BOSTON – Through the continued support of alumni, parents and friends, and the addition of multiple transformative gifts, the Boston University Department of Athletics raised over $5.44 million in new pledges and commitments to positively impact the current student-athlete experience and team priorities during the 2023 fiscal year.
 
As part of this unprecedented generosity, the department set a record in the amount raised through its Annual Fund, while five individual programs (men's ice hockey, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, men's track & field and cross country) set new high marks of their own.

"This year's record-breaking results were an incredible success thanks to the passion and support from Terrier Athletics alumni, parents and friends," said director of athletics development Kyle Shawgo. "The work put in by coaches, student-athletes and staff throughout the year was tremendous, and the response from our community signals a strong commitment to ensuring our programs have the resources they need to succeed while providing a transformative experience for our student-athletes. On behalf of BU Athletics, thank you."
 
In addition, over 7,000 unique donors made a gift to BU Athletics, an 11% increase over last year. Other highlights include:
 
Giving Day – The ninth annual Giving Day, held on April 11, saw the department exceed $1 million for the sixth consecutive year. The 24-hour initiative resulted in over 2,700 gifts and a final tally of more than $1.24 million that represented 32% of the $3.8 million raised in total across campus. The competition included 239 contributions of $1,000 or more, with 36 gifts being $10,000+ donations. Since its inception, over $8.7 million has now been raised in support of Terrier student-athletes as part of the Giving Day movement.

Terriers Together – The third annual Terriers Together campaign focused solely on alumni, parent and friend participation and rewarded teams with the most unique donors. The shift in strategy from previous initiatives was a major success, resulting in over 1,400 gifts - a 35% increase from last year's four-day campaign. Of the 24 varsity teams, more than half hit their participation goals, earning extra funding for their student-athletes. 
 
Young Alumni Participation – Athletics young alumni continued to support their former programs in 2022-23 as 39% made a gift in support of their respective teams. In addition to the several funded challenge gifts during the Giving Day and Terriers Together campaigns, the Athletics Young Alumni Council, chaired by women's golf standout Emily Tillo (Questrom'16), continues to play a role in finding meaningful ways for young alumni to engage with their teams.
 
Major Gifts and Planned Gifts – Fourteen major and planned gifts of $100k+ were pledged in 2022-23. Several gifts were made in support of current Athletics facilities projects, including a $1 million lead gift that was directed to the Basketball Locker Room Relocation & Renovation Project. Additional endowments were created to support team-specific needs for men's ice hockey and men's tennis, bringing the number of teams that benefit from the use of an endowment to seven (women's ice hockey, men's ice hockey, men's track & field and cross country, men's basketball, men's soccer, men's rowing and men's tennis). In addition, three new endowments were created to support student-athlete scholarships, including the Barry J. Shames Men's Hockey Summer Scholarship and the Frances Reiner Lax Endowed Athletics Scholarship for Aspiring Creative & Helping Professionals.

This upcoming year will provide the opportunity to achieve even more. Additional plans for facility enhancements and other priorities are on the horizon as BU continues to build on previous successes and provide student-athletes with the necessary resources to succeed in the classroom and competition.

For more information on how you can make a difference on the experience of current student-athletes, visit GoTerriers.com/Donate or contact the Terrier Athletics Fund via phone (617-353-3008) or email (terriers@bu.edu).