(08-05-2022 09:57 AM)Buc76 Wrote: 'Fund raise your ass off', Raise money'.
If you were the AD of ETSU list the top 5 five incentives you would offer a major prospective donor.
As I said in an earlier post, I'm not being critical, just interested in your thoughts of where ETSU is falling short in their fund raising efforts.
None of us are saying ETSU is falling short on fundraising per se. I'd be hard pressed to say it's in worse shape than it was 15 years ago. But there is always more to be done, more opportunities to give people reasons to give more money to the school.
The big one I would hit is access. Donors want to feel like they're part of something and that they're getting something in return for their money. Tickets are valuable, sure, but things like donor events centered around practices where boosters can interact with coaches could be really valuable. Donors pay for scholarships, too, so an event where they can sit down and get to know the athletes their money helps come to ETSU could be good, too, if ETSU doesn't already do that. Then stack things like silent auctions on top of those events to get additional money coming in from donors. Maybe auction off additional access, like calling a play in the spring game or the chance to sit in with the radio or TV crew for a game.
Another thing I would do is organize special events for donors built around games. Organize a donor charter to Starkville for Mississippi State, or get an exclusive bus with amenities for the games at App game in 2024 that lets people travel to support the team in style and comfort that reflects their level of support for ETSU.
ETSU athletics will never be self-sufficient; the TV money will never be there, and tickets and donations can't make up all of that gap. But every dollar raised means the general fund support and/or student fees can stretch that little bit further, tipping the scale on the athlete experience (hotels, meals, etc) and staff recruitment and retention (assistant pools, etc). Those things ultimately lead to more wins, which will get more donors on board, which build forward momentum for the department and ultimately lead to sustained success.
