Christopher Stephens, president of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Kappa Sigma fraternity, was named by the national fraternity as the fifth highest fundraising undergraduate in the nation for his contribution during the 2018 Weekend of Giving.

For the past three years, Kappa Sigma fraternities across the nation have participated in a three-day fundraiser, in which all undergraduate chapter members seek donations for their individual chapter’s scholarship-leadership awards. These funds benefit undergraduate members who demonstrate excellence in academics, campus involvement, and fraternity leadership.

The fundraising goal set by the national fraternity for the Theta Eta chapter at UA Little Rock was $1,500, which was exceeded as the chapter raked in $2,383, more than any other Arkansas chapter in the state. Each member of Theta Eta donated to the cause, making them one of very few chapters to reach one hundred percent participation.

As an ambassador, Stephens was able to raise $1,523 of his chapter’s donations, earning him a spot among the top five highest fundraising undergraduate ambassadors of the year. The largest amount raised by an ambassador this year was $5,426.

Each ambassador, or chapter president, was given a custom link to send out to potential donors, and any money collected through the link was counted toward his raising.

“I emailed many of our alumni to ask them to consider donating the $3.40 minimum,” Stephens said. “Most of them far exceeded this, typically donating $34. I also sent the link out to many alumni that I have added on Facebook. I explained where the money was going and why even the smallest donation would add up if everyone made one.”

As a result of his contributions, Stephens, as well as the other top ambassadors, will receive a paid registration and hotel stay in New Orleans for the Kappa Sigma National Leadership Conference July 20-22.

This year alone, the Kappa Sigma fraternity saw its most successful fundraising year. The Theta Eta chapter doubled its existing pool of scholarship money, and the national organization raised $312,765.

“The fact that any single chapter of Kappa Sigma, much less one our size, can raise this amount of money in three days demonstrates that I truly belong to the greatest fraternity on Earth,” Stephens exclaimed. “I am excited to be a part of something that can so positively impact the lives of these guys, and I look forward to absolutely shattering this record next year.”