R Fund: The Heartbeat of Rutgers Athletics Administration
Aug 28 | Baseball, Field Hockey, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Lacrosse, Men's Soccer, Men's Track & Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Gymnastics, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Rowing, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Track & Field, Women's Volleyball, Wrestling
The people of R Fund are not just the Scarlet Knights’ development arm; they are the first line on the ground in the multifaceted connection to Rutgers’ expanding universe
Examine the book and records at Rutgers Athletics' development department – R Fund. On paper, it's dollars and cents. There are numbers, percentages and categorized funds all in support of the Scarlet Knights' student-athletes and their experience "On the Banks."
Now, read between the dollar signs and bottom lines. The essence of R Fund is so much more than dollars and cents. It is run by people, most of which were former student-athletes themselves, and hands-down the most energetic, passionate and emotional people running the show behind the scenes in Piscataway.
THE HEARTBEAT
Marco Battaglia has done it all. A Rutgers Hall of Fame football student-athlete, an engaged alumnus, a donor, and now an employee, Rutgers' assistant athletic director for development and major gifts has lived every angle of being a Scarlet Knight. Emotions flew high for Battaglia in 1995 upon earning First Team All-America honors as a tight end, and again 27 years later as his name was unveiled on the picturesque brick wall surrounding the football program's best-in-class training complex.
Joining R Fund in 2014, Battaglia's primary currency is not measured by a bank. He deals in raw, human emotion.
"It is emotional labor," the Hall of Famer says. "We are the heartbeat of this whole athletic operation. We are the front porch in a very fragile profession. We are on the front line of what is right and what is wrong, so we get it all and we give it all. It's the toughest and most rewarding gig there is in athletics."
The heart doesn't beat on its own. It's the collaborative result of a powerful – albeit relatively small in comparison to its competitors – network of people working together, bridging gaps and constantly redefining goals.
It is easy to overlook that at the very beginning of a new facility rising out of the ground, or at the onset of a record-setting donation, there was a handshake, a smile and a conversation.
"It all starts with the people, our team, and our team is amazing," Battaglia said. "The relationships and stewardship of our 9,000-plus donor base is how we continue to find success. Every supporter of Rutgers has a different personality, a different reason for giving, different affinities for certain programs. So it's a credit to our gift officers, Margaret Long, Joe Levine and Joe Giaimo that they personalize each of those connections. It's a testament to Elizabeth McAuliffe for her communications, stewardship and relationship building, and the invaluable customer service provided by Masona Lam.
"Andy Granozio and his skillset with data analysis and research-based engagement is vital to our growth and success. Carissa Conroy, being a Rutgers letterwinner, is the perfect person to run our Varsity R program and work with our former student-athletes."
The newest member of the family, Carly Northup, assumed her role overseeing the department as the senior associate AD/associate vice president of development in May of 2018. A 12-year veteran in athletic development, Northup was able to hit the ground running thanks to the established culture of success under the leadership of Deputy Director of Athletics Sarah Baumgartner and Associate Athletic Director for Development Margaret Long.
"This team loves each other and has whole-heartedly embraced the mission to serve one another, our student-athletes, Rutgers Athletics donors, and the entire athletic department," Northup said. "That's the impression I got on day one, and what made me so excited to join them in that mission. Rutgers is a special place, and we have a unique opportunity to profoundly impact lives as we pursue academic and athletic excellence."
THE 25TH TEAM
Browsing ScarletKnights.com, fans can instantaneously consume every stat, record and milestone from each of Rutgers' 24 athletic programs. Echoing Battaglia's team mentality, R Fund similarly operates as a unit, and has records and stats to help measure success, just as the teams they work so tirelessly to support.
In those record books, the 2017-18 academic year will go down as a historic campaign for R Fund. $30 Million in new gifts and pledges hit the books this past year, an all-time high for Rutgers Athletics. Nearly 2,500 new athletic donors joined the cause and helped donate a record $20 Million in cash gifts. The returns have been immediate in aiding the Scarlet Knight student-athletes' athletic and academic needs with the construction of the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, supporting athletic scholarships and endowments, continuing education, and fueling the R Big Ten Build to construct additional premier training and studying facilities for elite student-athletes.
