During this transition period until Brian is fully invested as athletics director on August 9, we write together as the incoming and interim athletics directors to celebrate the fundraising success of FY21 and embrace the fundraising challenge of FY22. By any measure, FY21 was a remarkable year reflecting the commitment and generosity of those who support the Tribe:

• Expendable gifts totaled $7.2 million, by far the highest sum since 2010.
• 7,262 donors supported W&M Athletics, the second-highest number of donors in that span.

In a year of unprecedented challenges, the strength of the Tribe was evident. On behalf of every William & Mary student-athlete and coach, all of whom benefited from your generosity, thank you. We are grateful!
   
As previously shared, balancing W&M Athletics' FY22 budget depends upon receiving $5.2 million in expendable gifts. FY21's experience shows the pathway to get to FY22's target and allow for strategic investment in programs exceeding that mark. Giving to several programs exceeded the sport-specific targets for the year. Within the FY21 total, nearly $1.2 million went into reserves designated for those programs. Moving forward, the programs with that kind of community support will gain additional resources to use strategically in enhancing program excellence.
 
In FY21, all but five programs reached their fundraising target based on a common level of support per student-athlete. Two of those five (women's basketball and baseball) were tantalizingly close to reaching 100%.
 
An athletics program as comprehensive as ours requires broad-based support. In FY22 and beyond, programs not reaching the targeted giving level will increase the burden placed on the rest of the Tribe. We will need continued support from the alumnae and alumni of every sport to sustain the scope and excellence of our programs.  
 
Giving to the Impact Fund, which provides unrestricted funds to support the department's most pressing needs, is vital as well. In FY21, unrestricted gifts, including those to the Impact Fund, reached nearly $1.4 million. We're particularly grateful to everyone who supported the entire Tribe through unrestricted gifts.
 
In the coming months, W&M Athletics will continue to report regularly on progress toward sport-specific and unrestricted targets in FY22. We'll also be building out the resource councils and other infrastructure needs of the respective programs as they expand community support. And we'll be working with every program to exceed their giving target to provide for the strategic investments that will allow them to thrive.
 
Thank you for all that you've done for William & Mary this year. Together, we've laid the foundation for success in FY22 and beyond. We've built shared awareness that W&M Athletics depends on annual giving each and every year in order to operate a broad-based department. We will continue to be good stewards of the resources you provide to sustain and enhance the experience of our student-athletes and coaches.
 
Go Tribe!
 
Brian D. Mann
Incoming Director of Athletics

Jeremy P. Martin
Interim Director of Athletics