Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/105202
Dear Cavalier Friends, I hope all Cavalier fans had a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying the start of 2013. After a fast and furious end to our 2012 fundraising campaign, our staff is already setting the stage for a successful 2013 effort. I am pleased to report that our annual fund had its best finish since 2008 and surpassed the $14.2 million mark. This represents an increase of 3% over 2011. Thank you to all of our members for making this kind of investment in our student-athletes and coaches. While we are pleased with the fundraising results in 2012, we still did not reach our stated goal of $14.5 million, which now requires us to draw upon endowment cash reserves to balance our funding obligations. We are working hard to close this gap as soon as possible. Our biggest challenge is keeping up with the rising scholarship costs. This year is another important year for the Foundation. We will continue to recognize the long time support of our donors. We will honor 41 donors who reached their 40th consecutive year of giving in 2012 and an additional 128 who reached 25 years of giving. Our 2013 Membership Guide, including a personalized pledge card, will be mailed in early February and will be available online at VirginiaAthleticsFoundation.com at the same time. I invite all members to take part in the new "I Give 110%" initiative. This new effort is described in greater detail in this issue of the Cavalier Corner and is designed to encourage and reward donors who increase their contributions by 10% or more. This will help us close the gap in meeting our scholarship expenses for the year. All members at the Sabre Club and higher will receive the new VAF Membership Packet as a thank you for their support. Packets will be mailed after a member's 2013 pledge is received. Finally, we made some adjustments to our benefits chart to make it easier to read and understand. The chart is displayed on the following page and is included in our 2013 Membership Guide. There have been no changes to giving levels or member benefits. As always, we invite you to call our office to speak to a member of our staff if you have any questions. We also have a new "live chat" feature on our website that can be utilized during business hours. You can now easily access your member account online to view your giving history, priority points and much more. Thank you for making an incredible investment in Virginia Athletics. With your help, we will continue to support a program of uncompromised excellence. Kind regards, Dirk P. Katstra Executive Director