The Athletic Department’s annual Buff & Blue Fund Challenge raised more than $560,000 during its 10-day campaign, breaking last year’s record fundraising totals.

The Buff & Blue Fund Challenge, which stretched from Sept. 18 to Sept. 27, aims to cover academic support, travel, nutrition and scholarship costs of athletes. The department aimed to raise $150,000 this year, following last year’s fundraiser that garnered more than $460,000. 

Launching in 2012, the Buff & Blue Fund seeks to bolster monetary support for the Athletics Department. The Challenge, which engages in athletes, their families and alumni in rewards based competition, started in 2015, raising more than $80,000 in its first year. The 2023 Buff & Blue Fund Challenge more than doubled the total from 2022 challenge, which raised about $200,000, and fundraising totals for the challenge have steady increased over the last decade.

Donors designated their donation to a specific athletics team, the Buff & Blue Fund, Student Athlete Scholarship Fund or the overall GW Athletics Department. By the end, the Buff & Blue Fund raised $560,437 dollars.

This year, gymnastics led donation totals, amassing more than $100,000 with 203 donors, with rowing earning silver with $89,574 raised and 126 donors. Rowing more than quadrupled last year’s totals, when the team raised about $21,000 with 295 donors.

Last year, baseball led with most dollars raised, raising more than $80,000 by 143 donors, with gymnastics coming in close second with $76,178 and 274 donors.

Donors hailed from across the country, excluding six states. This year, men's soccer led with the most improved number of donors with 119, a 253.2 percent increase from last year’s 47 contributors that raised $21,125. Lacrosse earned second on donor totals with 179 donors, who raised $28,126.

Men’s water polo led for the fourth year in a row on the highest number of former student-athlete participation, earning $21,723 from 124 GW Athletics alumni donors, less than their 156 donors from last year's campaign. 

This year, 31 percent of donor affiliates are former student-athlete alumni and 33 percent are family members of athletes, according to the fund’s website.

The University splits the fundraising event into public competing categories, like the team with the most money raised or the biggest increase in total donors from the previous year, to further incentivize donations. 

Executive Director of Development for Athletics Jennifer Montgomery said these categories are designed to harness the competitive nature of sports.

“Student-athletes are competitive by nature, and this challenge pushes us to get people to give, and it's fun to have a lot of fun trying to meet each other just with philanthropic support,” Montgomery said. 

Winners for specific categories will receive an undisclosed monetary contribution to team funds, Montgomery said.

Donors and advocates could also create donation challenges that would match donation totals. Men’s soccer alum Jack Edlow, who earned a spot on the GW’s All-Time Roster for his performance in 1967 and 1968, matched $1 donations up to $5,700 for men's soccer. 2015 softball alum Samantha Santos also matched $1 donations to $1,000.

Rich DiPippo, a 1979 alum and a former GW wrestler, heads the Buff & Blue Fund and is a member of the 1732 Circle, an alumni group named after George Washington’s birth year that helps steer the fund. 

“Alumni and families are a big part of the challenge,” Montgomery said. “People that have direct impact and then what the sport did for them as they were there. As student-athletes and participants, they want to pay it forward and make a better experience for our current student-athletes.”