St. Thomas More High School raises over $180,000 during virtual fundraiser

MILWAUKEE -- St. Thomas More High School, a private, located near Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood, announced Thursday, April 9 that the school’s virtual auction event and one-day online fundraising campaign has raised over $180,000 to support school operations and student scholarships.

Traditionally an in-person event with over 400 guests, the 2020 Dinner Auction was transitioned to a virtual format to better ensure the safety of the school community during the COVID-19 public health crisis.

“The decision to transition the STM Dinner Auction to a virtual event was disappointing but necessary,” Event Coordinator and Alumni Director Dan Steffes (TM ’03) said regarding the cancellation of the event, which had been scheduled for March 21, 2020. “We know how much our guests look forward to attending the Dinner Auction. It’s more than a fundraising event – it’s a yearly family reunion. We didn’t know what to expect in terms of bidder engagement in the virtual event, and the results surpassed our highest expectations.”

In addition to a virtual silent auction, the event also included “Fund the Future Friday,” a one-day fundraising campaign driven by short video testimonials from St. Thomas More stakeholders. In total, this fundraising campaign alone raised nearly $50,000!

These video testimonials can be viewed online at facebook.com/StThomasMoreHS/videos/.