University of New Hampshire Athletics
Insider Report: The (603) Challenge
4/7/2022 3:21:00 PM | Football, UNH Insider, Skiing
The Fun Fundraiser Begins Tonight at Midnight
DURHAM, N.H. – The countdown is on, clicking towards tonight at midnight.
That's when the eighth annual (603) Challenge – the 2022 edition – gets under way at the University of New Hampshire. The five-day event runs through Tuesday, April 12, to 11:59:59 p.m. to be precise.
It's almost here! The (603) Challenge starts at midnight this Friday, April 8th. As always, donate early to take advantage of matching funds while they last!
— UNH Wildcats (@UNHWildcats) April 5, 2022
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The fun and competitive spring challenge has quickly become the university's biggest annual fundraising campaign and raised $2.6 million last year university-wide from more than 11,000 donors to support thousands of specific initiatives.
The athletics department has embraced the fundraiser from the beginning.
"It really showcases our programs and our alumni really back it and get behind it and are so supportive," said Kevin Connelly, Interim Director of Athletics Development. "The start almost gives it a game day sort of feel, where at midnight everything changes over. It's kickoff time. It's drop the puck, jump ball time. It's quite exciting for everyone involved."
The giving totals, complete with analytics, are posted in real time at the website unh.edu/603 and numerous additional bonus funds and awards backed by generous underwriters, are unlocked and become available when various levels of donors are reached.
For instance, there are $300,000 in matching funds available at the start of the challenge. A donor's total will be matched up to $300 until those funds are used up.
"The 603 Challenge is extremely competitive, especially within athletics, and we have programs and teams competing against each other to secure the most donors along the way," Connelly said. "It's great to see that rivalry and that atmosphere. But in the end, everyone in this game wins."
Director of athletics Marty Scarano wholeheartedly agrees.
"From the onset of the 603 Challenge, it's been a phenomenal development," Scarano said. "The 603 Challenge has become a fun, dynamic, competitive fundraising event and the money raised is tremendous and is so important. It's been a gamechanger for us in so many ways. Every dime raised go into the program of the donors' choice and they make an enormous difference in what coaches are able to do with the athletes."
The funds go directly to the teams and are to be used at the discretion of the coaches.
"There have been situation where they've been used for recruiting," Scarano said. "They have been used to take trips that aren't necessarily budgeted, maybe a trip out of the region. They're usually used to enhance the student athlete experience, for extras if you would."
Danny Buzzell the annual giving officer, has long been the face of The (603) Challenge in athletics and he and Sara Dunleavy, the annual giving associate, spearhead this year's efforts.
"The collaboration between Danny and Sara and the Athletics Annual Giving office and our dedicated coaches is what drives the success of the challenge," Connelly said. "It's a true partnership with support from every area of athletics and it's that team approach that promotes awareness to our incredibly generous alumni base and supporters."
From the coaches side, Scarano cites the role ski team coordinator and head Nordic coach Cory Schwartz played in how The (603) Challenge developed.
"You have credit to Cory," Scarano said. "He's always done a fabulous job with fundraising and rallying his alumni. We kind of used his template to create a competition among programs and Danny and the coaches do a spectacular job working together. We know if athletes and former athletes respond to anything, it's competition."
The skiing team and football team have competed over the years in vying for the most donors and highest fund amounts.
The Athletics Department raised $483,000 last year from 3,416 donors.
Counting all matching funds, bonus funds and area challenge amounts, last year's challenge had a total financial impact on athletics of $895,000, according to Buzzell.
Last year, football raised $107,000 with 577 donors to lead in dollars raised.
Skiing raised $98,000 and led in donors for the sixth consecutive year with 677.
Sean McDonnell, who retired after more than two decades as UNH's football coach after last season, always gets a kick out of the challenge and the competition.
"It's a great way to connect back to your alumni and get support for our programs in a creative way," he said. "And it's a great thing to compete among the athletic programs. Us and skiing have butted heads for a couple of years and it's neat walking down the hallway and high-fiving Cory when you're ahead and the next day seeing, 'Holy cow, I'm behind.' You look around the whole university and the colleges get outstanding support and you see people take great pride in the university."
Football starts this year's (603) Challenge out with the possibility of securing the largest area gift in the event's history.
Evan Loring, a teammate of head football coach Rick Santos, has underwritten $100,000 in bonus funds if football reaches 600 donors. Loring, a wide receiver, graduated from UNH with a political science degree from the College of Liberal Arts in 2006 and followed up with an MBA in 2007.
"Evan came here as a walk-on with the opportunity to play football and took advantage of both venues, academic and athletic," McDonnell said. "He came over to my house after watching a practice the first week this spring. He's done extremely well for himself and he talked about the lessons he learned from professors, coachers, teachers and advisors here about how important it is to give back. That's pretty impressive."
As is The (603) Challenge overall.
Let the competition begin. Or, as one of the event slogans this year puts it: "Ready. Set. Give."