Dori Leong ’10 served as activity chair for her 10th Reunion last year, and made a meaningful pledge to the Punahou Fund. She also helped reimagine young alumni Reunion giving strategies with her committee.
I was previously a programming director at a nonprofit that did a lot of fundraising and events. I had so much fun planning and bonding with fellow board members, and I wanted to have that same experience with my Punahou classmates.
So, I texted a handful of them about joining our Reunion committee, saying, “Hey, we should do this. It’ll be so fun!” Punahou has always been a big part of my life, and I’m really grateful for my 13 years there. My dad, Keith Leong ’72, brother, Dylan “Kunu” Leong ’09, and cousins also attended, and all of my closest friends are from Punahou. With 2020 being my 10-year Reunion, I thought it would be great to reconnect with classmates and give back to a school that offered me so much as a student and now. I know a lot of it wouldn’t be possible without donors, and I’m proud and fortunate to now be one myself, providing opportunities to current and future students.
This year, I pledged a gift to the Punahou Fund. Previously, I had only made one-time gifts. It was so easy to set a monthly donation and not have to worry about it later. It’s a great way to get more young alumni into the “leadership” level of giving.
As young alumni, our careers and lives are just getting started. Pledges and recurring gifts are awesome for those of us interested in giving, but not financially able to make one big donation. I love being able to “subscribe” to Punahou by setting up payments spread out over time, with the gift’s sum over five years counting toward my Reunion class gift. A leadership gift may sound daunting, but when broken down into smaller, reoccurring gifts, it suddenly becomes doable. When compared to other subscriptions like Netflix or Amazon Prime, you can see how feasible it is.
Volunteering and giving to Punahou has been so rewarding. It’s been great to broaden my network, and although we weren’t able to see our work come into fruition (yet!), the friendships and time spent were well worth it. Joining the Reunion committee also opened the door to participate in other fun Alumni Relations activities, like Takeout Tuesday and being a speaker at the Inspire! Luncheon.
After getting involved, I learned more about Punahou’s initiative as a “private school with a public purpose,” which makes me be proud. I also got to tour the new Kosasa Community, and was in awe. Overall, I’m glad to have a bridge to a place and people I appreciate so much.
