CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
Since 1986, Delta Lambda Phi has served as a space for gay, bisexual, and queer-allied men to “make their presence known.” In its founding, however, the core truth of Delta Lambda Phi was a search for a community that shared a fight for justice among others who knew the struggle. Over the years, Delta Lambda Phi has been driven by that sense of justice to expand its membership requirement — now open to transgender men and non-binary individuals — along with redefining some of its key public features and private rituals to reinforce the understanding among our Brotherhood; justice is a commitment and one in which we all share a responsibility.
As Delta Lambda Phi has grown and matured, it has struggled to overcome the usual organizational growing pains of many young organizations, such as limited financial resources, a heavy reliance on volunteer labor, and difficulty managing a growing membership base of Active and Alumnx Brothers spread across the globe. And in a time when national discourse makes it apparent that the purpose and presence of Delta Lambda Phi is just as necessary as when it was founded, the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the looming threats to the sustainability of Delta Lambda Phi. In response, Delta Lambda Phi has identified an opportunity to invest in the long term sustainability of the organization with the launching of this capital campaign.
What will this Capital Campaign fund?
The Capital Campaign aims to build a fund that, at its core, will be a source of financial stability for Delta Lambda Phi’s long-term operational needs. The concept for the campaign (and the fund) grew from organizational strains noted earlier, which are addressed in the fund’s key goals:
Minimizing financial barriers for the collegiate experience
DLP continues to prioritize financial accessibility for Active Brothers, resulting in some of the lowest Dues among collegiate fraternities and sororities. This future fund would enable DLP to limit financial strain to New and Active Brothers by providing Dues scholarships, which will increase recruitment and retention efforts across the organization.
Continued equity and justice-oriented organizational growth
DLP’s founding created a space that prioritized the gay experience in a fraternal environment, and as the Brotherhood has expanded its understanding of our role in confronting injustice and inequity — both within and beyond the Brotherhood — we have expanded and clarified how we prioritize queer experiences in a just and equitable way. As such, the fund’s Dues scholarships would prioritize access to DLP for folks with (historically) marginalized gender, racial, and ethnic identities, while also increasing access for folks with socio-economic barriers.
Financial support for DLP’s operational expenses
Though Brotherhood Dues have underwritten DLP’s operational needs since the beginning and the generous support of the Delphi Foundation has given Brothers access to meaningful educational and leadership development opportunities, many critical operational needs are still not met, such as:
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Compensation for staff
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Regional Conferences
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White & Gold Weekend
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Chapter advisor training
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Centaur’s Yell production
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Merchandise licensing
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Alumni Education
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Staff education
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Chapter attendance at AFLV, etc.
Increasing Alumnx engagement
DLP aims to increase its outreach and networking efforts with Alumnx Brothers, initially with this opportunity to support the Active Brother experience directly, and also by utilizing the additional funding to expand services and staff that support Alumnx.
Capital Campaign Goal
With the generous pledges of donors over 5 years, DLP aims to raise $150,000 through this capital campaign. With thousands of Alumnx and Active Brothers, friends of DLP, and family supporters, we know there is support for DLP’s continued work. This opportunity to provide tangible, measurable support to DLP will be the single largest fundraising effort the organization has undertaken since its founding. The potential results speak for themselves; with a goal of granting the first scholarships by 2024, DLP may be able to grant almost $25,000 to Brothers in the first 10 years.
Our Generous Donors
This Capital Campaign is one of the first major fundraising endeavors handled exclusively by DLP in recent memory, and we are thankful for the many ways Brothers have shown their support for this campaign. Thank you to the following supporters for their visionary pledges towards the goals of this campaign. An asterisk * denotes a Founding Donor for their early commitment to the Campaign.
$10,000+
Donors are added to this list, receive an honorary pin and a Convention badge ribbon (ongoing), and are invited to the long-term advisory committee.
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Tylor Brom *
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Bryan M. Guffey *
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Josh Powell *
(In Memory of Nick Vranizan) -
Ethan T. Pravetz *
$5,000 - 9,999
Donors are added to this list, receive an honorary pin and receive a Convention badge ribbon (ongoing).
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Milo Alfarero *
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Jonathan Dobres *
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Dusty 'Bamm-Bamm' Garner *
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Michael Nolen Long *
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Ryan Madsen *
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Lindsay Whittaker *
$2,500 - 4,999
Donors are added to this list and receive a Convention badge ribbon (for 5 years of pledge).
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B & B - Iota *
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Barry Closser & Nate Tatar *
(In Memory of Tim Ortyl)
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Matt Gately *
$1,500 - 2,499
Donors are added to this list and receive a Convention badge ribbon (for 5 years of pledge).
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Jeffrey Devereaux *
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Sean Finn & Nolan Petersen *
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Tyler McKnight *
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Nick Simons *
$500 - 1,499
Donors are added to this list.
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Douglas Case *
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Ian Duncanson *
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Rob Grau *
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Christopher A. Miofsky
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Eric Van Sant *
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Tom Vance *
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Alex Young *
$1 - 499
Donors are added to this list.
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Dominic Paris *
In recognition of their generous gifts, supporters will receive perks indicated with their pledge tier. Additionally, supporters who confirm their pledge to the campaign on or before February 20, 2024, will be noted as Founding Donors to the fund in all campaign materials (notated on this webpage with an asterisk *).
