Held March 24–26, 2026, Compete to Win, the VMI Keydet Club’s fifth annual crowdfunding campaign, brought in $331,805.88 in support of the operating budgets of VMI’s athletic programs. This year’s event attracted the support of 749 donors, 80 of whom were new to the Keydet Club.
As in years past, supporters were invited to direct their gifts to any of VMI’s NCAA sports teams or to the Athletic Director’s Discretionary Fund, branded as Value Makes Impact. An impactful social media campaign featuring cadet-athletes and their coaches, along with Jamaal Walton ’07, VMI director of intercollegiate athletics, helped to propel support both in the days leading up to the campaign and throughout it.
Momentum kicked off quickly, with the women’s water polo team reaching its initial goal of $10,000 on the second day and ultimately raising $14,051.71.
The third and final day saw even more support for cadet-athletes and their coaches. Value Makes Impact surpassed its $40,000 goal, with $44,741.01 raised in total. For the second year in a row, Walton packed his bags and made good on his promise to spend a night in barracks as a cadet if the Athletic Director’s Discretionary Fund achieved its goal.
Other notable successes included the men’s basketball team exceeding its $30,000 goal, raising $33,416.09. Additionally, the men’s and women’s swim and dive teams surpassed their $25,000 goal, raising $26,684.52, while the men’s and women’s rifle team also went over its $20,000 goal, ultimately raising $20,170.31. Football, now under the direction of Ashley Ingram, new head coach, surpassed its $40,000 goal, with $50,664.82 raised.
This year’s effort was supported by a nationwide and global community representing 39 states, Washington, D.C., and the United Kingdom.
“Compete to Win continues to showcase the passion and commitment that surround our cadet-athletes and coaches,” said Andrew C. Deal ’12, Keydet Club chief operating officer and Alumni Agencies chief development officer. “We are deeply grateful for the alumni, parents, and friends who came together in support of VMI athletics during this 3-day effort. The strength of this community, and the generosity behind it, make a lasting difference for our cadet-athletes. We are thankful to everyone who helped make this year’s campaign a success.”
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Mary Price Development Writer/Communications Specialist
The development writer plays a key role in producing advancement communications. This role imagines, creates, and produces a variety of written communication to inspire donors to make gifts benefiting VMI. Utilizing journalistic features and storytelling, the development writer will produce content for areas such as Annual Giving, stewardship, and gift planning.
