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Donations to Tiger fund set record
University of Memphis nets $7 million in athletic donations
By Dan Wolken
Monday, June 29, 2009
A bad economy and the departure of basketball coach John Calipari didn't slow down the University of Memphis' athletic fundraising efforts during the last fiscal year.
The Tiger Scholarship Fund announced Monday a record $7 million in donations, shattering last year's previous record of $6 million. Athletic director R.C. Johnson said he was elated with the 16.7 percent increase, which will help cover athletic scholarship costs estimated at $7.5 million for the 2009-10 academic year.
"It really bodes well for the tough economic times we're going through, but it bodes well for the future, and people are believing in what we're doing," Johnson said. "The success of all the programs has been a big part of it, and we've built a good foundation."
Much of the increase can be credited to Memphis' new "per-seat" donation policy for seats at FedExForum. TSF donations are required to buy season tickets on the lower level and club level for Tiger basketball games, and the new plan was expected to help bring in $6.8 million this year with the potential of another No. 1 ranking in basketball for the 2009-10 season.
Memphis surpassed that goal, despite losing Calipari to Kentucky on March 31 and the revelation on May 27 that Memphis had been called in front of the NCAA committee on infractions to discuss potential violations in the basketball program. Johnson said the athletic department did not feel a financial impact from either of those developments.
"I don't think we ever thought it would fall apart, but John had done such a good job for us, and I hated to see that happen," Johnson said. "But I was somewhat comfortable in that everything was kind of in place to keep the thing going and the football bowl game, the other programs. ... We're graduating at a better clip and donors feel good about that. They feel good about the academics. We're trying to sell the spectacle and scholarship of the student-athlete and not just hang our hat on winning."
The $7 million in donations does not include money brought in from the Ambassadors Club, which now has 37 members. Each Ambassador has either donated or pledged $500,000 to the athletic department over a four-year period.
That's a long way from where Memphis started in 1996, when donations totaled less than than $1 million annually.
Johnson said his goal for the next fiscal year will be matching this year's $7 million total.
"We want to have steady growth, and this was a big jump, but we figured we could have this," Johnson said. "I want to have steady growth, not peaks and valleys. I want the line to continue to climb, but I want to be realistic. We have had people who said, 'This is hard for me to do; these are tougher times.' Next year, when the economy has settled in a little more, will be a bigger test for us.
''But I'm confident we can still reach whatever goal we set,'' he said. ''We're going to have to work harder at it."
The status quo is maintained.