The cornerstone to the year was the largest gift in Rutgers Athletics history, a $15 Million donation from the namesakes of the upcoming Gary & Barbara Rodkin Academic Success Center, which will house the lacrosse and soccer training facility and serves as home base to all academic support services for Rutgers' 680 student-athletes.
"The edge for our team is that the majority of us were student-athletes, and this all comes full circle," said Margaret Long, a former field hockey player at William & Mary and coach at Monmouth. "We are naturally competitive, we look at the stats, and our goals are always evolving. What keeps us moving forward is that everyone is willing to work for something bigger, to foster relationships and constantly try and improve on our last campaign."
Again, the stats are more than money. These fundraising efforts have helped Rutgers student-athletes achieve and give back to their communities at record levels with 249 Academic All-Big Ten selections, eight programs with NCAA recognition for multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores, four nationally-ranked programs, 14 All-Americans and nearly 5,200 hours of community service.
THE CONNECTIONS
In addition to serving as a major gifts officer, Carissa Conroy is the first director of the Varsity R program, created to bring more focused engagement to the Scarlet Knights' letterwinners. It's often a 24/7/365 job, in which Conroy serves as a steward, a therapist, a friend and an advocate for every student-athlete that has worn the Scarlet uniforms.
The unbridled joy she receives from the job helps combat the hectic hours and workload. One instance, in particular, will always stay with her. Two years ago, a Rutgers men's soccer alumnus from the 1960s and his wife returned to campus for the first time since graduation. Conroy directed the tour, which was briefly interrupted as the elderly couple paused to take a photo.
"They took a picture under the street sign where they met," Conroy said, with familiar tears filling her eyes. "I was so moved by that experience, because it shows how much history is around us and that history is being written as we speak. This job is demanding, but when someone makes that first gift, or returns to campus for a networking event, it brings a smile to my face."
Conroy has been tasked with spearheading a mission to focus engagement on letterwinners and nurturing the connection to their alma mater. That includes creative ways to keep that connection alive, no matter the coaching changes, the news cycle or win-loss record. It's about constant education of what happened at Rutgers today and where we're going as a community. It's also about the connection of seeing eye-to-eye in the game of life.
"It's about pure love of this place," she adds. "I've seen letterwinners who couldn't come to an event and reached out to teammates so they can represent that era. I have letterwinners that call me every week, and we do not really talk about Rutgers. We talk about life and how we can bring our life experiences to our community and share those."
THE FAMILY
For many of the R Fund team, #RFamily goes far beyond a hashtag. Margaret's sister, Meredith Civico, is Rutgers' head field hockey coach, and most of her family are alums. Carissa and Marco are Rutgers letterwinners. The development offices are where past, present and future come together in the purest form.
"I love that this team here is so close, we have become our own little family that has become part of the larger Rutgers family," Long said. "#RFamily is a mantra of what Rutgers Athletics is. It is really Rutgers against the world and that is where we have taken that mentality. We need everyone on board."
THE FUTURE
Success in development is often depicted by the cliché rising thermometer, signifying the progress of a particular campaign. As Battaglia sees it, that is actually not the best representation of R Fund's achievements. Because the effort, creativity and engagement never stop, regardless of where the mercury has risen.
"We always have goals," Battaglia said. "We're always looking for the next idea, the next area of focus. We're trying to establish that this is a culture of giving back, not just reaching a monetary goal. We have aspirations to be looked at as a top-tier Big Ten program. That's a hard task, but that needs to be our mindset."
The development team, itself, will be undergoing development in a persistently evolving world. The group is launching a program to involve the Rutgers student-athlete advisory committee, educating the Scarlet Knights' leaders on philanthropy and providing the resources to reach out at home and externally.
On Thursday evening, Aug. 30, R Fund will welcome donors to sit, eat and drink at the 50-Yard Line Celebration at HighPoint.com Stadium, on the very turf where Rutgers football will open the 2018 season against Texas State two days ahead. The event – which bestows the annual 1869 Legacy Award to a donor that has made a lifetime impact on the lives of Rutgers student-athletes through their generosity and involvement – has a fittingly ironic name as it pertains to the evening's hosts.
