Deacs Day of Giving 2019: Developing Athletes, Facilities, and Elite Programs

This article is part of a series for the 2nd annual Deacs Day of Giving, a 24-hour fundraising event being held today, February 6th, 2019. On this impactful day, the Deacon Club is aiming to raise money to fund investments in recruiting, training, and educational resources for Wake Forest Athletics and its student-athletes.

Click here to learn more about today’s events and how you can support The Deacon Club and Wake Forest Athletics.

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Good morning and Happy Wednesday, Deacon Fans. As a refresher for hopefully many of you out there, today marks the 2nd Annual “Deacs Day of Giving”, a 24-hour fundraising event where alumni, parents, and fans alike can help contribute to the development and growth of Wake Forest Athletics.

As the smallest school amongst the Power 5 Conferences, Wake Forest evidently doesn’t have a monumental alumni base to tap into when looking to raise funds for athletic-related advancements. And yet despite a relatively small alumni community, Wake Forest has consistently shown an ability to compete with its peers across the board in various sports, aided and driven by the generous donations of our passionate fanbase. In fact, Wake Forest Athletics is coming off arguably its best sports season in the history of the school, finishing 6th in the nation and 1st in the ACC in the Learfield Director’s Cup Standings for the fall.

New state-of-the-art facilities is undoubtedly the theme that first comes to mind when one thinks of athletic donations, and for good reason too. Incredible gifts such as the Shah Basketball Complex and McCreary Field House generate huge press releases, create game-changing training facilities for our student athletes, and are a significant asset on the recruiting trail as well.

And yet these additions to Wake Forest Athletics’ overall package only tell part of the story of the impact donations can have for our beloved programs. Hidden bonuses come in the form of things like additional recruiting trips so coaching staffs can get as much time scouting/connecting with prospects as other high-budget programs. They also come in the form of scholarships for our student athletes, and improvements in nutrition and body recovery technology our trainers can provide them. Donations can also provide salaries for additional analysts on coaching staffs, or financial resources to ensure high-achieving Assistant Coaches are appropriately rewarded and stay in Winston-Salem for the long-term. These are all key aspects of any successful athletic program that deserve consideration and can help keep Wake Forest competitive as the world of college sports continues to evolve.

This year’s much-anticipated Deacs Day of Giving features Student-Athlete, Greek Life, and Fan Challenges that you can easily get involved in if interested. All this being said, I’ll link to the official Deacon Club Day of Giving homepage here for more information on this year’s fundraising efforts and how one can help.

Looking forward to a successful rest of 2019 and beyond for Wake Forest Sports. Go Deacs!