DETROIT (12/6/2017) -- Detroit Mercy's University Advancement Division announced a new giving competition titled "Clash of the Titans" to help support Detroit Mercy's NCAA Division I athletic teams last month and after 30 days, the event ended with over $80,000 raised for the red, white and blue.
Detroit Mercy Titan teams competed against one another with the team that raises the most funding support according to specific guidelines receiving an additional $5,000 contribution from the university. While all the funds are in, the winning team has not been announced yet.
In the first week alone, the fundraising battle saw over $25,000 earned for the Titan athletic program and that number continued to rise during the month of November.
Gifts were between $10 and $2,500 and over 450 donors made contributions to their favorite Titan program.
The goals of this effort were to increase financial support for teams from alumni and friends and create a friendly competition to determine which Detroit Mercy Division I team can raise the most funds to support specific program needs.
"Clash of the Titans" utilized the institution's Crowdfunding platform through the Office of Annual Giving, explained Ann Fisher, executive director of the office.
"We wanted to find a way to help our teams fulfill some important needs. In our first year using our own Crowdfunding platform, we raised almost $40,000 for programs, services and other mission-based efforts. It's been extremely helpful in raising much-needed funding for programs that would have otherwise gone unfunded," she explained. "Because we have Division I athletic teams that have to travel around the country to compete, we wanted to see how the university could create additional means of support, and this seemed like the perfect fit. As a result, we created 'Clash of the Titans' as a friendly competition among our teams to get student-athletes and coaches directly involved in encouraging supporters to make contributions to support critical team needs," she added.
Through Crowdfunding, Detroit Mercy can effectively raise important support for programs, services, and research activities through targeted efforts to ensure growth and sustainability. The university is pleased to accept donations of any amount to support a multitude of diverse projects.
The Detroit Mercy teams listed the following goals for their fundraising efforts.
- Women's Softball: Donations will support travel expenses associated with tournament play.
- Track and Field: Donations will help the team secure uniforms, shoes, team gear and fund travel expenses associated with seasonal competition.
- Men's and Women's Tennis: Donations will support the purchase of needed equipment for practice and competition, as well as costs associated with travel outside the Midwest for conference play.
- Women's Basketball: Contributions will support updates for the locker room and coach's office.
- Men's Basketball: Support for Men's Basketball will provide funds for the Titans to go overseas and play a team in another country.
- Women's Soccer: Funds will support a new ceiling and ventilation system in the locker room, stadium lights for the turf field and dugouts for team bench areas.
- Men's Soccer: The team needs funding for training equipment, gear, team training and travel expenses.
- Women's Lacrosse: Gifts will support locker room updates and travel to and from tournaments.
- Men's Lacrosse: Contributions will support the purchase of sideline jackets and help with purchasing a machine to kill locker room germs.
- Women's Golf: Funds will support improvements to the practice area at Calihan Hall, installation of a "Flight Scope" to assist players with swings and a "Sam Putting Lab" to help with putting skills.
- Men's Golf: Donor support will help the team to travel and compete in events down south during the winter months and provide increased practice time.
- Fencing: Support for the team will help with new uniforms.
- Cheer Team: Support for new uniforms, which includes two tops and one bottom for each team member.
For more information, please
click here or call the Detroit Mercy Office of Annual Giving at 313-993-1582.
