The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) has named ten coaches as recipients of fundraising development grants.  The grants will enable coaches to be a part of the CSCAA Fundraising Academy, a pioneering effort that guarantees participants will successfully solicit at least one $5,000+ gift. 

The grant recipients include Woody Woodard (Colorado State), Katie McArdle (Dickinson College), Randy Horner (Florida International), Nick Folker (Hawaii), Nic Askew (Howard University), Nick Lakin (Northern Iowa), Paul Mangen (Saint Leo), Paul Dotterweich (SUNY Geneseo), Amy Burgess (UALR), and Paul Bennett (WPI).  Through a combination of workshops, online learning, guest speakers, and one-on-one office hours, the cohort will work to develop their own approach towards fundraising.

To do so, they will work with a team of CoachRaise experts, led by Wade Garard and Julian Moses.  As a part of the First Point Volleyball Foundation, the pair have been instrumental in helping secure over $1 million in grants to establish new men’s volleyball programs.  The pair launched CoachRaise after realizing that coaches, while eager to fundraise, often lacked the tools and techniques to land high-value donors. Academy participants will be equipped with the scripts, skills, strategies and confidence to secure major gifts. Participants will also work with a handful of swimming coaches who have been successful in the fundraising space.

CoachRaise guarantees that, upon competition of the program, participants will successfully secure at least one $5,000+ donation.  Even so, the CSCAA Board of Directors elected to provide a limited number of grants to make the academy even more accessible.  The grants are a part of a broader effort by the CSCAA to equip coaches with skills to help make their programs self-sustaining.  In addition to the Fundraising Academy, Garard and Moses will offer a hands-on workshop at the 2023 CSCAA Convention, along with a trio of three-part workshops focusing on the needs of coaches in different stages of their career.  These include:

• Fundraising Fundamentals - for Coaches looking to learn skills and practical tips for how to raise more dollars.

• Advanced Fundraising - for seasoned Coaches who are ready to develop the skills required to secure six- and seven-figure gifts.

• Emerging Leaders - for assistant coaches aspiring to learn more about fundraising.

These workshops will begin at the end of September and will be available at no charge to all CSCAA member coaches.

To learn more about the CSCAA Fundraising Academy, Workshops and CoachRaise, visit www.cscaa.org/fundraising/.

About CoachRaise CoachRaise is a Fundraising Education platform for college athletics coaches and administrators. CoachRaise teaches a Major Gifts approach to fundraising while working effectively within your department. CoachRaise Workshops were born from the experience gained in building philanthropic dollars to support Collegiate Men's Volleyball. They realized that coaches were eager to raise money, but often lacked the tools and techniques to land the high-value donors that could boost their program for years.