A Shared Vision.
A Commitment to
Achieving It.
Despite the pandemic, our donors
haven’t wavered. Thanks to
their generosity, and our ability
to adapt fundraising efforts in
unprecedented circumstances,
we’re closer to our fundraising
goal of $5 million-plus. Led by
the Baseball Stadium Committee,
$3.2 million was raised this year,
bringing our overall total to $4.4
million raised to date from over 200
donors. Numerous group Zoom
calls across class years and former
parents provided the opportunity to
share progress, stadium renderings,
and cultivate new interest in
and support for the project. Our
specific project webpage on the
Brighter World campaign site was
updated to showcase fundraising
progress highlighting total donors
and dollars raised. We even went
a step further this year by creating
a new interactive donor wall. Now
it’s easier than ever to track our
progress as we turn our overall
Athletics mission into a reality.
The Shape of Dreams to Come
Athletics builds character. Thanks to our donors, we can build facilities too. This year, donors
responded with significant financial support to move us closer to achieving our vision for a new
baseball stadium, and enhancements to Ellis Oval and Vouté Tennis Courts.
Ellis Oval Facility Project (Phase I)
The initial funding objective of $2.7
million for Phase I has been raised.
The removal of the natural grass
and installation of synthetic turf
took place in summer 2021, with an
expected completion date in early
September in time for fall athletics
seasons. Installation of permanent
lights and a new video scoreboard
will soon follow.
Tennis Facility Project
The courts were taken offline for
the 2019-2020 academic year
with the installation of modular
housing units, part of the
university’s COVID-19 response to
quarantine test-positive students
safely. While the school will
return the courts to their original
condition, donors have already
begun to contribute toward a
multitude of enhancements: new
scoreboard, bleachers, team
room, PlaySight video streaming
system, and natural wind barriers.
The refurbished and enhanced
courts are due to open for play
in fall 2022.
Overcoming the Challenges of COVID-19
Even with fall and winter sports called off, the generosity of our donors was called on.
They stepped up to help provide annual operational support, as well as make long-term
investments through the creation of endowments and contributions to capital projects.
Below are just a few ways they bolstered Tufts Athletics in 2020-2021:
#GivingTuesday
Our donors responded in droves
again this year. We raised
$580,555 in donations, our highest
GivingTuesday total yet, representing
over 17 percent of all
donations raised, and our 3,181
gifts were nearly 36 percent of all
gifts made university-wide.
Challenge Matches
Fourteen teams—9 men’s teams
and five women’s teams—raised
over $340,000 from alumni, parents,
and friends in 10 separate
challenge matches.
Athletics Campaign
Committee
The committee met remotely
for the fall and spring meetings;
members conducted individual
outreach to assigned prospects;
and a campaign video focusing
on key capital project priorities
was developed for use in small
group Zoom cultivation gatherings.
The video will continue to
be used when in-person prospect
receptions begin again, likely in
fall 2021.
Friends Groups/Alumni
Engagement
While in-person gatherings were
not held this year, eight teams
held alumni Zoom gatherings
during Tufts’ Virtual Homecoming,
and numerous teams held Zoom
alumni/student-athlete networking
nights, career panels, and evenings
where head coaches provided
updates and answered questions
about their programs.
New & Growing Opportunities
Athletics Director Facilities Fund Established
Initially created with a $1 million
anonymous gift, the fund provides
an opportunity for donors to make a
gift to support capital projects and
facilities upgrades generally, with
their gifts used at the discretion
of the Director of Athletics for
immediate priority projects.
Tufts Athletics Future
Leader Graduate
Fellowship
Established with a gift covering
the first two years of the program,
the focus of this fellowship is on
creating opportunities for those
currently underrepresented in the
field of athletics administration.
In addition to master’s-level
coursework, fellows will spend
time in various Athletics units and
interact with campus partners. Our
long-term goal, which will need to
be funded by donors, is to create
two fellowships for graduate
students to gain administrative
experience and two fellowships for
assistant coaching experience as
well.
Planned Giving/Bequests
A planned giving bequest of
$1 million to support Athletics
generally in the future was
received, demonstrating the power
of including Tufts Athletics in
a donor’s estate plan to ensure
future resources to benefit all our
student-athletes.
Bill Gehling Women’s
Soccer Endowment
Established in fall 2019 with
an initial funding objective of
$100,000, an additional $49,000
was raised this year to bring the
total raised to date to $111,880. This
is the first endowment established
to specifically benefit a women’s
team at Tufts.
The Moslow Family
Men’s and Women’s
Rowing Endowment
Recognizing a desire to support
the men’s and women’s rowing
programs equitably, the donors
changed the name of their
endowment to reflect that the
annual disbursement from it will
benefit both programs equally.
Trevor Azmy Russo ’21
JumboCast Endowed Fund
This new fund was created by the
parents of a graduating senior who
had spent four years as a member
of the JumboCast Club, which
webcasts numerous home games
across all our sports. It will augment
the annual operating expenses of
the JumboCast crew to webcast
Athletics events.