The 50-yard line is the halfway point on the gridiron. Despite the recent success and record-breaking metrics behind them, the relentless ambition and emotionally-charged character of the people behind R Fund will ensure that they are perpetually halfway home, and they wouldn't have it any other way.
For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter (@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), Snapchat (@RUAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
Now, read between the dollar signs and bottom lines. The essence of R Fund is so much more than dollars and cents. It is run by people, most of which were former student-athletes themselves, and hands-down the most energetic, passionate and emotional people running the show behind the scenes in Piscataway.
THE HEARTBEAT
Marco Battaglia has done it all. A Rutgers Hall of Fame football student-athlete, an engaged alumnus, a donor, and now an employee, Rutgers' assistant athletic director for development and major gifts has lived every angle of being a Scarlet Knight. Emotions flew high for Battaglia in 1995 upon earning First Team All-America honors as a tight end, and again 27 years later as his name was unveiled on the picturesque brick wall surrounding the football program's best-in-class training complex.
Joining R Fund in 2014, Battaglia's primary currency is not measured by a bank. He deals in raw, human emotion.
"It is emotional labor," the Hall of Famer says. "We are the heartbeat of this whole athletic operation. We are the front porch in a very fragile profession. We are on the front line of what is right and what is wrong, so we get it all and we give it all. It's the toughest and most rewarding gig there is in athletics."
The heart doesn't beat on its own. It's the collaborative result of a powerful – albeit relatively small in comparison to its competitors – network of people working together, bridging gaps and constantly redefining goals.
It is easy to overlook that at the very beginning of a new facility rising out of the ground, or at the onset of a record-setting donation, there was a handshake, a smile and a conversation.
"It all starts with the people, our team, and our team is amazing," Battaglia said. "The relationships and stewardship of our 9,000-plus donor base is how we continue to find success. Every supporter of Rutgers has a different personality, a different reason for giving, different affinities for certain programs. So it's a credit to our gift officers, Margaret Long, Joe Levine and Joe Giaimo that they personalize each of those connections. It's a testament to Elizabeth McAuliffe for her communications, stewardship and relationship building, and the invaluable customer service provided by Masona Lam.
"Andy Granozio and his skillset with data analysis and research-based engagement is vital to our growth and success. Carissa Conroy, being a Rutgers letterwinner, is the perfect person to run our Varsity R program and work with our former student-athletes."
The newest member of the family, Carly Northup, assumed her role overseeing the department as the senior associate AD/associate vice president of development in May of 2018. A 12-year veteran in athletic development, Northup was able to hit the ground running thanks to the established culture of success under the leadership of Deputy Director of Athletics Sarah Baumgartner and Associate Athletic Director for Development Margaret Long.
"This team loves each other and has whole-heartedly embraced the mission to serve one another, our student-athletes, Rutgers Athletics donors, and the entire athletic department," Northup said. "That's the impression I got on day one, and what made me so excited to join them in that mission. Rutgers is a special place, and we have a unique opportunity to profoundly impact lives as we pursue academic and athletic excellence."
THE 25TH TEAM
Browsing ScarletKnights.com, fans can instantaneously consume every stat, record and milestone from each of Rutgers' 24 athletic programs. Echoing Battaglia's team mentality, R Fund similarly operates as a unit, and has records and stats to help measure success, just as the teams they work so tirelessly to support.
In those record books, the 2017-18 academic year will go down as a historic campaign for R Fund. $30 Million in new gifts and pledges hit the books this past year, an all-time high for Rutgers Athletics. Nearly 2,500 new athletic donors joined the cause and helped donate a record $20 Million in cash gifts. The returns have been immediate in aiding the Scarlet Knight student-athletes' athletic and academic needs with the construction of the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, supporting athletic scholarships and endowments, continuing education, and fueling the R Big Ten Build to construct additional premier training and studying facilities for elite student-athletes.
The cornerstone to the year was the largest gift in Rutgers Athletics history, a $15 Million donation from the namesakes of the upcoming Gary & Barbara Rodkin Academic Success Center, which will house the lacrosse and soccer training facility and serves as home base to all academic support services for Rutgers' 680 student-athletes.
