AROUND CAMPUS
Take a look at fundraising campaigns at most colleges and universities and chances are you'll find the athletics department plays a crucial role. That's certainly the case at UW-Superior, where Yellowjacket Athletics has stepped up during each campaign to raise funds for the university via the UW-Superior Foundation.
Yellowjacket Athletics had 91 donors contribute over $41,000 to its programs.
“ A
thletics can be a powerful vehicle with regard to fundraising, and we never hesitate when we are asked to be part of a campaign,” UW-Superior athletics director Nick Bursik said. “Fundraising in the world of college athletics is a way of life, and we are more than happy to do our part, both for the benefit of our department and the student-athletes as well as the university as a whole.” The COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone hard, and colleges and universities were not spared. UW-Superior had to navigate different paths to deliver education to students, and the athletics department had its own battles to fight. “COVID-19 changed a lot of things for our department,” said Bursik. “First it took away our spring 2020 sports seasons and that was devastating for our department and our student-athletes. To work as hard as they do on their games, only to have it taken away early in the season, was really difficult. The meeting where I had to tell the softball players their season wasn’t going to happen was the toughest I’ve had. It also affected our fundraising efforts. As different events are being
postponed or cancelled, we've had to adjust. Our camps and clinics for a number of sports were put on hold, as was our annual Yellowjacket Alumni and Friends Golf Outing. Our teams and our department rely on the funds that come in from those events, so we had to get creative.” That imagination led to an increased athletic presence during the Superior Day of Giving on June 2. Past years saw Yellowjacket Athletics focus its efforts strictly on social media, but in 2020 things moved in a different direction. “The conversation started with another campaign on social media, but as we talked more about it, we felt we needed to do more than just create graphics and issue statements,” said Jon Garver, athletics marketing and external relations manager. “We have a very good graphics person in house. We have a great partner in our on-campus radio station (KUWS). We have a great web streaming partner in the iFan Sports Network. It made sense for us to get everyone on board, do what we do best, and put together a good plan for the Superior Day of Giving.”
What resulted was a telethon streamed live on the iFan Sports Network. Promotional work included graphics and spots on KUWS leading up to the event. The day of the telethon, Garver and Don Leighton, the voice of Yellowjacket basketball on iFan, were live for five hours with coaches talking about their programs, fundraising, their team needs and more. The results were beyond expectations –Yellowjacket Athletics had 91 donors that contributed over $41,000 to its programs. “We are lucky to have the donor network we do, and they responded to our telethon and our intentionality to raise funds for specific items,” Bursik said. “Our donors understand the power of giving to the university and Yellowjacket Athletics, and they understand that the gifts that come in have a major impact, and directly benefit the student-athletes. These gifts play a huge role in providing a positive experience and we’re grateful to each and every one of our donors.”
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