Dear Parents, Alumni and Friends of Tufts Track & Field/Cross Country,
We are writing today as a reminder ahead of the most important team fundraising day of the year, Tufts GivingTuesday, which will take place tomorrow, November 28. We are shaking the proverbial “Tin Cup,” so that our men’s and women’s track and field and cross-country teams can achieve their annual funding needed to successfully compete for the year. This will be the first year where we are fundraising on a combined basis to benefit both the men’s and women’s programs.
We created the “Friends of Tufts Track & Field/Cross Country” over ten years ago modeled on the donor programs at many Division I, Ivy League institutions. Even at these better funded programs, alumni and parent donations are critical to the annual funding of team activities, and this is no different for all the athletics programs at Tufts. We wish that all our funding came directly from university budgets, but intercollegiate athletics will always remain dependent on alumni and parents to close these budget gaps.
We have received two initial challenge matches in aggregate of $27,000 to help inspire giving to our programs this year. Donations will be matched $1 for $1 to this level, but your participation and generosity above this initial match is critical and sorely needed. To provide donor transparency, we have outlined the approximate annual needs for both programs below. Although we have included an “aspirational” line item of an outdoor track and field team Spring Break Training Trip, the coaches have correctly chosen to prioritize assistant coaches’ salaries and team equipment over the trip.
To make your GivingTuesday gift to Tufts Track & Field/Cross Country, please use this link: TuftsGivingTuesday - Athletics.
Help us lead the way on this year’s GivingTuesday. Last year, the women raised $37,710 from 275 donors and the men raised $41,930 from 255 donors for a combined total of $79,640. We know we can surpass that this year to get to our first funding objective of $128,000 (see our priorities below) and then move to meet our aspirational objective of $203,000! And there are two additional competitions this year: As in years past, the program in each division with the most donors on the day will receive a $1,000 cash bonus. New this year, the teams with the greatest percentage increase in donors over last year (listed as “Goal (Donors)” on the leaderboard) will receive a $500 bonus, so please ask all of your friends, family, teammates, and classmates to help us earn these extra bonuses!
Help support our men’s and women’s programs! Make your GivingTuesday gift to Tufts Track & Field/Cross Country, using this link: TuftsGivingTuesday - Athletics.
Please join us all, as the current team captains, head coaches, and as an alum and parent of a current runner, in supporting our most valuable assets, our Jumbo student-athletes! As you can see, gifts of any size (and no gift is too small!) can help make a tremendous impact for our programs.
Priority breakdown for both teams:
- Travel suit (top/bottom) and duffel bag w/logo: $179 per person x 150 sets = $27,000
- Part-time assistant coaches per team: $20,000 x 2 teams = $40,000
- Discretionary Equipment Fund (specialty spikes, running shoes, etc.) for team members w/ financial need: $1,000 per season x 2 teams = $6,000
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Spring training trip (40 men/30 women): $1,300 per person x 70 = $90,000. Note: The difference in the number of student-athletes per team is based on the number of single and multi-event competitors on each team.
- Miscellaneous operating expenses (men-$25,000/women-$15,000) = $40,000
Overall total needed for both teams with fully funded trip: $203,000.
Overall total needed for both teams not including trip: $128,000.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our teams!
Sincerely,
John Regan, A90, A27P
Antonia Knoth, A24 - Women’s Team Captain
Cole Anderson, A25 - Men’s Team Captain
Kristen Morwick - Head Coach, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Joel Williams - Head Coach, Men’s Track & Field/Cross Country
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