University of Minnesota Athletics
NEW NAME...SAME GOAL - Athletics Introduces the Golden Gopher Fund
8/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Intercollegiate Athletics will continue to maintain the Berg Fund as a general scholarship fund for female student-athletes and the Williams Fund as a general scholarship fund for male student-athletes. These funds, as well as all endowment and capital funds, will now be communicated as part of the overall "Golden Gopher Fund" program.
"Fundraising plays a critical role in meeting the financial needs of our department," says Maturi. "We felt that an immediately recognizable term like `Golden Gopher Fund' would create a strong connection with both current and potential donors. It also fosters a strong connection to the University as a whole. We value and respect the tradition of the Berg and Williams Funds and will be maintaining those giving opportunities for those who wish to make general contributions in support of women's or men's scholarships."
Associate Athletics Director for Development Mike Halloran echoes Maturi's enthusiasm. "To address the opportunities and challenges facing the department, it's important that we have a consistent way to communicate our fundraising messages. The Golden Gopher Fund gives us a great tool for doing that while still honoring our wonderful Minnesota traditions."
To emphasize the value of those traditions, Intercollegiate Athletics will continue to honor the legacy of Patty Berg and Henry Williams by recognizing, each year, a "Patty Berg Scholar-Athlete" and "Henry Williams Scholar-Athlete" at the annual Golden Gopher Fund banquet that will be held each fall.
With the Golden Gopher Fund, all donors will maintain the right to designate their gifts to any particular area within Intercollegiate Athletics. In addition, all prior endowment fund gifts to Intercollegiate Athletics will continue to support the specific areas and purposes for which they were originally designated.
"We spoke with many people in the past year about a possible new name," says Halloran, "and we heard very clearly that the ability to designate your gift is a Minnesota tradition. We will absolutely maintain that right with the Golden Gopher Fund and want to encourage donors to support the programs that are meaningful to them."
In 2003-2004 approximately 9,000 donors made gifts to Intercollegiate Athletics. As part of the Golden Gopher Fund, various forms of donor recognition will continue as a way of saying "thank you" to those who contribute towards the success of Intercollegiate Athletics.
