For those wanting to make a gift to the University of Tennessee at Martin and make that gift go even farther, this year’s Captain’s Challenge is a great opportunity to “give beyond the gift.”
The 11th annual Captain’s Challenge will take place on Wednesday, April 2. It is a single-day organized means of enabling people to make gifts to the university in a wide variety of ways and have matching funds attached to those gifts.
Captain’s Challenge affects every aspect of the university, and each gift can receive a match of up to $300.
“Matching dollars are the true driver of the Challenge,” said Matt Borden, director of annual giving. “These generous gifts by various donors are ‘open-ended’ to each aspect of campus. Simply put, every gift fund and scholarship have the opportunity to greatly benefit during Captain’s Challenge.”
Those wanting to make a gift on April 2 should go to challenge.utm.edu and select the area of the university in which to donate. Gifts can be made electronically via credit card, debit card, Venmo, PayPal and other means used in a traditional digital wallet.
Recurring gifts can also be set up through the Captain’s Challenge. All gifts are tax-deductible.
The majority of the university’s colleges, athletics, organizations and more will be represented at the Captain’s Challenge site. Each dean has specified up to 15 funds on their collegiate landing pages, providing more than 500 specific allocations for gifting. There will also be special designated links for various companies to support UT Martin that have a scholarship within the university.
People can make a gift through the Captain’s Challenge in other ways as well.
“A donor may send a check to our office notated for Captain’s Challenge 2025,” Borden said. “Charitable IRA gifts are also allowed, and those should also be mailed to our office.”
The office address is UT Foundation, Attn: Matt Borden, 1900 Alumni Way, Martin, TN 38238.
“This Captain’s Challenge will feature the most matching funds available in the history of the program – more than $200,000,” Borden said. “It is important that the UT Martin community and alumni contact their network of friends and family on April 2 to ensure this is the most successful Captain’s Challenge to date.”
For more information about gifting for the University of Tennessee at Martin, visit giving.utm.edu or call Borden at 731-881-7610.
