Hoop Club Donor Discussion

[Admin]

With 40 days to go before the end of the 2004-05 Hoya Hoop Club drive, this thread is for posters who are Hoop Club members to talk about the importance of giving and any suggestions they would have for the club going forward.

Convesely, another thread will be reserved for those who don't give to the Hoop Club and their thoughts/comments on why they do not.

This thread will be open through June 30.

[lichoya68]

hoop club provides two main things.... first is support of the coaches and bball program which couldnt happen without extra funds to the dept of athletics.. second it trys to support events for members which are fun.and make the hoop members part of the bball action... whether the inseason bruch to honor past teams.. or the free for members presseason open practice and barbque.. with coahes discussion.. or the pre game receptions.. or the away game viewing parties and WHAT A VIEW NEXT YEAR go hoyas is it november yet... and members dont forget to VOTE ON LINE ...ps the hoop club has worked with hoya blue which was great this year to help get them support whether for away trips or subsidized tix for the nit game... the idea is to generate support for the team amoung alums.. stduents.. and tix holders ...go hoyas

[SoCalHoya]

Even though I do not live near enough to DC to get the benefits of tix, etc., being a member allows me to:

a) feel connected to the program through e-mails and letters;

b) bitch about the program since I contribute;

c) contribute to Georgetown in a way that I feel contributes directly to alumni spirit; and

d) get some Hoya schwag to put on my walls and annoy my non-Hoya friends who visit.

Hope this helps!

[Gold Hoya]

for the uber-pragmatic, on-the-fence friends of yours, ask this question:

Who would you rather have your money, Ticketmaster or Georgetown?

[YB]

Being a member allows me to have a direct effect on supporting 3's drive to a title. Do I need another reason?

[FLHoya]

SoCalHoya said:

Even though I do not live near enough to DC to get the benefits of tix, etc., being a member allows me to:

a) feel connected to the program through e-mails and letters;

b) bitch about the program since I contribute;

c) contribute to Georgetown in a way that I feel contributes directly to alumni spirit; and

d) get some Hoya schwag to put on my walls and annoy my non-Hoya friends who visit.

Hope this helps!

I like the idea behind these two threads. And even though I fit in the "Not HHC Donor" thread, I want to play a little devil's advocate here. Think of it as "Convince FLHoya to join the Hoya Hoop Club this summer". Now, I want to say I'm not putting down anybody's arguments here--or really arguing against them actually. I think those are all good reasons for joining the HHC. But I want to get at what the real benefits are for someone in a similar situation/thought process as me. Because I think a lot of people in similar situations to me are going through the same thought process I am below. So here goes:

First my background:

I graduated from GU in 2004. I still live in Washington DC and I just finished my first of two years of grad school at another DC university. I have a relatively low-paying job during this summer, but I don't work during the school year. I'm on financial aid/scholarship, and I try very hard to watch the money (not a lot) in my bank account.

I attended every game I was in DC for during my four years at GU. I also attended every game I was in DC for this year--in fact, I came back to town a week early after X-mas break to see the UConn and Rutgers games. Even though I graduated last year, I had somebody I know on campus buy student season tickets for me for the normal $85 charge, because that is cheaper than the Young Alumni section, Ticketmaster, etc. I also consider the seats to be better. I intend to do the same next season.

I think a lot of young alumni from the years around me are in similar situation.

Okay, now onto the benefits:

1. FEEL CONNECTED TO THE PROGRAM: I feel "connected" enough for my taste by virtue of going to all the home games, reading this website/message board, reading the papers, and GUHoyas.com, etc. I read that free newsletter the HHC sent out for the students this season--it was okay I guess, but it didn't knock my socks off and make me think: "wow, I gotta sign up and get this!"

2. BITCH ABOUT THE PROGRAM: The key qualifier is "since I contribute". I think it's a valid point that you shouldn't "criticize" something like the basketball program/office before you also offer to contribute to a solution. I certainly tried to follow that principle when I wrote about Hoya Blue or criticized them to other people. Maybe the HHC does give one an opportunity to "contribute". But I'm interested in how much "bitching" one can do at the low, low FLHoya price of a $25 donation.

