Understanding that significant fundraising efforts require leadership-level support to be successful, former SYA trustee and SYA France parent Carlos Alvarez and his wife, Malú, offered $1,000,000 in matching funds to leadership-level campaign donors and prospects with a 25% multiplier match toward their campaign commitments (of $100,000 or more). This generous initiative was announced at the public launch for The Campaign for SYA in May of 2019 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Throughout the course of the campaign, the Alvarez Multiplier Match inspired 27 people to start or add to a leadership gift or pledge. Those 27 people collectively gave over $7,000,000 to The Campaign for SYA. For some, this was their first commitment to SYA at the leadership level, and for many their gift represented a substantial increase and required a significant stretch. 

One person who was inspired by the Alvarez Multiplier Match had already made a stretch pledge to The Campaign for SYA, but once she learned it would be matched at 25% if she could get to the $100,000 level, she dug deeper. She said, “I love giving to SYA because, having personally experienced the transformative year in Spain, I know exactly what an amazing and meaningful impact my donation will make on the lives of today’s students. I wish every student could experience a year at SYA.” 

Thank you to Malú and Carlos Alvarez for making this generous match available. Thank you to the 27 people who stretched so that their gift could be multiplied and help SYA even more. And thank you to all who contributed to The Campaign for SYA, at EVERY level. The SYA community collectively made a difference with each person giving what they could, whether that was $5 or $500,000.