NU Bands Push On Fund

The NUMBALUMS (Northwestern Marching & Band Alumni) have actively supported the Marching Band since the alumni club's founding in 1999. Club members often give to the Benefit NU Bands account, which allows donors to designate their gifts to the Band department—including other performance Bands like the Symphonic Wind Ensemble.

However, we found that we were unable to respond to the full needs of the Band department with this fund alone. This was especially clear at Homecoming in 2013 when we had to borrow sousaphones from a local school to ensure our sousa alumni could march.

This funding gap reveals a plain truth: NUMB is falling behind other collegiate marching bands that have the funding to purchase both the necessities and the items that can keep them competitive, from instruments to cutting-edge technology. Many other major marching bands like USC, Michigan, OSU, and Wisconsin have created special funds to cover the expenses of their growing programs, but without one Northwestern couldn't keep up.

To meet this need, we established the Push On Fund. This is a permanent funding source that helps the Band go further in its efforts to buy new instruments, give out student scholarships, provide stipends for graduate student directors, and much more.

Join us in securing a strong future for NUMB by making your gift today—gifts of any amount make a big difference.

Thanks for investing in the future of this wonderful group of student marchers! Go 'Cats!