2008 Annual Appeal

John Wilcox, President of the Washington Rowing Stewards (from the October 15, 2008 Husky Crew Newsletter):

When you opened this newsletter, you knew you would be asked for a donation. Well it's that season again and we have no apologies to make. The program needs your support. Now more than ever.

The good news is that financial uncertainty no longer dogs our Huskies. Thanks to your generosity and your passion, the Huskies are at the top of their game. Because of you, we can now examine the future with confidence. Because of you, your Washington Rowing Stewards board can report that our effort to put the program on a solid financial foundation is working.

Four years ago we looked at our prime competitors and discovered that each was blessed with huge endowments, programs underwritten by alumni, or both. We were in a losing race unless we could win your trust and support. So we made an emotional, fact-based appeal for contributions and you came through like the national champions you helped finance.

Your annual gifts shot up to $86,000, then to $161,000 and last spring to $172,000. Virtually all of that money has gone into scholarship endowments or current scholarship costs. But we are a long way from where we need to be to ensure that Husky Crew remains the strong, financially healthy program you want and expect.

Consistency was our objective and it remains so. The program wants to be in a position to win it all every year – year in and year out – and your financial support has been a central to Bob and Michael getting us there. In the last two years at the IRA, their teams have won the James Ten Eyck trophy twice by winning six national championship races, two seconds and one third. And in a single year, Bob returned the women's program to the elite level.

Four years ago we promised you a return on your investment and our athletes and their great coaching staff delivered. First, they recruited great athletes from the Pacific Northwest. Walk-ons are the foundation of Husky Crew and they race in every racing boat. But now the coaches are able to recruit against the wealthy schools for those few franchise players we need every year to win consistently. And they are winning both on the water and in the classroom.

But we are not out of the financial woods just yet. We are still $4 million short of our goals. The difference between now and four years ago is that we know you are interested, that you are passionate about a successful program, and that you will help to see it through.

Read on to learn about the program's sources and uses of funds.
 

Pulling Your Weight

Financing a winning rowing program isn't rocket science, friends, it's a matter of breaking down the requirements into basic components and identifying funding sources for those in need.

Scholarships are one component and we've said enough about that in the preceding article.

Salaries, benefits and operating expenses are a second component. These costs are born by the Athletic Department in a manner that makes the program competitive with most of the programs around the country. Our coaches win with a smaller staff and budget than those at other elite schools, but they win.

Travel is a third component. The Athletic Department presently funds travel for the Pac-10 schedule, the Pac-10 Championships, and, when the teams qualify, for the National Championship Regattas. Other travel is a challenge. For example, as an elite level program, annual trips to the Head of the Charles are a "must" as are periodic trips to Henley. We will have more to say on this in future issues.

Equipment is a fourth component. The Athletic Department pays for all of the equipment used by the program except for racing shells. Most of them are donated by friends of the program. Think of the Chuck Holtz, winner of 18 straight races which surely must be a UW record. It was donated by Jon Runstad. Think of The Hunter, certainly one of the best and most under-reported stories from the Beijing Olympics. The Hunter was donated by Dottie Simpson and her family, and it carried Anna Cummins and Mary Whipple and seven other Americans to an Olympic Gold medal. And think of the eights donated by the McCurdy family, the LaFramboise Foundation, Martin Nelson and the Fisher family. Or think of the fours donated by Ed McRory, the Robbins family, and the group of '92 grads, Trevor Vernon, Matt Minas, Bruce Patterson, Ray Kimbrough, Paul Yount, Dylan Jackson, Andrew Stevens, and Colin Sykes. Without them all, there would be no racing.

If those four components are our financial corner posts, it is clear that two are strong and two must be strengthened in order to carry the full load for the next 100 years. The Stewards' over-arching mission is to build a financial house that keeps the Huskies on top, one that invites pride and participation from all of you, and one that will extend the tradition through the next 100 years. To that end, we will continue expanding our fan base aggressively through the Class Stewards program. We will look for better ways to communicate with you. We will look for improved ways for us all to get together. And we will continue to seek your contributions and advice. Together, we will make permanent our claim to be the best college rowing program in the world. Join us today with a gift for the program.

Yes, we ask a lot of you. But we think you care. And we think you like what has happened because of your involvement. That's why we say, without apology, we want you to be more than a donor; we want you to put the Husky rowing program at the top of your charitable contributions.

You can go to https://secure.gifts.washington.edu/uw_foundation/gift.asp?source_typ=5&source=CREW and make your donation online or send your check to:

However you choose to donate, please do it now. Remember, every donation - from five dollars to five hundred thousand dollars - counts, and all donations earn Tyee Points.

For the first time, too, all donations will be acknowledged in the newsletter next spring. Please note the levels of giving and stretch as much as you can to reach a level higher than you might have otherwise.

If you have thoughts or suggestions, please contact us through our website at mail@huskycrew.org. Or you can simply pick up the telephone and call John Wilcox on 206 443-3344.  Thank you for your commitment to the tradition of Washington Rowing.