The Value of Consistent Giving

Amanda Leone ’10 knows that when it comes to supporting her alma mater as a recent graduate, it really is the thought that counts. “It’s important to spread the message that it’s not how much you give,” she said.  “The underlying goal is not the amount but the consistency in giving.”

Leone has been giving back to Lafayette since graduation – and before that. As a senior she worked with classmates and teammates on the women’s basketball team to encourage students to support the College with $20 donations. Her own consistency earned her a brick and status as a member of the Fleck Society, and she was looking forward to finding her brick when she returned for her five-year reunion in early summer 2015.

The brick, she said, is more than just “instant gratification” for the continued support.

“It was really cool to learn that this year that I was a member of the Fleck Society, but it’s more than that. It’s about having an impact and leaving a mark on campus after we’ve graduated, and the bricks commemorate that,” she said.

Alumni who make gifts for five or more consecutive years qualify for membership in the Fleck Consistent Giving Society, named in honor of the late Cyrus S. Fleck Sr. ’20, a longtime Lafayette supporter and trustee. Engraved bricks along walkways honor our alumni who have supported the College for 10 or more years.

The Fleck Consistent Giving Society includes more than 6,700 members — an increase of more than 75 percent since it was established in 2005.

Leone, who grew up on College Hill and graduated from Easton Area High School, was a double major in government & law and art at Lafayette. She went on to earn her law degree from Seton Hall University in New Jersey and specializes in employment law for a Whippany, N.J., firm.

“I always enjoyed fine arts. I kept taking classes for fun and as a sophomore I realized that it would be nice to make it a double major,” she said. “My thesis was on the interaction of free expression and art.”