NIRSA Foundation

You Shape the Future of Campus Recreation

You create amazing opportunities for the NIRSA Members when you make a gift to the NIRSA Foundation.
You shape the future of the profession, ensure the growth of current NIRSA students and professionals, and pay it forward to the next generation of campus rec leaders.

Helping NIRSA celebrate 75 years…

Mission Advancement Fund

A gift to the NIRSA Foundation Mission Advancement Fund (MAF) allows the NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors to respond to emerging member needs and provide opportunities for meaningful professional growth as well as elevate the field of campus recreation. In recent years, the Mission Advancement Fund has supported significant projects such as the JEDI Climate Study and annual industry benchmarking studies. Additionally, the MAF awards research greats to NIRSA members and supports Health & Wellbeing initiatives. Thank you for generously providing resources that allow the NIRSA Foundation the financial agility to best support NIRSA members.

Areas of Interest

NIRSA members recognize the incredible impact of the Association’s education, network, resources, and innovation. That’s why donors like you invest in the NIRSA Foundation: to create meaningful opportunities through scholarships, research, and personal and professional development.

Research

Research-related initiatives strengthen the value and relevance of campus recreation to external stakeholders, including those within higher education, college students, parents, and employees. NIRSA’s research and assessment are second-to-none. Your general fund gifts ensure the growth and dissemination of this knowledge communicating the value of and emerging trends within campus recreation.

Your unrestricted gifts fund original, scholarly research projects through the NIRSA Research Grant Program; these projects advance the knowledge base and practices of our profession. You support NIRSA’s powerful campus rec benchmarking tools, which give members access to standards in campus rec facilities, programs, services, and salaries. You also help publish resources and reports about the impact of campus rec within higher education and beyond. The NIRSA Foundation produces the Recreational Sports Journals, the Association’s scholarly publication for peer-reviewed literature of empirical, theoretical, and applied research in our field.

Scholarships

You make NIRSA’s premier learning events accessible for NIRSA students and professionals through scholarships. You allow NIRSA members to take advantage of the Association’s premier educational opportunities by covering event registration fees. Members at all stages of their career benefit from learning, innovating, and networking at these events, and your gifts expand professional growth opportunities for the NIRSA Family.

In today’s difficult economic climate, financial assistance for professional development is more important than ever before. Whether you support scholarships through a gift to the general fund, the NIRSA Foundation Scholarship Endowment, or a variety of the endowments listed below, you pay it forward to the next generation of campus rec leaders.

Strategic Priorities

Health and Well‑being in Higher Education: A Commitment to Student Success

For campus recreation professionals

Fund tools and training for campus recreation professionals to better recognize students and staff in distress and provide the necessary support to help these individuals.

Fund initiatives that strengthen collaborations with mental health professionals on campus in support of integrated wellbeing and addressing the prevalence of mental health concerns on campus.

For the campus community

Fund a marketing (awareness) campaign aimed at increasing the understanding among college students about the positive impacts of play and movement on their physical and mental health. 1) Make the connection between good physical, mental, and overall health to higher GPA and graduation rates, as well as fostering a sense of belonging and friendships. 2) Inspire a generation of college students to instill lifelong healthy habits.

Advocacy through Research

The Foundation knows the impact campus recreation programs and professionals have on student success; but that doesn’t always resonate with potential partners and other campus entities. The Foundation will fund updated data and reports that support the value of campus recreation.

NIRSA has published reports demonstrating the impact of campus recreation on student success. These include The Value of Recreational Sports in Higher Education (2004), also known as the Kerr-Downs Report; The Benefits of Campus Recreation (Forrester, 2014); and Leadership in Intramural Sports and Club Sports (Dugan, 2014).

The field has significantly changed over the past 10 years, and it is important to update these data sets and conclusions. Based on the track record of the previous reports, this is a highly valued tool that campus recreation professionals have used to enhance and advance their programs and impact. The Foundation would like to fund an industry wide data set and report as well as designate a portion of the funding to address the specific context for smaller schools and HBCU’s.

Workforce Development

The professional pipeline in (and out) of campus recreation has seen more rapid turnover and diversification in recent years. It’s critical to invest in the development of our mid-level professionals, who are now entering these positions with more varied backgrounds and as such, face new challenges and operating environments.

For Mid-Level Professionals

Quality leadership development for mid-level professionals is time and resource intensive and they deserve our very best. The Foundation would like to support our future Directors by increasing educational offerings targeting this group while at the same time, decreasing or eliminating financial barriers to these crucial leadership development opportunities.

For Professionals from Adjacent Fields

There is a need to expand NIRSA’s education portfolio to accommodate a range of non-traditional entry points to the field. By providing education tailored to these professionals, we can better support their career success and better support departments (institutional members) with highly trained staff. The Foundation will provide financial resources to accelerate the development of these new education opportunities for those joining the field from other industries.

Donate to …

Student official in official stripes holding up a peace sign

Student Officials Development

You support the skills and leadership development of student officials through training offered at the high-profile NIRSA National Championship Series tournaments when you donate to student officials development. These donor-restricted funds have provided essential logistics, such as lodging, meals, and on-site transportation, for student officials and their NIRSA volunteer evaluators at these tournaments.

Students who participate in these crucial trainings strengthen their leadership and conflict resolution skills and give back to their communities on and off the field. Your gift to the student officials development fund is also a grassroots solution to the shortage of young officials at all levels of competition.

Donate to …

Endowments & Funds

The NIRSA Foundation manages numerous endowments to provide ongoing support for the NIRSA Family. Endowments allow donors to direct their gifts toward recognition of a specific individual, group, program, service, or geographic area. Endowments are invested to earn interest, and the investment income earned is spent to fund the endowment’s goals. Learn more about the goals of the NIRSA Foundation’s donor-restricted endowments, many of which award scholarships to NIRSA members.

Campaigns & Events

Learn more about the campaigns and activities that are scheduled for the year such as the 75th Anniversary, Student Officials Development, Founders Day, and the 2025 NIRSA Conference & Expo. If you missed something or don’t see anything that resonates with you, you are always welcome to make a gift when and how it works best for you!

Leadership

In 1992, NIRSA members established the NIRSA Foundation as a grassroots initiative to give back to the association that had provided them with so much. The NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors serves as a strategic governing body, actively fundraising and ensuring that funds are allocated in alignment with donor intentions and the Foundation’s mission. This group is dedicated to cultivating a culture of philanthropy by engaging members at every stage of their lives.

In 1992, NIRSA members established the NIRSA Foundation as a grassroots initiative to give back to the association that had provided them with so much. The NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors serves as a strategic governing body, actively fundraising and ensuring that funds are allocated in alignment with donor intentions and the Foundation’s mission. This group is dedicated to cultivating a culture of philanthropy by engaging members at every stage of their lives.

NIRSA Foundation Legacy Society

Through thoughtful gift planning with your estate planner, you can continue to make a difference for your cohorts, students and the campuses their work impacts by joining our Legacy Society.

Didn’t find what you were looking for? Need more information? Contact us today.

Please contact NIRSA Director of Philanthropy, Becky Sowers