ORONO, Maine — Seth Woodcock, the University of Maine’s senior associate athletic director for development, said the only word to describe the $1.5 million, three-year award given to UMaine athletics by the Harold Foundation is “transformational.”
“This will make a huge difference going forward,” said Woodcock.
The donation will establish the Alfond Fund as part of the University of Maine Foundation which will develop a new fundraising structure for the athletic program.
It will be broken down into two segments.
The Alfond Fund will be a three-year unrestricted grant of $750,000 which will be designed to increase the visibility of UMaine athletics and encourage donor support. It will offer streamlined options for giving and for greater constituent engagement and membership-based events. Signature events will be developed and donors will earn benefits based on their donations, such as preferred seating.
The launch is scheduled for next spring and it will encourage giving to all 17 UMaine sports programs.
Woodcock pointed out that donors can still earmark specific sports and be assured that their donation will do directly to that sport.
UMaine will also receive a three-year grant of $750,000 to continue the Harold Alfond Football Challenge which since 2007 has awarded one-to-one matching challenge grants in support of UMaine football up to $250,000 per year.
“This is going to change the landscape of how we do our annual giving for UMaine athletics,” explained Woodcock. “This will bring us up to par with other Division I institutions. This will give us a lot more flexibility to help our teams become more competitive and provide the best experience possible for our student-athletes.
“We will be able to run things in the most efficient way that we can,” added Woodcock. “This will give us a little more horsepower behind our fundraising efforts.”
Woodcock called it a “donor-centered approach to fundraising.
“Trust is an important part of fundraising and this will give donors more confidence and make them more comfortable about giving,” said Woodcock. “They can have an impact on a specific sport or the entire program with an unrestricted gift.”
Woodcock said the funds will go toward a variety of everyday aspects of running a Division I program such as travel costs, recruiting and equipment.
Late philanthropist Harold Alfond and his family have supplied the UMaine athletic program with over $15 million in gifts and pledges over the years.
Woodcock said the Alfond family and the state’s only Division I athletic program are two entities that donors can rely on.
“Both are time-tested, trusted entities that are making a difference in the state,” said Woodcock.
He said the entire UMaine leadership team, including former head football coach Jack Cosgrove, who is in his first season as a senior associate director of athletics, has been involved in the evolution of the Alfond Fund.
That includes director of athletics Karlton Creech, Cosgrove, senior associate athletic directors Lynn Coutts and Will Biberstein, and himself.
Donors will receive annual reports outlining the dispersal of funds and he said benefits they will receive for their donations will be more defined in the spring.
In a press release, University of Maine President Susan J. Hunter said, “Through the years, Harold Alfond and the Harold Alfond Foundation have helped the University of Maine achieve excellence in Division I athletics for Maine and for our fan base on campus, statewide and beyond. This newest award further underscores the leadership role of UMaine athletics and will be a game-changer for fundraising and friendraising going forward.”
“This support provides an unprecedented opportunity to make critical changes to provide the most effective donor-centered annual giving program for UMaine athletics,” Creech said in the release.
This story was updated on Nov. 2 to eliminate a reference to an ongoing athletics capital campaign as there is not one underway at this time.