On Thursday, Oct. 5 the University of Rhode Island celebrated theDay of Giving,sponsored by the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement.
The Day of Giving is an annual event that saw the URI community come together to raise money for causes such as scholarships, faculty, research and athletic team travel, among other things. This year, over $1.8 million were raised in total. This event is consistently one of the biggest days of the year in terms of generating revenue for the university, and it is especially important for the athletic department. The athletic department accounted for over $600,000 of the donation total, according to the URI Foundation & Alumni website.
Donations varied by sport, but the upside is that every program did in fact see a donation of sorts. Some notable totals include softball, which amassed over $7,000 from 110 donors, and over $10,000 for the women’s lacrosse team, who still will not compete for another year. Both teams have been amassing a range of support financially, while the women’s lacrosse team has also been generating major support from the recruiting aspect.
“[Women’s lacrosse head coach] Jenna [Slowey] has that work ethic and that drive, her assistant Riley [Smith] is the same way,” URI Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn said. “They’ve just been pounding the pavement in getting the brand, which never existed before, out there… without their efforts, none of this would’ve happened.”
Bjorn also noted the donation total for the athletic department as “a huge point of pride”.
When it comes to coaches putting an effort into community outreach, the gold standard is women’s basketball head coach Tammi Reiss. Atop the entire athletic department donation leaderboardreigns the women’s basketball team. According to the URI FAE website, women’s basketball raised over $300,000. This is more than double that of the second highest-earning athletic program, the football team, which raised $150,000. This can be attributed to the efforts from Reiss, and her emphasis on building relationships with the URI women’s basketball community. Reiss credits her family-first mentality for her approach to the fanbase of URI women’s basketball.
“I’m a family person,” Reiss said. “The way I was taught, when someone gives to you, you give back 110%. That’s in everything you do…I stopped using the word community [in reference to the fanbase], it’s more of a family.”
For Reiss, the financial support of the fans is nowhere near the forefront of her mind, however she highlights the importance of the Day of Giving.
“If we did not have the funds through [the] Day of Giving, we would not have won an A-10 championship.” Reiss said “We wouldn’t be able to charter, we would not have a practice facility. Before [the] day of giving, we did not charter… …if it weren’t for our donors, boosters, and alumni, we would not be where we are. We owe everything to them.”
The women’s basketball team made sure that the donors felt the love, as they took to their social media pages and posted videos that included individual “thank you” messages to each and every donor. Although financial support is an integral part of what keeps collegiate sports running, Reiss makes sure that the fans aren’t just used for their money.
Reiss’s efforts do not go unnoticed by URI athletics. Bjorn had more to say regarding coach Reiss’s efforts, and why her team finds success with community engagement.
“She certainly works year-long to build relationships, and takes time with her team to thank everyone via social media.” Bjorn said. “They do it in such a fun way that people wanna be a part of that, which is great.”
The Day of Giving is always a day to look forward to for the athletic department, student-athletes benefit greatly from donations of all sorts. It symbolizes more than just a donation amount, and exemplifies how the athletic teams are able to truly connect with their fanbases.