On one hand, clearly I'm not a bigwig donor with the ear of such-and-such person. On the other, I have no interest in being that kind of person in a backroom or whatever. Besides, there's other ways to get ideas heard/stuff done. But I WOULD like to know that if little old FLHoya DID have a constructive idea/complaint, there'd be someone I could talk to or some meeting I could go to where I'd be heard/taken seriously.

3. CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROGRAM: There's a ton of ways you can contribute to the program without paying money to do so. After all, one of the two main ideas of Generation Burton was that "EVERY student is significant" in school spirit--and I didn't mean because of their wallets.

I consider myself to have "contributed" to school spirit (and the program) by purchasing what now amounts to I think $350 or so worth of student season tickets. Also by going to every football and lacrosse game I can. And helping the new guys in Hoya Blue with some ideas. So what's my value added in terms of spirit when I pay $25 bucks to join the Hoop Club?

Now, for SoCalHoya, who I'm guessing does not live near DC, I can see his HHC membership as a way to "contribute" when he clearly can't come to games. Same for anyone else who lives too far from MCI/campus.

But here's where it's kind of personal to me. Okay, but maybe the $25 is just a nominal fee and a symbolic gesture of my support for the program. I've certainly heard that from other students/young alums who joined. And that's a cool way to think about it and I admire them.

But I'm being totally honest here. $25 bucks sounds like not a lot. And yet--that's three dinners at Chipotle. That's 10-12 boxes of Kraft something-I-can-eat-for-dinner in a box. I'm a grad student on financial aid here. $85 for season tickets is a decent sized purchase to make for me. $25 is a long way to go to make a purely symbolic gesture on my part at this point. It's sounds really frugal, I know--but when I think about what I'm gonna do with the $25 bucks in my wallet RIGHT NOW and I need to put some cash on my laundry card and buy milk, writing that HHC check gets pushed back a lot.

And heck, if I want to be symbolic, I'll wear my Hoyabands ($5 for a pair) to class here, or at my job, or around Foggy Bottom. That's a pretty good value as far as symbolic gestures go.

4. HOYA SCHWAG: Well...what kind of schwag? I'm a small-time collector of GU promotional posters for basketball, lacrosse, football, etc. so I like that kind of stuff. Anything cool? I mean, I get my WE ARE GEORGETOWN shirt for free with my student tickets. They give out bumper stickers and buttons and stuff like it's candy on campus. But I DO love any kind of free stuff.

OKAY, so where does that leave me on this whole issue? Well, let me use an analogy I've also talked about with someone. I don't subscribe to the premium parts of HoyaReport where you've got to pay money to join/read. Somebody asked me why one time--I basically gave him the Chipotle/Kraft talk first (which prompted much joking cursing in my direction). HR costs X dollars a month, which is Y dollars a year--and I just can't justify that in addition to season tix and stuff. Plus, I don't really follow recruiting, so access to that info isn't a big selling point for me. And to be honest, I'm more than happy with what Hoyatalk provides me for free and I feel I can "follow" stuff well enough here.

Likewise, joining the HHC is $25. But I have other immediate things to do with my $25 that I consider important--and I budget my money tightly so that paying for student tickets is as far as I THINK I should go. Plus, I don't really follow the ins and outs of alumni giving-type deals or need that newsletter too much. And to be honest, Hoyatalk/games/my Hoyabands provide enough "symbolic" support for me.

It's a little dramatic in some places--but it's kind of close I bet in some ways to the arguments many young alums like me make against ponying up.

Now, one of the responses I'd get from the HoyaReport fan would be: "Yeah, but it's waaaaay more than just recruiting...there's all this other great stuff..." And so on. And I'm open to hearing about it and maybe doing the free trial. But ONLY joining if it's really worth it.

Likewise, while I intend to join the HHC eventually, at the minimum right after I get out of grad school next May, right now I need some convincing that it's worth it.

