Coming from an Institutional Advancement perspective, your institution should absolutely integrate Athletics' annual fundraising with IA operations.
My first thought is that it's important to collect donor information from your fundraising platforms. If those platforms don't provide that information, you should explore alternatives. Chances are the software/CRM your IA team uses (e.g., Blackbaud) already has these capabilities built in, such as online credit card payments. Using those systems will make integration much easier and allow your IA team to track gifts to Athletics and include them in annual fund totals.
Your IA team likely already has staff assigned to process and account for gifts. Without knowing your organizational structure, my guess is that the additional staffing needed would be less significant than you might think if the IA team already has the platforms and processes in place to manage athletic giving.
There are two main reasons to collect donor information:
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Improved donor strategy. It helps IA staff develop better fundraising strategies and strengthens overall fundraising operations. Properly acknowledging contributions encourages donors to give again. Even small gifts provide valuable information for your IA team.
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Credibility and accountability. Collecting donor information provides confidence and business credibility to your fundraising operations. Your fundraising platforms should be set up to securely collect donor information. Donors can always elect to remain anonymous, but the institution should still be aware of the sources of gift revenue.
I'm not sure why some of the Athletics expenses you mentioned would disqualify donations as charitable gifts. Charitable contributions can fund general operations if the donations are made to the college for expenses directly related to its mission and tax-exempt purpose.
The key distinction may be how the revenue is collected. If funds are given by a donor with the intent to support tax-exempt purposes, and the donor receives nothing in return, the gift is likely a charitable donation and can be counted toward the annual fund.
I can understand not counting certain revenue if it is given directly to individuals to cover their personal costs, or if something is expected in return by the "donor," such as sponsorship agreements, sales of goods or services, or raffles. In those cases, the revenue would generally not be considered charitable donations.
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Eric Persons
Consultant
NACUBO Consultants and Speakers
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Original Message:
Sent: 03-04-2026 10:48 AM
From: Ruth Joress
Subject: Athletics Fundraising
Dear Colleagues,
I am seeking guidance on how your institutions account for fundraising conducted by sports teams. Our club and varsity teams regularly raise funds to support equipment purchases, travel, and other expenses. Our Institutional Advancement (IA) office would like to include these Athletics fundraising totals in the annual fund; however, many of these payments-such as trip fees and team dues-are not charitable donations. Determining which funds qualify as donations would require significant additional staffing.
Additionally, some of our fundraising platforms remit funds to the College without providing donor information, making it impossible for IA to issue tax acknowledgments.
If your institution has established policies or practices that define which Athletics fundraising activities fall under IA and which do not, I would greatly appreciate your insight.
Thank you in advance.
Ruth
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Ruth Joress
Associate Vice President of Finance/Controller
Curry College
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