Hoyas Unlimited E-mail

[doublehoya]

I got an interesting e-mail from Hoyas Unlimited today, which reads as follows:

"Dear Hoyas Unlimited Supporter:

As another successful year draws to a close, we want to thank you for your past committment to Hoyas Unlimited and your support of our teams. In celebration of our student athletes and coaches, we have prepared a short presentation on Georgetown Athletics. We hope you will view it at your convenience. If you have already given to Hoyas Unlimited this year, thank you so much for your support. If you have not, perhaps our presentation will inspire you to give to Hoyas Unlimited again this year.

Hoya Saxa!

Hoyas Unlimited"


And it included a lik to the following movie:

alumni.georgetown.edu/site/DocServer/GU.alumi06.14.swf?docID=3001&JServSessionIdr005=38108ao2n1.app23b

Interesting, and I am glad to see they are doing things.

But it brought to mind a question for the board -- do such efforts (which presumably go only to past donors) help, or is time better spent on outreach to those who haven't donated? I understand that retention of existing donors is very important, but with the strengthening of the basketball team, I wonder if they should be focusing their efforts on those who don't donate, or haven't donated in a long time. . . . thoughts?

[SFHoya99]

I think it is nice, but given the proximity to the end of their fiscal year, they are either a bit duplicitous or just forgetful in trying to get folks to donate for two wholw weeks of benefits. I make an annual donation, and I'll make it in July.

[DFW HOYA]

doublehoya said:

But it brought to mind a question for the board -- do such efforts (which presumably go only to past donors) help, or is time better spent on outreach to those who haven't donated? I understand that retention of existing donors is very important, but with the strengthening of the basketball team, I wonder if they should be focusing their efforts on those who don't donate, or haven't donated in a long time. . . . thoughts?

A couple thoughts.

First, this is a relatiely low cost "thank you note" to donors. It is good to see that Hoyas Unlimited is mindful of a basic marketing fact: you don't increase your base by ignoring your foundations; that is, you maintain ties to renew donors as well as bring new ones on board.

Since a fair percentage of alumni actually do give in the final two weeks before the end of the school's fiscal year, the marginal gain in gifts from this e-mail could be significant. It doesn't take many "oh, yeah, I'll send in a check" responses for this type of campaign to be successful.

It's also important to understand that this is coming from Hoyas Unlimited, which represents all sports teams. The video isn't meant to focus gifts for men's basketball but to bring back past donors to a variety of sports. Basketball's strategies on building the donor base are for another thread, but this is an encouraging effort to remind its donors to get on board for the end of year numbers. And for any of you thinking, "I'll just wait until July 1", why not make a $25 gift now, get some credit for this year for future benefits, and make another gift in the fall?

[lichoya68]

I LOVED LOVED LOVED THE VIDEO BUT IM EASILY PLEASED GO HOYAS

[StPetersburgHoya (Inactive)]

I liked the message - it was a bit general but definitely better than nothing. The thing that is missing is the fact that GU has not developed a way of packaging itself in marketing to donors - what is the plan? where is the money going? A lot of schools offer promotional videos with sweeping computer rendered shots of their planned future stadiums, stories of student-atheletes that were helped out by donations of alumni, and promotional videos that show how donors played a part in a successful season with their donations. I know that my father who gives to both Ok State (his alma matter) and GU (mine, thanks dad) has promotional tapes from Ok State dating back to 1997 and 0 from Georgetown - it needs to be a more specific message overall with a little more money behind it to be successful in garnering more financial support - however I feel that this is a good step.

[DuddingtonHoya]

Not to rain on anybody's parade, but what in the hell are they saying at the end of the presentation when you scroll over "Make A Gift to Hoyas Unlimited" ?? Very strange.

[YB]

This is another nice step by the Hoyas Unlimited folks. Great to say thank you and please re-up to the current donors; this does not mean they should not aggressively go after others. I say, this is step in the right direction.

[SoCalHoya]

I think they are saying "Go GU!"

I totally dug the video.