Aug. 23, 2018 San Jose, Calif. – In 2017, the San José State University Divisions of Intercollegiate Athletics and University Advancement joined forces creating Spartan Athletics Advancement to enhance athletics fundraising efforts through the Spartan Athletics Fund (SAF) – the new name for the primary annual giving platform to San Jose State intercollegiate athletics.
Ushered in with the recent distribution of the SAF Impact Report to current athletics donors and fans of the program and the launch of the SAF website (sjsu.edu/saf), the SAF will provide core support resources for the 22 Spartan Athletics programs and to over 470 student-athletes.
"One of the major points of emphasis for our partnership with University Advancement is to reinvigorate athletics annual fundraising efforts in terms of number of donors and dollars raised. The larger goal is to raise annual support for athletics to levels at or above peer Mountain West conference institutions," said San Jose State Athletics Director Marie Tuite. "I am excited to share our story to a broader base of Spartans and inspire individuals to help us build a sustainable funding source for the benefit of student-athletes and coaches."
The Spartan Athletics Fund was formerly known by fans and supporters as the Spartan Foundation, an independent 501(c)3 organization. Established in 1958, the Spartan Foundation solicited philanthropic gifts for the benefit of the athletics department. Since 2014, the university determined that all San Jose State Athletics gifts would be processed through the Tower Foundation like every other philanthropic gift to any area on campus. The Tower Foundation is a SJSU auxiliary dedicated to the development, investment, administration and banking of all university philanthropic donations.
"When we embarked on the plan to partner with athletics advancement, we saw much to gain from combining the resources and talents of University Advancement and Intercollegiate Athletics," said Vice President for University Advancement Paul Lanning. "The advent of the Spartan Athletics Fund was a true cross-campus collaboration and the Impact Report highlighting the impact donor gifts have on our student-athletes will serve to inspire alumni and fans of Spartan Athletics to invest in our future."
While the rebranding is the most visible difference with athletics advancement, other changes include the expansion of advancement staff dedicated to athletics fundraising and enhanced day-to-day collaboration, connectivity and alignment between athletics and university initiatives.
Specific to the SAF, new giving levels and benefits have been introduced and the former annual spring fund drive will be replaced by a year-long mix of outreach via social media, email, direct mail, telemarketing via the student call center, and in-person conversations.
"Gifts to the Spartan Athletics Fund are critical to enhancing our competitiveness within the Mountain West and beyond," said Deputy Athletics Director for Athletics Advancement Josh Thiel. "While we are excited for the rebrand, we are even more excited about this athletics department and the opportunity to positively impact the SJSU experience for our student-athletes through philanthropy."
For more information on the Spartan Athletics Fund, a digital copy of inaugural Impact Report, and details on how you can get involved, please visit the Spartan Athletics Fund website at: sjsu.edu/saf.