Invest in the Present. Invest in the Future.
Our two-year strategic plan names what both programs need now, and what it takes to make the club last. Two ways to stand behind it.
Why We're Doing This
Every era built this club. This plan makes sure it lasts.
For decades, alumni support came one check and one road trip at a time. The plan replaces that with published numbers, specific asks and permanent money, so every gift has a clear answer to "where does my money go?"
Our Mission
To unite the Gators Rugby community across generations, give the University of Florida Rugby program the resources, support, and foundation to compete nationally, and open doors for our players and members through mentorship, professional connections, and opportunities that reach well beyond their time at UF.
Our Strategic Pillars
01
Gatos Rugby Community
One community. Every era of Gators Rugby.
02
Financial Stability
Build a financial foundation that outlasts us.
03
Club Competition
Compete for championships. Build champions.
04
Gators Rugby Brand
Make Gators Rugby impossible to ignore.
The Gap We're Closing
Two programs. One annual gap of $85,459.
What each program has today, and what it needs each year.
Funded Today
The Gap Alumni Close
$85,459
A year from alumni closes both gaps.
Men's Program
Target: $75,000 a year
$34,030
$40,970 gap
Paid coaching, scholarships from two to four, travel and match video.
Women's Program
Target: $61,064 a year
$16,575
$44,489
Travel to CRC National 7s, the 15s season and the 7s circuit.
The Growth We Want to See
Where We Are, Where we're Going
Measure
Today
May 2026
Two Years
May 2028
Ten Years
May 2036
Alumni members
108
200
400
Scholarships
2
4
10
Florida Rugby Endowment
$188,000
$250,000
$1,000,000
Growth Fund
New
$100,000
$1,000,000
From "by the Numbers" in the UFRAA strategic plan.
Ways To Give
Choose one, or both.
Invest in the Present
Fuel for this season and the decade ahead.
Florida Growth Fund
A new fund, established this year with a $50,000 transfer, to accelerate both programs into the next decade. Growth Fund gifts build the margin the annual budgets cannot reach.
$50K
Today
$100K
By 2028
$1M
By 2036
Growth Fund gifts go directly to UFRAA.
Start with membership: $100 a year, $25 for recent graduates.
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Invest in the Future
A permanent fund for every era to come.
Florida Rugby Endowment
A permanent fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. The principal is never spent, only invested, so it supports UF Rugby every year and for all of time. Every donor becomes a member of the 1969 Society.
$188K
Today
$250K
By 2028
$1M
By 2036
Endowment gifts go through The Community Foundation.
FAQ
Before you give.
A present gift goes to the UFRAA and is spent on the season: the men's budget, the women's budget, or the new Growth Fund. A future gift goes to the Florida Rugby Endowment, where the principal is never spent and only the annual distribution supports the club.
Yes. Give to one priority, split a gift across several, or give to both the present and the future.
Yes. Choose the men's budget or the women's budget, and your gift goes to that program.
This fall the club published its 2026–2028 Strategic Plan, the first time both programs' needs have been laid out with real numbers. The year-end campaign is the first push behind it. It runs through December 31, with Giving Tuesday on December 1, and leads into Alumni Weekend in Gainesville, January 15–17, 2027.
A new fund, started this year with a $50,000 transfer, to move both programs forward faster. It pays for what the annual budgets can't reach. The goal is $100,000 by 2028 and $1 million by 2036. Growth Fund gifts go directly to the University of Florida Rugby Alumni Association.
The Growth Fund is meant to be spent. It goes to work on the programs now. The Florida Rugby Endowment is never spent. Its principal stays invested at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, and about 4% is paid out to both programs each year. One speeds up today's club, the other keeps it going for good.
It's the yearly difference between what the two programs have and what they need. The men's program needs $75,000 a year and has $34,030, a $40,970 gap that covers paid coaching, growing scholarships from two to four, travel and match video. The women's program needs $61,064 and has $16,575, a $44,489 gap that covers travel to CRC National 7s, the 15s season and the 7s circuit.
By May 2028: 200 alumni members (up from 108), four scholarships (up from two), a $250,000 endowment and a $100,000 Growth Fund. The ten-year goals for 2036 are 400 members, ten scholarships, and $1 million each in the endowment and the Growth Fund.
Yes. Membership is the easiest place to start. It's $100 a year, or $25 for alumni within three years of graduating. The plan aims to nearly double membership, from 108 to 200 by 2028. Dues support both programs, and 25% of every membership goes into the Florida Rugby Endowment.
Gifts to the Growth Fund, the men's budget or the women's budget go to the University of Florida Rugby Alumni Association, an independent nonprofit run by a volunteer board of alumni. Endowment gifts are held and professionally managed by The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, so the principal is protected.
The plan is built on published numbers, so progress is easy to check. Watch the table on this page, the UFRAA newsletter and the news on gatorsrugby.com for updates on members, scholarships and both funds. Endowment distributions are presented to the clubs each year at Alumni Weekend.
Yes, through the Florida Rugby Endowment. It accepts stock, wire transfers, retirement plan distributions, life insurance, real estate and gifts in your will. To set one up, contact John Zell, Senior Vice President at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, at 904.224.7209.
Yes. For the Growth Fund, membership or a program budget, make the check payable to "University of Florida Rugby Alumni Association," note what it's for in the memo line, and mail it to ATTN: Dennis Frisch, Treasurer, 1070 SW 19th Street, Boca Raton, FL 33486. For the endowment, make it payable to "The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida" with "Florida Rugby Endowment" in the memo line.
Two years. One mission.
Honor the past, invest in the present, and secure the future of Gators Rugby.