By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
Organizers of the Lord Botetourt Affair, an annual event that raises money for William & Mary Athletics, had to get creative this time. The social event of the year would be held virtually, and that would include live and silent auctions.
 
The uncertainty of it all in mind, organizers set their expectations on the conservative side. Which makes this year's haul of $340,000, the second-highest total in the event's 32-year history, a very pleasant surprise.
 
"When we started this, we had no idea what the response would be for a number or reasons," said Barb Ramsey '75, a member of the executive committee. "We got started much later than we normally do as a committee, and not being able to meet in person created challenges.
 
"But the committee worked hard and a lot of donors come through at the end providing some really high-value items. And the bidding crowd completely surpassed our expectations."
 
Since it was done remotely, there was practically no overhead. The $340,000 raised on March 12 is surpassed only by the $401,688 raised in 2014.
 
"We're extremely pleased," said Bobby Dwyer, a former senior associate athletics director at W&M who served as auctioneer. "William & Mary people are amazing. They were so generous.
 
"We had a lot of people who signed up as patrons prior to that night, so we were $125,000, maybe $130,000 in revenue from patrons. That was obviously a great start — money that was committed prior to (that) night."
 
Also, just as the program was ending, an anonymous donor matched the money that had been raised in the live auction — which meant an additional $99,300. The donor made the gift in honor of Dwyer and directed proceeds to fund scholarships for female athletes.
 
"It was overwhelming," Dwyer said.
 
The virtual event was hosted in Zable Stadium's press box. Jay Colley, the veteran play-by-play announcer for Tribe football and men's basketball, was master of ceremonies.
 
"I have to give credit to our production crew," Ramsey said. "Mark Entwistle (of Telemedia Productions) did an excellent job of setting up the cameras and having a vision of how we could transition everything. Peter Travis (director of athletics special events) was invaluable to the entire committee throughout the process but particularly on the night of the event.
 
"Aleyha Johnson (manager of athletics donor relations) was also instrumental to our success. And Tony Vaughn (assistant director of media relations for video) provided the foundation for the evening's dialogue and conversation."
 
The hope was to have some athletes with Colley and Dwyer for their perspectives, but the ongoing pandemic made that problematic. Instead, Vaughn provided several athlete videos for the event.
 
President Katherine A. Rowe and her husband, Bruce Jacobson, agreed to host dinners for the three highest bidders. That came to a total of approximately $60,000.
 
Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott '98 donated two club-level seats for a 2021 game, which went for $5,025. Other high-bid items included a "Leggacy Vacation" ($5,000), a Cayman Islands Retreat (twice at $4,100 each), and a New England Lobster Clambake ($4,000).
 
Ramsey said about 200 people registered for the event, but she doesn't know how many of them participated in the auction.
 
"There were a few computer glitches," Ramsey said. "But I think anyone who has done anything virtually has encountered them along the way."
 
Naturally, the organizers hope next year's event will go back to the normal in-person setting. But they also have come to realize that remote has its place.
 
"The thought for next year is try to utilize a hybrid model because we found people who wouldn't normally be able to attend participated," Ramsey said. "I have a golf bag here in my living room that was purchased by someone who lives in Michigan. We had people in New York, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma end up being winners on a number of things.
 
"Not only does it open the pool for bidders, it also increases the engagement of alumni and supporters across the country. Even if you're not bidding, it increases the way those individuals can feel a connection to the university."