Santa Clara University Touring Side’s Day of Giving Success

Santa Clara rugby player Dante Black‭ ‬’26‭ ‬gets tackled‭. ‬‭(‬Courtesy of Kathryn Hutchings‭)‬

Santa Clara University Touring Side (SCUTS), or Santa Clara men’s club rugby, raised a whopping $110,035 this year for Santa Clara University’s annual Day of Giving event, maintaining its reputation as a consistent club sports fundraising leader. The program doesn’t just have the high dollar figure, but an overwhelming amount of donors who all pitched in to make it all possible.

“We definitely have a very, very large alumni network, and I think that's definitely the reason we've been successful, especially the last four years or so,” said player Thomas Huston ’26. 

This year marked the sixth straight year the organization has been able to raise over $65,000 dollars, according to their Facebook page. 

It all starts with accountability from the top to the bottom of the roster. Every year, Day of Giving is mandatory for all members of the team.

“We get a list of 1100 or so names, and we have a script for our guys to follow and we have them call as many people as they can,” said team president Dante Black ’26.

The effort turns into a full-day call center operation, with players working through long call lists to reconnect with alumni, their families and friends. The strategy is simple but effective: maintain relationships and lean on a network that spans generations of former players. 

“I think it’s something around 60% to 80% of alumni who’ve played for our current coach end up donating to our program,” said SCUTS player Patrick Barnette ’26. 

“If you want to build a successful club sports program, you have to focus on building your network, and we’ve established that and haven’t looked back,” Barnette said. 

In addition to Day of Giving, SCUTS holds the Father Coz Banquet every year, which honors a key figure in Santa Clara Rugby’s history and serves as a major fundraiser, with proceeds going directly toward supporting the team and its operations. Father Richard Coz was a Jesuit priest and former Santa Clara University professor who was known for his consistent presence at the University across various sports teams, including rugby.

“We really owe it all, all to the alumni. They come in extremely clutch when it comes to donations, helping out the program,” Black said.

SCUTS’s large community base has continued to power its Day of Giving success now and into the future. They were responsible for about a third of the money raised for club sports this year, and triathlon was right behind them after they unlocked a $100,000 endowment challenge, finishing with a total of $104,915 raised. The two teams combined were responsible for just over 60% of all the donations. SCUTS has time and time again proven that it is the role model for all other clubs when it comes to day of giving operations.