Saheer Mathrani goes next level for the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.
Last October, along with his fraternity, Psi U, 19 year old Dartmouth College sophomore, Saheer Mathrani, donned a superhero cape and ran in the CHaD HERO, which benefits the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth. Considering his interest in pediatric medicine and love of outdoor activity, the event was a natural fit. Joining his fraternity made it even easier. “Psi U is a bunch of competitive people who also share a collective mindset towards philanthropy that’s pretty profound,“ explains Saheer.
Having never been on the fundraising side of a charity, Saheer set a modest goal, hoping to raise $200 for the cause. Psi U raised an impressive $25,542. Of that, Saheer himself raised nearly half, a whopping $12,370, making him the highest overall fundraiser for the HERO in 2017.
GETTING PERSONAL
Saheer set about his effort by writing a long personal email, detailing his own connection with pediatric medicine and civic action. His childhood friend Jacob Froman passed away from a rare form of brain cancer at age 10, when Saheer was in 5th grade. “It made people realize the cause was important,” explains Saheer, who is pursuing a major in Philosophy and a minor in Public Policy. Furthermore, Saheer enjoys working with kids, especially when it involves outdoor sports. When his own competitive freestyle skiing career was cut short in high school due to concussions, he turned his talent towards coaching, and found new fulfillment watching kids progress.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
After honing his letter through a couple of drafts, Saheer waited for the right time to send it. It had to be far enough ahead to prepare people for the event, but not so far ahead that they would push it aside. “I didn’t want to overwhelm them but I wanted to be persistent,” he explains. About 3-4 weeks ahead of the event, Saheer sent it out to 50-60 family, friends and parents of friends, then followed up 1-2 weeks out. Persistence paid off and the donations started coming in. During his efforts, Saheer made sure every donor knew that their funds would be amplified through a match by Positive Tracks. Though they varied widely, Saheer says, “each one really made a difference.”
GOOD ADVICE
“Find a personal connection of some sort,” Saheer advises anyone looking for a way to Sweat for Good. “Just as in schoolwork or anything else, the interest spurs the outcome.” He also stresses that it’s up to the fundraiser to understand the cause and be able to talk to people about it. “I did a lot of research because I wanted to go the extra step. Regardless of what organization or cause you represent, the more you know the more credible you are seen.”