Post by millerj9 on Sept 19, 2008 17:06:20 GMT -5
I'm posting this under the Pro & Coll. board to avoid ruffling any feathers on the bball board.
Interesting article in today's WSJ about collegiate fund-raising:
The Don of Donations
"Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., is a tribute to the earning power of big-time college athletics. Since 2000, the school has added over $100 million in improvements, including a four-story tower with luxury suites and a football-operations center that houses three swimming pools, a weight room and a 3,500-square-foot player lounge.
But this place wasn't built on winning football. Its tenant, North Carolina State, hasn't finished higher than fourth in The Atlantic Coast Conference in over a decade and is 1-2 this season heading into tomorrow's game against heavily favored East Carolina. These facilities sit on a foundation of charitable fans, their blind faith in better seasons and one man with a knack for cultivating both.
Bobby Purcell, the 53-year-old executive director of the school's Wolfpack Club, has constructed one of the most prolific fund-raising operations in college sports history. Since he took over in 1997, the booster organization has raised over $200 million in donations for NC State athletics. The $27 million he raised in donations this year was a richer haul than several schools currently ranked in college football's top 10. Mr. Purcell's club recently surpassed 20,000 donors, which is more than four times as many as Ohio State.
His reputation is so sterling that Maryland, South Carolina and Arizona State have tapped his understudies to run their athletic fund-raising operations. "He's the best one out there," says John Currie, executive associate athletic director at Tennessee.
For many years, athletic departments relied mainly on ticket revenues, tuition fees and state funds. But in recent years, athletic subsidies have shrunk while a growing pot of money from TV networks has raised the incentive for schools to spend whatever it takes to build winning teams...."
"...A big part of Mr. Purcell's strategy is the attention he lavishes on small donors -- a relatively rare approach in major college sports. He oversees a network of nearly 600 volunteers who comb the state for fans willing to give as little as $10 a month. He instructs his staff to treat all donors equally, reminding them that $300-dollar-a-year donors often give a higher percentage of their income than million-dollar donors, and that some of those smaller donors will eventually get rich..."
Interesting article in today's WSJ about collegiate fund-raising:
The Don of Donations
"Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., is a tribute to the earning power of big-time college athletics. Since 2000, the school has added over $100 million in improvements, including a four-story tower with luxury suites and a football-operations center that houses three swimming pools, a weight room and a 3,500-square-foot player lounge.
But this place wasn't built on winning football. Its tenant, North Carolina State, hasn't finished higher than fourth in The Atlantic Coast Conference in over a decade and is 1-2 this season heading into tomorrow's game against heavily favored East Carolina. These facilities sit on a foundation of charitable fans, their blind faith in better seasons and one man with a knack for cultivating both.
Bobby Purcell, the 53-year-old executive director of the school's Wolfpack Club, has constructed one of the most prolific fund-raising operations in college sports history. Since he took over in 1997, the booster organization has raised over $200 million in donations for NC State athletics. The $27 million he raised in donations this year was a richer haul than several schools currently ranked in college football's top 10. Mr. Purcell's club recently surpassed 20,000 donors, which is more than four times as many as Ohio State.
His reputation is so sterling that Maryland, South Carolina and Arizona State have tapped his understudies to run their athletic fund-raising operations. "He's the best one out there," says John Currie, executive associate athletic director at Tennessee.
For many years, athletic departments relied mainly on ticket revenues, tuition fees and state funds. But in recent years, athletic subsidies have shrunk while a growing pot of money from TV networks has raised the incentive for schools to spend whatever it takes to build winning teams...."
"...A big part of Mr. Purcell's strategy is the attention he lavishes on small donors -- a relatively rare approach in major college sports. He oversees a network of nearly 600 volunteers who comb the state for fans willing to give as little as $10 a month. He instructs his staff to treat all donors equally, reminding them that $300-dollar-a-year donors often give a higher percentage of their income than million-dollar donors, and that some of those smaller donors will eventually get rich..."