So: what kind of "influence" can I reeeeeealllly have for $25? What kind of benefits are there (and those $200 YA section seats DON'T COUNT right now for me)? Is the symbolic gesture more important than I'm making it out to be?

And finally--is there more to the Hoop Club than I know about? To be honest, I'd love to hear from people about it and I'm completely open-minded about joining and contributing if it's worth it. Post back here, email me, PM me, whatever. Glad to hear from you.

(EDIT: Oh yeah, one other thing. I would have joined the HHC in a second if my class had been given that free membership offer like the C/O 2005. I would have still bought regular $85 student tickets and not $200 YA ones.)

[Gold Coast Hoya]

As an out-of-town member of the Hoop Club I want to echo the comments of So Cal Hoya. One suggestion: perhaps an l meeting of Hoop Club members either at the beginning of the practice season or at the time of the BET. Personally, I would enjoy the opportunity to meet other members and explore ideas or opinions with the leadership of the Hoop Club.

[lichoya68]

flhoya you ARE suppporting the team the hoop club can come later when you can do it KEEP SUPPORTING THE HOYAS THATS WHAT COUNTS.. go hoyas is it november yet.. wowowo

[lichoya68]

florida hoya,, one thing for 25 bucks,, you get a free bbque at the open practice in oct ,,thats probably worth about 20 bucks,,, and then for the in season brunch you get about a 35 dollar great brunch at the accela club ... if the brakes are working... and that only costs ten dollars,, and only for hooop members ,, so for 25 bucks you get a free bbque and great brunch at the accela for 10 bucks.. similar to chipotle two or three times.. this is one benny,,, and then free drink and some appetizers for members at the pre game receptions... so you might get more than your moneys worth,, sorry i forgot about this financial analysis for the 25 dollar members,,, go hoyas,,, maybe its worth it,,and you help to support the teams needs

[TrueHoyaBlue]

On a purely personal finance level, I can understand the crunch of even a $25 donation. However, I think that it fits into a priority question. I think lichoya's analysis of benefits is pretty apt, as between the open practice and the 3-4 pre-game happy hours that I went to this year, I definitely consumed more than 25 bucks worth of food and drink, and enjoyed conversation with other hoop club members.

I also appreciated knowing that my membership added one more to the number of Hoop Club members, which is probably one of the more important indicators of alumni interest, if people are interested in letting "the administration" know that they consider Hoya Hoops to be a priority.

[SFHoya99]

FLHoya,

The first year I was a hoop club member, I was one at the low, low SFHoya price (slightly higher than the low FLHoya price but not much).

Though he is no longer Hoyas Unlimited Prez, I don't think, I easily pestered Dan Cohen over the phone for several hours on various questions. There was a lot of potential to help, although I think that you need to be in DC to have much of an impact (Dan did offer to look into a dial up conference call for the meetings to listen in), but you can have as much impact locally as you want.

[SoCalHoya]

Periodic teleconferences would be good for us HHC members outside the DC metro area.

I agree with lichoya on FLHoya's post. The most important thing is that you contribute to the program. And FLHoya has done a great job doing write-ups and showing his spirit at the games. Not all support need be financial. Unfortunately, other than lurking on the HoyaTalk boards or heading up local alumni game-watchings, I think the best way of staying involved is through the HHC.

One day I hope to make it to one of these great bbqs or meetings at acela.

Hoya Saxa.

[JimmyHoya]

I'd stop worrying about the actual "change" you might be making by contributing and look at it as a way to say thank you.

My pop's has been registering every person of my family (now 7 of us) since they day we've been born (I'm 18...but if you look up HHC records I've probably been "contributing" for 10-15 years, lol). I think he gives what he deems appropriate for his own registration, but he contributes at least the $25 as a "thank you" from each member of my family.

A few years back we were a bit finacialy strapped ourselves and thought of cancelling our season tickets (6+ in section 100 = NOT cheap) so we'd have a little more room for other treats (we decided against it). You see, we've been going to games for ages and ages, mooching off the freebie's and cheering our tails off. The games bring us and a few other families together and it wasn't something we wanted to miss, so out of practice we all donate just to say thanks for the memories of the team and family.

