama Pulp Fiction.
“We’re growing Fox Force Seven into the strongest it can be,” says Espinel, noting that Ultimate Frisbee typically involves two teams of seven players.
Taking Center Stage
A First Year Player (FYP) at a fundraising cabaret for an all-abilities musical theater company. FYP uses funds from the Student Organization Challenge to pay it forward.
A publicist for First Year Players (FYP), Syracuse’s largest student-run theater company, Spencer Howard ’27 knows his audience.
“The Student Organization Challenge enables us to combine creative programming and digital outreach to keep things fun and engaging,” he says, referring to a tabling event in the JMA Wireless Dome’s Miron Victory Court during Orange Central Homecoming and a haunted house attraction at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF).
FYP comprises students of all majors from Syracuse and SUNY ESF who mount an annual musical. First-years and transfers participate in the cast, crew and pit; sophomores, juniors and seniors direct and produce.
Money from this year’s challenge goes toward promotional materials for a spring production of Means Girls and a celebratory brunch for FYP members and their families.
Proceeds also enable FYP to “pay it forward,” supporting organizations like Front Row Players, a local musical theater company for adults of all abilities.
“It’s great meeting people in the campus community, especially alumni,” says Howard, a dual major in public relations and policy studies. “My conversations with them remind me that what FYP does truly matters.”
Staying on Pointe
Orange Pulse Dance Troupe (OPDT) is the University’s only student-led, philanthropic dance ensemble, explains president Kaitlyn Hulme ’26 (fourth from right). Last year, OPDT raised money for Rise Above Poverty, a nonprofit benefiting underserved youth in the Syracuse City School District.
Members of Orange Pulse Dance Troupe (OPDT) are accustomed to helping others. But recently, the pointe shoe was on the other foot.
The group recently secured funds to purchase a new stereo sound system, which according to Hulme, enhances her fellow dancers’ musicality.
“It helps with our timing and rhythm,” says the communication sciences and disorders major, who minors in dance appreciation and practice. “Until now, we’ve relied on a small sound system provided by one of our dancers.”
OPDT organized a robust social campaign, focusing on friends, family members and alumni, and a fundraiser called “Pie-a-Dancer,” in which the group’s executive and choreography teams were targets of lip-smacking, comedic fun.
Hulme says these kinds of activities demonstrate the power of “camaraderie and teamwork,” that it takes more than intraorganizational communication to succeed at crowdfunding. “It also requires being respectful and supportive of your peers.”
OPDT has currently raised more than $5,000 for The Arts Project Syracuse, which provides fully funded arts programming to under-resourced youth.
“We’re all about creating lasting connections,” she says.
