Every February, Dartmouth Club Sports runs the Club Sports Challenge: a two-week window during which teams have to raise as much money for their organizations as possible, with some additional fundraising incentives on the line. It's usually a hectic time for us as a team, but as a relatively young organization at Dartmouth it's an amazing opportunity to get extra funding for team activities. If you've donated in the past, are considering donating this year, or just want to see how this part of our team runs, we figured we'd discuss what exactly the Club Sports Challenge entails this year and what even just a little bit of support allows us to do.
This year, the Dartmouth Triathlon Team has three main goals:
- Raise $7,500 to support financial assistance, gear purchases, and race subsidies!
- Have 30 donors (50% of last year's total) increase their gift from last year.
- Have 25 young alumni (defined as having graduated from Dartmouth in the last 10 years) donate at least $50 this year.
We earn additional money if we reach all three of our goals as well. Last year, we were able to achieve this and received an extra $3,500 for doing so, and are hoping that this year we will be able to do the same.
Any amount of support we get, even if only a couple dollars, would allow us to accomplish more and continue to grow our team. Whether a donation be made entirely up-front or set up as a smaller recurring donation throughout the year, any donation would be appreciated and qualify toward the Club Sports Challenge goals if made during the Challenge period. As one of the newest and fastest-growing teams at Dartmouth, our gear supply has been outgrown by the size of the team, and with no races to look forward to in the foreseeable future we've been using our fundraising money to buy new equipment. This increases accessibility and inclusivity on our team, which is essential to our mission statement. While the milestones below are in no way indicative of how the Dartmouth Triathlon Team would utilize a particular donation, we figured we would offer some insight into the more common items we purchase, and how support at any level really goes a long way in supporting our team.
- $2 can buy a resistance band to get good glute workouts in virtual strength practice!
- $10 can buy a high-visibility running vest to keep us safe during evening workouts!
- $25 can cover financial assistance for one team member’s termly dues!
- $50 can buy a new helmet to keep team members safe on bike rides!
- $100 can buy a bike trainer for winter bike training!
- $150 can buy a wetsuit to keep us warm for cold open-water swims!
- $500 can buy us a new team bike to lend out for team members to get on the road!
With all that being said, if you're as excited about the Club Sports Challenge as we are and want to help the Triathlon Team out, we really appreciate it! The Club Sports Challenge runs from February 15-28, 2021, so aim to donate in that window so your support can help us earn bonus funding! If you'd like to donate to support the Dartmouth Triathlon Team, you can do so at [this link] from now until the 28th!
SBR,
The Exec Board