Frequently Asked Questions
Campaign Questions
Where are the figures on the Fund Financial Forecast coming from?
The footnotes underneath the financial forecast table provide some context for the table’s figures, but in brief, the figures shown on the chart are estimates of total donations received and then calculations on the total amounts gained in market value that may be paid out, retained, or reinvested.
How/when will donation payments be processed?
Donors will be asked to set up payments on the donor platform, Givebutter, where donors can schedule payments to be monthly, quarterly, annually, or one-time. Donors are asked to set up these payments to ensure control and privacy for their payment methods.
Who would I contact if I need to change my pledge amount?
All donor questions can be sent to Giving@DLP.org, where campaign staff can respond and assist. Donors with specific or personal inquiries can also directly email Nolan Petersen, Campaign Manager, at Nolan.Petersen@DLP.org.
Where can I get updates about the campaign?
General campaign updates will be posted on the campaign page, and donors will also be given the option to opt-in for campaign newsletters, which are planned to be sent quarterly.
What makes the capital campaign different from DLP’s other fundraising efforts?
This capital campaign is one of the first fundraising campaigns created and managed by DLP, outside of Delphi, which provides funding directly to DLP. Historically, DLP has directed Brothers to donate to the Delphi Foundation if they were interested in providing financial support. Due to IRS constraints, DLP is limited on how much money it can receive from the Delphi Foundation, in addition to limitations on where that money can be used operationally. This campaign not only increases direct funding available to DLP, it also increases the amount the Delphi Foundation can grant to DLP during a fiscal year.
Why is the Delphi Foundation not involved in this fundraising effort?
The Delphi Foundation is a financially and legally separate entity from DLP and must adhere to different rules regarding their donors and grants to stay in compliance with IRS regulations. This campaign is one of DLP’s first major attempts to establish relationships with donors directly to DLP, which both strengthens DLP’s financial capacity and increases the amount of support the Delphi Foundation is able to grant to DLP in future years.
Is the Campaign Steering Committee permanent? What powers does it have?
The Campaign Steering Committee (CSC) was invited by the Executive Director to help provide leadership and guidance to the campaign. They are empowered to fundraise on behalf of DLP and provide their recommendations on campaign materials during the fundraising process. At the conclusion of the fundraising phase, the CSC may provide a proposal(s) to DLP’s Treasurer and/or CFO regarding policy for fund management.
Fund Questions
How will the fund be managed? Is the fund separate from DLP’s other finances? How will the fund be prioritized/allocated?
The current plan is to direct the funds to an account separate from DLP’s operational accounts, and then consult with DLP’s Treasurer, CFO, and the CSC to identify possible investment strategies for the fund. Once an investment option has been selected, the fund may be moved to the investment broker/platform. As such, the fund will be accounted for separately from DLP’s operational account(s), while still remaining under the oversight of DLP. Currently, there is no plan to allocate additional money from DLP to be invested in the fund, and any money generated from the investment activities of the fund will be paid out as grants, used to cover the fund’s administrative expenses, or reinvested back into the fund.
What is DLP’s philosophy on responsible and equitable investing?
DLP’s values extend to all activities, even when values-based decisions can be complex to navigate, such as determining what responsible and equitable investments look like. However, DLP’s Board of Directors and Fraternity Office do not have any official policies governing investment of fraternity funds.
What would fund oversight look like?
The fund will be part of DLP’s overall financial assets and, as such, will be subject to review by the CFO, Executive Director, Treasurer, and Board of Directors. Additionally, this fund may be held and accounted for separately from DLP’s operating funds, and DLP may utilize the expertise of a fund manager or investment advisor.
Will there be defined priorities for the fund’s uses? Besides the dues scholarships, how will the funds be used? Who will make that decision?
The fund is being established to support the cost of Dues for New Members and Active Brothers, either for individual Brothers who apply for assistance, or in the form of a Dues subsidy across the organization. Within that goal, equity and justice guidelines will be established to ensure DLP is prioritizing support for those with the least socially-granted privilege(s). Additionally, a small portion of the fund will be allocated each year to support the fund’s operations (e.g. the cost of a financial advisor, the fees for engaging in an investment portfolio, etc.) Internally, the decisions regarding the fund will ultimately be at the discretion of the Executive Director, under guidance and within the policies laid out by the Board of Directors. There is no other intended use for the fund at this time.
What will be the process for awarding scholarships? How can folks apply?
Receiving grants or scholarships from the fund is a process that has not been determined yet, but we will provide more details as that process develops.
Capital Campaign Staff & Leadership
Capital Campaign Steering Committee
Chair
Michael Long, Executive Director
Co-Chair
Jeff Devereaux, Board Treasurer
Member
Christopher Engle-Newman
Member
Dusty Garner-Carpenter
Member
Zach Haak
Member
Ryan Madsen
Member
Brosnan Rhodes
Capital Campaign Staff
Campaign Director
Bryan Guffey, Previous Executive Director
Campaign Manager
Nolan Petersen, DLPAA President Emeritus
Campaign Marketing
Tyler McKnight, Chief Marketing Officer