The Lord Botetourt Auction, a W&M Athletics fundraiser, is this Friday, March 12. To register for the event, visit www.tribeauction.com. To learn more about the event, click here.
 
Now well into March, W&M Athletics has 19 of 23 teams active – far more than would be the case in a typical year. This past weekend our cross country teams and men's basketball team competed in their CAA championship events. Reaching those championship competitions is our goal for each team as we strive to train and compete as safely and fiscally responsibly as possible this spring.
 
My last update focused on the ongoing work toward ensuring gender equity for W&M Athletics. This week, I'd like to focus on departmental finances before providing a sport-specific fundraising update later this month.
 
W&M Athletics depends upon annual giving to meet its basic budgetary needs. Each year at least 15% of the department's revenues – and upwards of 20% in some years – come from donor contributions. As has been frequently discussed, those critical resources sustain a budget that's already stretched thin to support W&M Athletics and all its programs.
 
FY2020's lower donor participation and reduced donations resulted in a financial crisis for W&M Athletics. Compared to FY2019, the number of donors to athletics declined by 36%. Expendable gifts received also declined by 36% -- $1.5 million less than the prior year. It's hard to overstate the pandemic's impact, but we recognize the department could have been more effective in engaging our donors to meet our pressing needs. Since FY2015, existing reserves have been tapped each year to balance the budget. Those reserves are now depleted. W&M Athletics needs to excel in donor engagement, and as a community we need to understand that, with limited reserves, reduced support immediately yields financial crisis. Fortunately, the Tribe has rallied to the cause in FY2021, which runs through June 30, with the number of donors already exceeding the FY2020 total by 13% and expendable donations received by 79%.
 
All W&M Athletics' programs need to become community-building sports. In the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in which William & Mary competes, no athletics department generates net revenue. At William & Mary, no individual program generates net revenue, which is typical of most NCAA Division I institutions. All of our programs need actively to build community for William & Mary. There are at least two ways to accomplish this:

• By generating broad interest and providing the opportunity for our community to come together to celebrate and take pride in William & Mary.
• By creating a stalwart community of alumni and friends committed to providing for the program's financial sustainability.

Those characteristics are certainly not mutually exclusive. It remains my view that community-building programs will thrive at William & Mary.
 
The national landscape demonstrates the financial pressures in operating a broad-based athletics program. W&M Athletics offers more sports than 86% of NCAA Division I institutions, for which the median number of sports is 18. Of the 48 NCAA Division I institutions sponsoring 23 sports or more, eight announced program eliminations during the 2020-21 academic year. That's one in six high-sponsorship institutions reevaluating their sports sponsorship.
   

Last fall, the William & Mary community reiterated the desire for a broad athletics program. Thus far in FY2021, we've seen the financial commitment reflect that desire. However, the magnitude of the financial challenge is not diminished by success in a single year – it must be repeated and increased each and every year.

With that in mind, let me share an announcement that President Rowe made earlier today:

We recognize that every sports program annually depends upon generous support from alumni and friends in order to thrive. Moreover, W&M Athletics as a whole depends upon that generosity in order to avoid a moment in which sport sponsorship must be reevaluated to ensure the department's financial sustainability while advancing equity.

In November, the university conveyed the expectation that men's gymnastics, men's swimming and men's track & field would continue at least through 2021-22. We are pleased to announce that these programs will continue to compete, without a stated potential end date, as do all other athletics programs at William & Mary. To be successful, every sport at William & Mary will require sustained higher levels of philanthropic support going forward.

Knowing the stakes firsthand, we have to be all in for W&M Athletics. Thank you for all you do to support our programs. As always, go Tribe!

All the best,

JPM