"The edge for our team is that the majority of us were student-athletes, and this all comes full circle," said Margaret Long, a former field hockey player at William & Mary and coach at Monmouth. "We are naturally competitive, we look at the stats, and our goals are always evolving. What keeps us moving forward is that everyone is willing to work for something bigger, to foster relationships and constantly try and improve on our last campaign."
Again, the stats are more than money. These fundraising efforts have helped Rutgers student-athletes achieve and give back to their communities at record levels with 249 Academic All-Big Ten selections, eight programs with NCAA recognition for multi-year Academic Progress Rate scores, four nationally-ranked programs, 14 All-Americans and nearly 5,200 hours of community service.
THE CONNECTIONS
In addition to serving as a major gifts officer, Carissa Conroy is the first director of the Varsity R program, created to bring more focused engagement to the Scarlet Knights' letterwinners. It's often a 24/7/365 job, in which Conroy serves as a steward, a therapist, a friend and an advocate for every student-athlete that has worn the Scarlet uniforms.
The unbridled joy she receives from the job helps combat the hectic hours and workload. One instance, in particular, will always stay with her. Two years ago, a Rutgers men's soccer alumnus from the 1960s and his wife returned to campus for the first time since graduation. Conroy directed the tour, which was briefly interrupted as the elderly couple paused to take a photo.
"They took a picture under the street sign where they met," Conroy said, with familiar tears filling her eyes. "I was so moved by that experience, because it shows how much history is around us and that history is being written as we speak. This job is demanding, but when someone makes that first gift, or returns to campus for a networking event, it brings a smile to my face."
Conroy has been tasked with spearheading a mission to focus engagement on letterwinners and nurturing the connection to their alma mater. That includes creative ways to keep that connection alive, no matter the coaching changes, the news cycle or win-loss record. It's about constant education of what happened at Rutgers today and where we're going as a community. It's also about the connection of seeing eye-to-eye in the game of life.
"It's about pure love of this place," she adds. "I've seen letterwinners who couldn't come to an event and reached out to teammates so they can represent that era. I have letterwinners that call me every week, and we do not really talk about Rutgers. We talk about life and how we can bring our life experiences to our community and share those."
THE FAMILY
For many of the R Fund team, #RFamily goes far beyond a hashtag. Margaret's sister, Meredith Civico, is Rutgers' head field hockey coach, and most of her family are alums. Carissa and Marco are Rutgers letterwinners. The development offices are where past, present and future come together in the purest form.
"I love that this team here is so close, we have become our own little family that has become part of the larger Rutgers family," Long said. "#RFamily is a mantra of what Rutgers Athletics is. It is really Rutgers against the world and that is where we have taken that mentality. We need everyone on board."
THE FUTURE
Success in development is often depicted by the cliché rising thermometer, signifying the progress of a particular campaign. As Battaglia sees it, that is actually not the best representation of R Fund's achievements. Because the effort, creativity and engagement never stop, regardless of where the mercury has risen.
"We always have goals," Battaglia said. "We're always looking for the next idea, the next area of focus. We're trying to establish that this is a culture of giving back, not just reaching a monetary goal. We have aspirations to be looked at as a top-tier Big Ten program. That's a hard task, but that needs to be our mindset."
The development team, itself, will be undergoing development in a persistently evolving world. The group is launching a program to involve the Rutgers student-athlete advisory committee, educating the Scarlet Knights' leaders on philanthropy and providing the resources to reach out at home and externally.
On Thursday evening, Aug. 30, R Fund will welcome donors to sit, eat and drink at the 50-Yard Line Celebration at HighPoint.com Stadium, on the very turf where Rutgers football will open the 2018 season against Texas State two days ahead. The event – which bestows the annual 1869 Legacy Award to a donor that has made a lifetime impact on the lives of Rutgers student-athletes through their generosity and involvement – has a fittingly ironic name as it pertains to the evening's hosts.
The 50-yard line is the halfway point on the gridiron. Despite the recent success and record-breaking metrics behind them, the relentless ambition and emotionally-charged character of the people behind R Fund will ensure that they are perpetually halfway home, and they wouldn't have it any other way.
For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter (@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), Snapchat (@RUAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics). For additional updates, please download the Gameday App.
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