Granted, we're probably an isolated case, but I think there is a lot of merit for giving back out of gratitude. As much as we might want to think by going to all these games and supporting the team, we are "owed" NCAA tourney wins, we really aren't. We pay $20 or whatever for a seat to watch the game and cheer if we want....that's where the relationship ends. I think it's right to give a little something back, doesn't even have to be that much, as an aknowledgement of the great times that were had. If you can't, you can't, but the idea that you necessarilly need the power to make sure things are 'done right" is a little overbearing. If that's what you want, volunteer to join the organization itself.

But maybe I'm just getting a little sappy.

[SFHoya99]

The most compelling thing for me: the Hoop Club donation I give helps the team improve facilities, recruit more, and even pay coaches.

In short, your donation increases this team's chances of winning.

[JimmyHoya]

So there ya go. Say thanks and help them win. How can you argue with that you so called "fans"?

[Gold Hoya]

SoCalHoya said:

Periodic teleconferences would be good for us HHC members outside the DC metro area.

Definitely agree. You can talk all you want about email "connectedness" but conf calls are a lot more interactive than anything that's push-based.

[jahidihoya]

To be honest, I am not even sure if I am a member this year. I think I am, but I am not sure.

The most important thing to me is to get to the game. In particular, I would like to get the best seat possible.

If memory serves, I went to 11 games last season. I went to games in Boston, Connecticut, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York (3) and DC (4). I will admit this is an impressive list for someone that lives and works in Connecticut. I spent a fortune on these (mis)adventures. Money is not the issue for me.

I have found getting tickets through the HHC to be completely unreliable. There are times when I would not get tickets at all. When I did get seats they often were the worst in the house.

I ended up with better seats through Ticketmaster for some of the DC games. Furthermore, I bought seats for face value from scalpers for a couple of games as well.

As I am most concerned about access to tickets, I have to say that I am very disappointed in the HHC. Maybe I am not giving enough money. If that is the case they should communicate that better.

Bottom line, here are the priorities I have:
a) Access to Tickets - If I get the tickets, I will pay for them. I just do not trust this part of the process right now.
b) Communication - I pay for HoyaReport.com every month. I will likely buy the new thing at GUHoyas.com. If there was a 'Member's Forum' of some kind I would pay for it.
c) Access to the Team - The pre-game events are top-notch. I schedule my trips to DC around them.

[Deleted]

SFHoya99 said:

The most compelling thing for me: the Hoop Club donation I give helps the team improve facilities, recruit more, and even pay coaches.

In short, your donation increases this team's chances of winning.

Agreed. All the talk about access to tickets, etc.....that's personal. Different people have different priorities there. Fact is, if Coach wants something that he thinks will improve his ability to coach, recruit, whatever, he comes to the Club. If we have to start telling him "No, we don't have the money", that's bad news for all of us.

Don't give more than you can afford, but give something. $25 gets you a minimum membership. All of us (no matter how low-paying the job) can come up with $2 a month.....

[YB]

All I can say is this:

FL, I know you and know that you are among the best of fans. I know that you want the best for the program.

The GU administration pays attention to HHC's numbers. They pay attention to all levels of contribution. They pay attention to all ages.

We have over 40k GU alums in the DC area. 700 are HHC members. We need more members to get their attention on a variety of issues, including a new arena.

It's not just level of donation, although that certainly counts. It's number of donors. The fastest growing group of donors was the young alums donating under $500.

There is good energy in this- a growing organization.

[lichoya68]

good point yb only 700or so members and 40000 alums in dc and all the other points are very good also ...i like the idea of maybe a call in meeting of the hoop lclub ... maybe at the dc annual meeting at mci.. or the one in new york at big east time .. if any board members are seeing thisthey can bring it up or contact jen montgomery or allison rubin at hoyas unlimited hoop club .. keep the chatter going.. its great ideas. go hoyas