On June 30, 2024, the SAE Foundation set a new fundraising record, raising over $1,383,000 for the Annual Loyalty Fund. The close of Fiscal Year 2024 marks the fourth consecutive year that the Annual Loyalty Fund has broken its fundraising record. Along with this most impressive accomplishment, the SAE Foundation’s fundraising initiatives also continue to break records. From funds raised in individual months to the number of National Scholarship Program applications, the SAE Foundation builds upon its own success year-over-year.
For example, in 2021, the award-winning Interfraternal Giving Tuesday Challenge saw SAE compete against Sigma Chi and cumulatively raise $105,612. In 2022, Pi Kappa Alpha joined the competition, and together, the three organizations raised $383,585. Last year, on Giving Tuesday, eight Fraternities competed in the 12-hour Challenge, raising over $1.1 million. The SAE Foundation raised $223,136, setting a new single-day fundraising record for the organization.
Similarly, the March to the Madness campaign has grown tremendously since the first tournament six years ago. In 2019, March to the Madness raised $28,000. In 2024, the Tournament raised $149,017, a 432% increase.
The Annual Loyalty Fund has seen 16 record-breaking fundraising months from these and other initiatives in the last five fiscal years. This increase allows the organization to support the educational initiatives of the Fraternity, such as Leadership School. In 2024, 285 students from 110 chapters attended the 85th National Leadership School, where they could attend either a Leadership Track or an Executive Track.
Additionally, the SAE Foundation can provide National Scholarships to student members. The National Scholarship Program, under Dr. Joe Halcomb and Henry Beattie’s leadership, increased the number of applications by 71% from 2022 to 2023 and 62% from 2023 to 2024. Individual award amounts also increased in Fiscal Year 2022, allowing the scholarships to have an even more significant impact on their recipients.
Finally, the SAE Foundation can maintain and operate the historic 94-year-old Levere Memorial Temple. In addition to these three areas of support, the Foundation can implement new programs to reunite Brothers with SAE. These programs allow Brothers to benefit from their membership after their collegiate days by providing them with friendships, social connections, and professional development opportunities.
Most notably, Career Connect is a set of professional development initiatives available to members of all ages. In 2023, the SAE Foundation launched Career Connect with the True Gentleman Mentor Program. The TG Mentor Program matches SAE alumni mentors with undergraduate and alumni mentees. In the first year, the TG Mentor Program matched over 200 members with an alumni mentor to advise on everything from resume writing and searching for a summer internship to applying for medical school.
In 2024, the SAE Foundation added the ΣΑΕ Job Board, saeconnect.com, to Career Connect. The ΣΑΕ Job Board provides members with an exclusive job search site where they can create an account, upload their resume, and find their next career opportunity.
In addition to the Mentor Program and Job Board, Career Connect also includes the TG Talk podcast and the Backpack-to-Briefcase transitional leadership post-graduation readiness series.
As the organization looks ahead to Fiscal Year 2025, the Foundation Trustees are pleased to welcome Les Ireland as Chairman of the Board. Les joined the Board of Trustees in November 2019 and is a member of the Maryland Alpha chapter at Towson University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration. As an undergraduate, Les was a Pledge Educator and House Manager for his chapter and served as a Senator for Towson’s Student Government Association. As an alumnus, Les supported his chapter as a Maryland Alpha Advisory Board member. Prior to his election as Chairman of the SAE Foundation Board, Les served as Vice Chairman of the Board and Executive Sponsor of SAE’s Career Connect program.
Outside his work with the SAE Foundation, Les is a strategic consultant, advising public and private companies on marketing, operations, and commercial strategy. Les and his wife, Lori, live in Longboat Key, Florida, and have two sons and one grandson. In his free time, Les enjoys golf, water sports, and home improvement projects.
Reflecting on his new position and the upcoming year, Les said, “I am honored to work with such a committed and dynamic group of Trustees as we work to aid the future leaders of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. My passion for education and leadership development mirrors that of the Fraternity, and I look forward to assisting the Foundation in driving our key growth and governance initiatives.”
