The George Mason University Patriot Club closed out a very successful 2020 Alumni-Athlete Giving Challenge by setting a record with 394 alumni-athlete donors, besting the previous high set in 2015.
The Wrestling program led the way with 82 alumni-athlete donors, representing 35.5% of its alumni base. Men’s Soccer finished with 81 donors (24.3%) and won the Most Improved Giving Percentage category.
The fundraising challenge is made possible by the generosity of alumni-athletes Dan and Patty Wotring, who sponsor the program with an annual $10,000 donation to Mason Athletics. Awards are given to the sports that excel in three different categories: highest percentage of alumni-athlete giving; most improved giving percentage; and highest percentage of young alumni-athlete giving.
This year’s challenge, which ended on June 30, brought in $187,696 in gifts from alumni-athletes. An additional $38,232 was raised during the Final Blitz Week, which welcomed gifts from friends of Mason Athletics as well (not included in the total of 394 donors). Wrestling also dominated the Blitz Week competition, leading the way with 148 donors, the largest single gift ($25,000), and the most improved percentage during Blitz Week (+18.1%).
Team Competitions
Highest Alumni-Athlete Giving Percentage: Wrestling, 35.5% ($3,000 prize)
Highest Young Alumni Giving Percentage: Wrestling, 80% ($1,000 prize)
Most Improved Giving Percentage: Men’s Soccer, +21.5% ($1,000 prize)
View the full standings for 2020: https://gomason.com/feature/Alumni-Athlete-Giving-Challenge
July 20, 2020 / adapted from a story by Mason Athletics.
