$1,000 Award • Call for Applicants

How it works

The GSCC member with the highest fundraising total for the year (verified by deposits) wins the $1,000 Berger Fundraising Prize. This prize is awarded competitively.

Award details

• Annual award of $1,000 USD paid by the University of South Carolina Educational Foundation (sponsored by Dr. Berger).
• To apply, members must raise a minimum of $2,500 in donations to the GSCC from any source(s). (Cash only; not goods).
• Donations are tax-deductible; USC Foundations provides a receipt for tax purposes.

Eligibility & qualifying donations

• Applicants must be members of the Global Strategic Communication Consortium as of the end of the last calendar year (all members are eligible).
• Teams: the primary fundraiser must meet the membership date requirement and is responsible for distributing prize money to co-fundraisers.
• To qualify, members must raise a minimum of $2,500 to the GSCC in the calendar year from any source(s). Donations may be combined (e.g., $1,000 from a department and $2,500 from a school).
• Personal donations are accepted as all or part of the total amount toward the $2,500 goal.
• We cannot consider donations of goods (meals, books) or services (room rentals, buses) due to difficulties in quantifying these items.

How to donate (recommended)

• Cash or credit card donations through our sponsorship link are suggested:
• https://donate.sc.edu/direct-your-gift?fund=7b9eefa7-b742-421a-80c7-ab3aad42c0ff
• Before sending a donation check - and especially if not using the link - contact Shannon for the GSCC account number (vital to track funds to the correct account).
• Please verify by email with Shannon that your donation was received (sbowen@sc.edu)

How to apply

• Submit by email with donation date(s) (approximate date is OK), amount(s), and the actual name of the donor account clearly listed - followed by the primary fundraiser’s name (and any co-fundraisers, if applicable; primary fundraiser receives prize to distribute.)
• If more than one donation is counted (recurring plan, institutional split, etc.), include line items with dates and a total amount. Best practice: alert Shannon by email of any incoming donation.

Deadline: Midnight Eastern US time, December 31 (each year).

Email prize application to Shannon Bowen (sbowen@sc.edu) and Elina Erzikova (erzik1e@cmich.edu). Bowen will confirm fund receipt before announcing a winner. (We reserve the right to issue no annual prize if member fundraising totals do not meet the minimum qualification of $2,500 in total. In case of an exact tie, both applicants will be given one additional month to add to their total.)