NIRSA Foundation Campaigns & Activities
Since 1992, the NIRSA Foundation has provided NIRSA members meaningful opportunities for scholarship, research, and personal and professional development. These opportunities are created through the generosity of NIRSA members and NIRSA Foundation corporate partners. Learn more about all of the accomplishments this generous community has made since 1992.
The following campaigns and activities are scheduled for the year. 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!
Honor the Past. Embrace the Moment. Lead to the Future.
In honor of the 75th Anniversary of NIRSA, and to celebrate the enduring impact of campus recreation on the student experience, the NIRSA Foundation is asking members, corporate partners, and friends of NIRSA to support the 75th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign. This Campaign will fund critical work named in NIRSA’s strategic priorities so that campus recreation can continue to lead into the future.
However, the Foundation cannot fund this work without your help. The Funding Opportunities are summarized below. Please identify and support the priority that is most meaningful to you. Together, we can expand the impact that campus rec has on the students and communities we serve. Thank you in advance for being a part of the 75th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign.
View Funding Opportunities for NIRSA Strategic Priorities below.
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.
Dr. William Wasson developed an intramural program at Dillard University and in 1948 he commenced a study, with funding from the Carnegie Foundation. The results of his study were shared with the institutions that participated in his research. The discussion culminated in an Intramural Summit at Dillard on February 22, 1950, where the 20 intramural directors gathered representing 11 Historically Black Colleges & Universities, during the summit, this small group of visionaries formed the National Intramural Association. The NIA was the first organization of its kind, bringing intramural program leaders together to share skills and wisdom to advance the good work of their profession. Eventually, the NIA was renamed NIRSA.
The NIRSA Foundation celebrates our Annual Day of Giving on February 22 to commemorate and celebrate the founding of the Association.
We are always excited to see our members in person and there are a number of ways to support the Foundation during the 2025 NIRSA Conference & Campus Rec Expo. Whether it’s golf, pickleball, the apparel sale, or donating through a QR Code – your generosity will help the Foundation continue its work to support NIRSA members and the communities they serve.
Please drop by the NIRSA Foundation table while in Orlando to learn more about the work of the Foundation! Our board members and staff will be available to answer any and all questions. Even if you’re not travelling to Orlando for NIRSA 2025, you can still participate in the Conference campaign by making a gift using the link below.
