Giving to Wake Forest Athletics Surged 63 Percent in FY21, All-Time Cash Giving Record of $37.5M

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest legend Maya Angelou once said, "I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back."

Those inspiring words define how every member of the Deacon Club and Wake Forest supporter helps Wake Forest Athletics be a Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program and deliver on its No. 1 goal of Providing a World Class Student-Athlete Experience.

In all, Deacon Club members contributed over $37.5M in cash support of Wake Forest Athletics which marks a 63 percent increase from the 2019-20 fiscal year. This represents a record year of cash giving to Wake Forest Athletics. Generosity from Wake Forest alumni, parents and community members led to increases in all three segments of support: Today (Annual Support), Tomorrow (Capital Support), and Forever (Endowment and Estate Commitments). The $12.5M invested into direct annual support of student-athlete scholarships and enrichment services marked the fourth-consecutive year of growth in this area and nearly doubled the total annual giving toward student-athlete support from just five years ago.

Additionally, Wake Forest Athletics generously received another record number of almost $21.7M in cash towards capital projects in FY21. That total represents a 133% increase over previous year in support projects. These capital gifts position Athletics to continue to invest in critical facility projects on campus.

"A special thank you is due to the thousands of loyal and generous Deacon Club supporters who have served as the catalyst enabling Wake Forest Athletics to sprint out of the pandemic," director of athletics John Currie said. "Wake Forest Athletics has been able to plan for strategic investments in resources such as technology, strength training and summer school to provide competitive advantages for Wake Forest student-athletes over the past year. Despite the numerous challenges faced throughout this year, Deacon Club members have set a standard for excellence that will translate to excellent success in the classroom and in competition."

Demon-Deacon student-athletes persevered and competed in 268 events that included a fifth-straight bowl appearance for Coach Dave Clawson and the football team, Coach Bobby Muuss and men's soccer made a run to the Elite Eight for the fifth time in the last six seasons, Coach Jen Hoover and women's basketball returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988, both men's and women's golf reached the final day of stroke play in the NCAA Championships, and Tony Jones (high jump) and Anna Bush (pentathlon) captured a pair of individual ACC titles at the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships. Additionally in the classroom, Wake Forest's spring commencement featured 80 student-athletes to go along with the 28 Deacons that earned their degrees after the fall semester. Wake Forest also placed a record total of 289 student-athletes on the 2020-21 Atlantic Coast Conference Honor Roll. This was the third consecutive year the Deacs saw a record number of honorees.

Deacon Club donors provide support that allows the University's 400-plus student-athletes to dream more, learn more, do more and become more.

"After a record-breaking year in FY21 from our loyal Deacon Club supporters, there are many ways gifts allow Wake Forest Athletics to provide Wake Forest student-athletes with a World Class Student-Athlete experience," senior associate athletic director Barry Faircloth said. "These strategic investments in resources such as technology, strength training and summer school provide competitive advantages for Wake Forest student-athletes over its competition throughout the Atlantic Coast Conference and country."

So, where are these gifts going and creating a lasting impact?

Annual Fund

Wake Forest alumni, parents and friends once again rose to the occasion, contributing over $6.2M toward the Deacon Club Annual Fund.
Gifts to the Annual Fund allow for the recruitment, education, and support system that provide a world-class student-athlete experience for all 400-plus Wake Forest student-athletes.
- Last year, Wake Forest Athletics was able to allocate Annual Fund gifts toward the over $18M in scholarships provided to student-athletes and over $5M invested in student-athlete enrichment services, such as career development, academic services, nutrition and mental well-being.

Excellence Funds

Donors invested over $5.5M into sport-specific "Excellence Funds," marking an over 56% increase in contributions that enhance program budgets.
Investments made into Excellence Funds allow Wake Forest Athletics programs to make strategic investments in targeted initiatives like equipment and technology, or the continued education of student-athletes.
- Wendell Dunn recently rejoined the Wake Forest football program as its Director of Player Development, a brand new position made possible through a generous gift by Billy Prim to create the Football Player Career Development fund. A grant to help football student-athletes transition into college as undergraduates, and into the industry of their choice upon graduation.
- Jason George, a veteran strength and conditioning and a sports psychologist with over 11 years of experience in the NFL and over three decades of experience in athletics, was hired as Director of Integrated High Performance this past spring. George oversees the development of an integrated, high-performance program within the Demon Deacon football team, leveraging existing resources in sports performance, sports medicine, nutrition and sports psychology to implement sports science principles with comprehensive data collection/analysis and monitoring systems to optimize decision-making for football student-athlete development and performance.
- Another great example of a championship-shifting investment is recent women's golf senior Siyun Liu. After COVID-19 shortened her senior year in 2019-20, Excellence Fund contributions provided Coach Kim Lewellen with the flexibility to offer her a scholarship to return for this season as the NCAA gave all spring student-athletes an additional year of eligibility due to the pandemic. This opportunity has provided Siyun both an opportunity to earn her master's degree from Wake Forest and to represent the Demon Deacons for one final season this spring.

