Cambridge University Boat Club: Pulling Together 2023

Pulling Together is CUBC's annual digital fundraising event, where members, parents, and supporters come together to invest in the future of the Club.  This second annual month of support and giving, a new tradition for the Club, is taking place from 26 February - 26 March 2023. 

Just as success in the boat is achieved through the energy of every single member of the crew, we’re asking all of the members of our community to invest in the Club’s future, today.

We're very excited to announce that this year the first £30,000 raised will be matched £ for £ by an anonymous donor! 

Your participation, in whatever way makes sense for you, will demonstrate to current and future Cambridge rowers that there is a strong community behind them – full of rich traditions and that share a common goal.

We are all Light Blue and we’re moving the club forward, together.

Your gift will support: 

All gifts received through this campaign will support the Pulling Together Fund, our year round regular giving programme which funds the Club's most pressing priorities, which are:

Why is CUBC raising funds?

Over the last six or seven years, commercial sponsorship income received by the three legacy clubs and subsequently the combined CUBC, which was our principal source of income, has significantly reduced; in fact, 2014-15 was the last year when the operating and capital costs of the legacy clubs were fully financed from commercial sponsorship.  

In the years 2020-21 and 2021-22, approximately 20% of CUBC’s costs were funded by sponsorship income. It has become clear that although the Boat Races will still attract commercial sponsorship, it is unlikely that sponsorship alone will ever again deliver sufficient funding for either Oxford or Cambridge to deliver crews of the highest quality to the stake boats on Boat Race day and Lightweight Boat Race day. The cost of delivering one of London’s most iconic sporting and cultural events with 250,000 spectators is approximately twice as expensive as it was 10 years ago, resulting in lower levels of income for the Club. To meet the funding challenge, we have put in place plans to diversify revenues. This will ensure the survival of the Boat Races, and that competition can continue at the highest level possible in perpetuity.

What is this year's goal? 

Rather than a specific monetary goal, participation and collective impact are our aims. We know that global events have affected everyone differently, so we encourage you to give at whatever level makes sense for you. We want all members, parents, and supporters to share the Club's vision and actively take part -- and join those who are already giving regularly! 

Ways to get involved:

🎁 Make a gift

• Any gift, no matter how big or small, will help us grow our world-class programmes.
• Recurring gifts – either on a monthly or yearly basis – are the best way for you to provide sustainable support for our student-athletes and coaches.

🤝  Offer a Match (or Challenge)

• Match and challenge opportunities will be displayed on the website and will unlock additional gifts when certain thresholds are met. This is a fantastic way to encourage participation from others. 
• Consider restricting your match or challenge by your crew year or decade.

💌  Spread the word

• Using the sample language provided in our volunteer toolkit, spread the word via email, text message, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, phone call, etc.
• While you’re sharing, encourage others to attend the 2022 Boat Race Dinner. 
• Find everything you need to know about spreading the word, including sample language for emails and social media in our Volunteer Toolkit here. 

In addition to the donors supporting this initiative we would also like to recognise the incredible generosity of the group of founding donors of The CUBC Rowing Charitable Fund, an endowment fund created to hold major philanthropic gifts to the Club in perpetuity. Many thanks to Stephen Peel, David Cassidy, Jim Garman, Siobhan & Adrian Cassidy, Matt Brittin, Sam Brooks and Malcolm Baker. We are also deeply grateful to those who have committed to the endowment anonymously.