For many members of this Association, NIRSA is a family. We believe that when we support the Foundation, we are strengthening our NIRSA family for current and future generations.
At the time of year when we make a point to give thanks, reflect, and prepare for the busy Thanksgiving season, things can quickly become a blur. It is easy to forget what can be so important to our professional futures: NIRSA!
But here is a reminder of why your support is important.
Because of you, the NIRSA Foundation is able to provide scholarship opportunities, support leadership development, fund relevant research projects in the field of collegiate recreation, and advance the Student Officials Development program.
#GivingTuesday and the NIRSA Foundation
Join fellow collegiate recreation supporters on November 29 as the NIRSA Foundation aims to score a triple-double appeal on #GivingTuesday. In 2015, 39 donors come forward to donate a fantastic $3,900 to our 2015 #GivingTuesday appeal. This year, the NIRSA Foundation Board is challenging supporters of collegiate recreation and wellness to triple the amount of donation dollars they give and to double the number of contributors who participate.
This lofty goal is achievable thanks to the Hughes Group Architects who have generously offered a match challenge to NIRSA Foundation supporters for #GivingTuesday. Hughes Group Architects will match—dollar-for-dollar—up to $2,000 of donations. So let’s not disappoint this longtime associate member and let any of that support go unmatched.
Why Hughes Group Architects decided to step up so big
“I believe that leadership development is one of the most unheralded outcomes of NIRSA and the campus recreation experience,” says Wayne L. Hughes, AIA at Hughes Group Architects.
He adds,
“Over time, I have witnessed the continual development of leadership skills in NIRSA professionals. People like Mark Fletcher, Tony Clements, Doug and Dax Kuykendal, Chris Wise, Stacey Hall, and so many others have come up through the ranks of the profession to become world-class leaders. Through their involvement with NIRSA and their hard work in the sports, recreation, and wellness field, they learned to lead through principles of fairness, toughness, and compassion.”
How you can show your support
Please take the following two actions to help the NIRSA Foundation—compared to 2015—triple the amount of dollars and double the people who participate in its #GivingTuesday appeal:
- Make a #GivingTuesday gift to the NIRSA Foundation on November 29.
- Share your NIRSA Foundation #unselfie through your social media outlets. Download the template for your #unselfie and share your statement about the great leadership traits the NIRSA Foundation helps to develop.
Enjoy the upcoming holiday breaks and please join us on #GivingTuesday to help the NIRSA Foundation reach its triple-double challenge.
- For more information, please contact NIRSA Director of Philanthropy Kim Holmes.
Greg Jordan is currently Director of Recreation and Wellbeing at Oakland University. Greg can be reached at jordan@oakland.edu. Eric Stein is currently the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Physical Education, Recreation and Wellness at Stanford University. Eric can be reached at elstein@stanford.edu. Greg and Eric currently serve on the NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors.