Forever Deacs Initiative

Forever Deacs is a new initiative from Wake Forest Athletics to recognize supporters who have set up an endowed scholarship or program funds, or have made a planned gift through their estate. Wake Forest is proud to recognize these individuals who have created a permanent, lasting impact on Wake Forest Athletics, and have therefore truly become "Forever Deacs."
- Donors have committed close to $11.8M through this unique initiative and have given nearly $10.3M in estate commitments. Additional information about this initiative is located here.
Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Rebecca Wilson Macsovits didn't choose Wake Forest University because of soccer — when she arrived as a freshman, the women's soccer program was still two years away from fruition. But playing on the inaugural team in 1994 coupled with the diverse set of experiences afforded to Wilson Macsovits during her Wake Forest journey have led to an indelible spirit of giving back to the program. One vehicle for her giving is the "1994 Women's Soccer Pioneer Scholarship."
- "I'd been giving to Wake, but the more I thought about it — I have a special place in my heart for Wake Forest in general, but especially for the women's soccer program. I wanted to do something to help some women get to Wake Forest and play. I want them to have the same experiences I had, and be on that team. I want to help in some small way."

Sustain the Deacs Initiative

In an effort to help offset lost ticket revenue from this past year due to the pandemic, Wake Forest Athletics staff asked football and basketball season ticket holders to help Sustain the Deacs by converting their ticket purchases to charitable donations. With overwhelming support by close to 750 loyal supporters, Wake Forest Athletics saw nearly $750,000 in gifts.
- There are so many great examples to share, such as Jim Prusko, who lives in Connecticut and whose daughter is a junior at Wake Forest. His quote about why he donated was inspiring. "Asking for the money back just didn't seem right. We all have some responsibility to help those less fortunate and those most severely impacted by the pandemic. As a member of the Wake Forest community, this was just one way we could help our University."

International Leadership Circle

Through this new initiative, 127 total donors, including 62 of them that are now to the International Leadership Circle, have created over $4M of new contributions to Wake Forest Athletics.
The International Leadership Circle (ILC) is a comprehensive program for Wake Forest's top annual athletic donors. Each member of the International Leadership Circle has combined annual giving of at least $15,000 with donations going to the Deacon Club Annual Fund, program-specific Excellence Funds and/or priority seating gifts.
The ILC promotes awareness of this campaign and also provides recognition to those that are leading the way in ensuring Wake Forest is the model intercollegiate athletics program to follow.

If you haven't yet made a gift and are able to help, please visit the Deacon Club website today to help shape a successful 2021-22 year and support the goal of providing a World Class Student-Athlete Experience for all Demon Deacon student-athletes.

For more information about the Deacon Club click here and for all the latest news about Wake Forest Athletics visit GoDeacs.com.

What's next?

The entire Wake Forest community is excited about President Dr. Susan R. Wente as she officially began her journey at Wake Forest on Thursday, July 1. As she said in her first address to the Demon Deacon community, Wake Forest is an institution that embraces the values it professes, takes seriously its commitment to its mission and upholds its responsibilities to its people. Additionally, she shared that we must set a high standard within higher education, and always pursue excellence.

Within Wake Forest Athletics five goals that drive our daily decision making process, 1) A World Class Student-Athlete Experience; 2) Integrity in Academics, Compliance, Finance, Inclusion and Safety; 3) Value to the University Winston-Salem and Triad Communities; 4) Win Championships; 5) The Best Fan Experience in North Carolina.

The record-setting year by loyal Deacon Club members is an example of how Wake Forest Athletics can achieve those goals and has provided the fuel for its staff to sprint out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This accomplishment has set the foundation for what is needed to create impactful and sustainable success for current and future Demon Deacon student-athletes.

Wake Forest Athletics

Giving to Wake Forest Athletics Surged 63 Percent in FY21, All-Time Cash Giving Record of $37.5M

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