University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Historic 2019 Bulldog Challenge Raises Over $211,000 for UNC Asheville Athletics
04.01.2019 | Athletics News
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Sixth Annual Bulldog Challenge proved to be the biggest yet with over $211,000 raised for UNC Asheville athletics.
In addition, there were a record-breaking 752 donors overall in this year's Bulldog Challenge (full breakdown HERE).
The UNC Asheville track and field/cross country program took home the trophy for the 2019 Bulldog Challenge for the most donors (145), while the baseball program brought home the trophy for the most money raised overall with over $96,000 donated.
This year's Bulldog Challenge also allowed the annual event to go past $500,000 raised over the course of the six years since it has been instituted.
"When we decided to move the challenge to two weeks we were a little skeptical and there was a little uncertainty, but I think it was a great decision," Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics Betsy Blose said. "I want to first of all thank everybody that supported this year's Bulldog Challenge. Every gift matters."
Blose is particularly thankful as well for the collaborative approach that it takes to make something like the Bulldog Challenge happen each and every year.
"Like I have said before, it takes a village," Blose noted. "There are so many moving pieces to this campaign. The collaboration and teamwork is special. I cannot thank (Assistant Director for Athletics Advancement & Alumni Engagement) Dan Freeman and (Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving Communications Coordinator) Emma Anderson enough for all of their hard work behind the scenes.
"Thanks to alumni engagement and advancement for working with us as well as the athletics external relations team. I also want to particularly thank Dr. Sonya DiPalma's inaugural 'Social Media & Fundraising' Mass Communication class at UNC Asheville (story). They were amazing. There are so many different pieces that made this campaign special. I am truly thankful for all of our coaches and student-athletes who participated and supported the campaign."
Started in 2014 by Blose, the Bulldog Challenge at its beginning was created to help increase the student-athlete alumni giving participation rate at UNC Asheville.
The campaign was originally a month-long event designed to align with March Madness with all of the funds raised going towards the UNC Asheville team enhancement accounts.
The 2019 Bulldog Challenge was a little different than the past as noted in that it ran just two weeks from March 17-31.
During the first year of the Bulldog Challenge in 2014 there were a total of 67 donors with $5,187 raised altogether. The next year there were 244 donors with $21,036 raised.
Over the years the annual Bulldog Challenge continued to become a staple for the university with the 2017 Bulldog Challenge going 265 percent past its original goal of $40,000 with $107,015 raised.
Last year, UNC Asheville set an ambitious goal of $125,000. Once again, Bulldog fans and friends were more than up to the challenge with a then record $131,963 raised.
This year's goal during the two-week Bulldog Challenge was even more ambitious with efforts put in in place to hopefully raise $175,000.
That goal was accomplished with the Sixth Annual Bulldog Challenge going 120 percent past its goal with the over $211,000 raised.
In addition, the second annual Bulldog Challenge Facebook LIVE event on Thursday, March 28, was a huge hit once again (story/video/photos HERE).
In fact, approximately $9,000 was donated over the course of the hour-long event. UNC Asheville has now raised over $25,000 over the course of the first two Bulldog Challenge Facebook LIVE events.
