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Greek Week at URI: A Tradition of Competition and Giving 


Each year, the University of Rhode Island’s Greek Life community comes together for Greek Week, an event that blends competition, school spirit, and philanthropy. With 11 sororities and 16 fraternities participating, the week is a chance for students to compete, connect, and most importantly, give back. 


Planning Greek Week 


Greek Week doesn’t come together overnight. The Philgramming team—a collaboration between the Programming and Philanthropy teams from the Panhellenic and Interfraternity Councils—leads the effort, meeting weekly in the month leading up to the event. Guided by their advisors, they work with Greek Week chairs from each chapter to ensure everything runs smoothly. 


A Week of Competition and Events 


Greek Week is built around competitive and philanthropic events that bring out school spirit while driving fundraising efforts. 


The week kicks off with Opening Night, featuring a chariot race, a banner competition, and classic field games like tug-of-war, a water balloon toss, and a three-legged race. 

 

Midweek, the Fraternity Classic hockey tournament draws a big crowd, with fraternities competing in a friendly but competitive game. The Mr. and Mrs. Greek Week Pageant follows, where contestants showcase their talents and compete in formal wear and interview segments. 


One of the most meaningful events of the week is the food-packing initiative, held in partnership with The Outreach Program. This year, students packed 5,000 meals for low-income families in Rhode Island, which were then distributed to local churches and community centers. 


The final two nights of Greek Week bring some of the most anticipated events. Greek Sing showcases creative performances representing their assigned Greek god. Then, there’s Lip Sync, where each sorority and fraternity pairing performs an eight-minute choreographed routine. Lip Sync also marks the final push for fundraising, with teams earning points based on how much money they’ve raised. 

The Role of CrowdChange 


CrowdChange played a vital role in organizing Greek Week’s fundraising efforts. As Kelsey Gil, the URI Panhellenic President, shared, “Working with CrowdChange made organizing this fundraiser significantly easier. Their platform provided us with the tools to stay organized, and their support made all the difference.”


Since 2021, the University of Rhode Island has used CrowdChange to manage Greek Week and other philanthropic events, raising a total of $1,357,882.80 to date.


Among the platform’s most valuable features were the Team Pages and Leaderboard tools. These allowed each sorority and fraternity pairing to track their fundraising progress in real time, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability. The Leaderboard added a competitive element, encouraging teams to push their fundraising efforts to new heights.


CrowdChange’s personal pages within teams tool allowed individual students who went above and beyond in their fundraising efforts to truly stand out. This feature also streamlined the process for the participants, making it easy to share their pages, track their progress, and inspire more donations.


“I had the opportunity to meet with Abby over the summer, and she was incredibly helpful in explaining the platform’s features and providing valuable tips for navigating the website,” said Kelsey Gil. “She answered all of my questions and was always quick to respond to emails. She even scheduled virtual meetings when needed, which made everything easier. CrowdChange’s support was exceptional.”


With CrowdChange’s user-friendly platform and exceptional support, Greek Week exceeded its fundraising goals.


Beating Fundraising Goals 


Greek Week 2024 went beyond expectations. With an initial goal of $100,000, URI Greek Life raised $173,000 through CrowdChange, benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and The Outreach Program. 


A Meaningful Impact 


For many students, Greek Week is about more than just the events—it’s about the impact. Seeing the reactions from the organizations receiving donations was a highlight for those involved. 


One student shared how their family was supported by Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2017 when their brother was hospitalized. Having experienced that generosity firsthand, they found it incredibly meaningful to now be on the giving side. 


Greek Week continues to be one of the most exciting traditions at URI. With over 3,500 students in Greek Life, the event fosters new friendships and strengthens the community. 


Want to keep up with URI’s upcoming events? Check out their fundraising page: https://urigreekweek.crowdchange.co/ 


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