Well Well-Good to See

[KRAM1]

In reviewing...yes, I did, the special section on SMU's 100th Anniversary....pfft! such a baby compared to UNT.....I noticed that in a line of "through the years" sort of photos they had a photo of the great Jerry LeVias (yes, Mean Green fans, SMU or not LeVias was great) dated 1965.  I was fully expecting SMU to further the myth that LeVias was the first black player in Texas college football, but rather the statement correctly stated "SMU wide receiver Jerry LaVias becomes the first African American to receive athletic scholarship in Southwest Conference".

Looks like at the 100 year mark they decided to start reporting it correctly.  Thanks SMU and congrats on that first 100 years from your much older and much wiser neighbor to the north...the great University of North Texas!

Oh, and congrats on completing that $1Billion campaign.  Your alums and supporters are to be congratulated for the generosity.  

[HoustonEagle]

And our Endowment?  143 Million.  Sorry to be a negative nelly but I think people need to understand the uphill battle we face.

[Ben Gooding]

In reviewing...yes, I did, the special section on SMU's 100th Anniversary....pfft! such a baby compared to UNT.....I noticed that in a line of "through the years" sort of photos they had a photo of the great Jerry LeVias (yes, Mean Green fans, SMU or not LeVias was great) dated 1965.  I was fully expecting SMU to further the myth that LeVias was the first black player in Texas college football, but rather the statement correctly stated "SMU wide receiver Jerry LaVias becomes the first African American to receive athletic scholarship in Southwest Conference".

Looks like at the 100 year mark they decided to start reporting it correctly.  Thanks SMU and congrats on that first 100 years from your much older and much wiser neighbor to the north...the great University of North Texas!

Oh, and congrats on completing that $1Billion campaign.  Your alums and supporters are to be congratulated for the generosity.  

KRAM, what are you doing. 

[SilverEagle]

And our Endowment?  143 Million.  Sorry to be a negative nelly but I think people need to understand the uphill battle we face.

All part of our culture. Giving back to the University is a very recent concept (I believe our endowment fund didn't get started until the 80's). Dr. Matthews discouraged it. Hayden Fry started the Mean Green club. Before that, it was also discouraged....if not forbidden. 

Private schools are by their very nature and DNA fund raising institutions. Otherwise they wouldn't exist. 

Edited September 25, 2015 by SilverEagle

[foutsrouts]

All part of our culture. Giving back to the University is a very recent concept (I believe our endowment fund didn't get started until the 80's). Dr. Matthews discouraged it. Hayden Fry started the Mean Green club. Before that, it was also discouraged....if not forbidden. 

Private schools are by their very nature and DNA fund raising institutions. Otherwise they wouldn't exist. 

Very true, and "private schools" also wouldn't exist without government funding via grants, tax exemptions, financial aid etc., so in many ways there really is no such thing as a private university. I do really wish we could find a way to up that endowment in a big way, because unfortunately that plays a big part in university ratings nationwide. For whatever that is worth.

[DeepGreen]

Very true, and "private schools" also wouldn't exist without government funding via grants, tax exemptions, financial aid etc., so in many ways there really is no such thing as a private university. I do really wish we could find a way to up that endowment in a big way, because unfortunately that plays a big part in university ratings nationwide. For whatever that is worth.

Constantly winning athletic programs is a good place to start.  Start getting serious UNT.

[UNT90]

 

 Your alums and supporters are to be congratulated for the generosity.  

Let's not forget the AD who apparently developed more than 15 large donors in 15 years.

[KRAM1]

And our Endowment?  143 Million.  Sorry to be a negative nelly but I think people need to understand the uphill battle we face.

Indeed correct.  But, the good news there is that that uphill battle has been seriously engaged for the first time in the history of our great university.  Progress has already begun to be made, and while it will take some doing to successfully complete a $1Billion campaign, the next campaign is already being planned with an eye on a much larger goal than our last one.  Here's betting the goal will not only be met but exceeded.  UNT is building a team that will meet these challenges and succeed.

Successful alums are being engaged by individuals all across the university as we speak to discuss UNT and to work to re-engage these potential donors.  They are indeed listening, some are returning to campus for tours and athletic and arts events and other academic interest events.  This tide is turning, and it is turning in favor of UNT.

[GreenTexan13]

.  Thanks SMU and congrats on that first 100 years from your much older and much wiser neighbor to the north...the great University of North Texas!

 

[greenminer]

Indeed correct.  But, the good news there is that that uphill battle has been seriously engaged for the first time in the history of our great university.  Progress has already begun to be made, and while it will take some doing to successfully complete a $1Billion campaign, the next campaign is already being planned with an eye on a much larger goal than our last one.  Here's betting the goal will not only be met but exceeded.  UNT is building a team that will meet these challenges and succeed.

Successful alums are being engaged by individuals all across the university as we speak to discuss UNT and to work to re-engage these potential donors.  They are indeed listening, some are returning to campus for tours and athletic and arts events and other academic interest events.  This tide is turning, and it is turning in favor of UNT.

At what point in time would you say this battle has been engaged?  Is this something that the new president has started?

[GM1998]

Indeed correct.  But, the good news there is that that uphill battle has been seriously engaged for the first time in the history of our great university.  Progress has already begun to be made, and while it will take some doing to successfully complete a $1Billion campaign, the next campaign is already being planned with an eye on a much larger goal than our last one.  Here's betting the goal will not only be met but exceeded.  UNT is building a team that will meet these challenges and succeed.

Successful alums are being engaged by individuals all across the university as we speak to discuss UNT and to work to re-engage these potential donors.  They are indeed listening, some are returning to campus for tours and athletic and arts events and other academic interest events.  This tide is turning, and it is turning in favor of UNT.

Still would like to see a crowd fund approach for those of us who want to give back but haven't made our first million yet! Strength in numbers!

[Ben Gooding]

Still would like to see a crowd fund approach for those of us who want to give back but haven't made our first million yet! Strength in numbers!

I agree. Marketing it well will be key. Then just see what happens. If X isn't hit in 6 months everyone gets their money back. It's not difficult. 

[KRAM1]

At what point in time would you say this battle has been engaged?  Is this something that the new president has started?

While the battle was certainly engaged under Dr. Rawlins watch....as can be seen by the successful completion of our latest capital campaign....never in the history of this great university has a president emphasized increasing our endowment and annual giving more than what we are seeing from Dr. Smatresk.  As for just one example, record numbers in giving were recently announced from UNT's internal annual giving campaign by faculty and staff. I have absolutely ZERO doubt that we will see increasing numbers on a consistent basis in all areas of support for UNT going forward under his watch.  Just recently in a lunch setting he was able to raise significant funds in support of our Merit Scholars initiative.  So, while the start may have come under Dr. Rawlins watch, folks "ain't seen nothing yet" compared to what is coming under Dr. Smatresk's watch.  

Edited September 26, 2015 by KRAM1

[JesseMartin]

As my area of expertise isn't fundraising, I can't claim to know better, so I don't want this to sound mean, but...I just got an email about the North Texas Week of Giving, which raised about $83,000.00.  At a major University.  With over a quarter of a million alumni within about an hour of the campus, and 38,000 students.  Our big annual drive got us that.  Am I correct that 83 grand is kind of embarrassing and that they may want to keep it to themselves next time, instead saying stuff like "we're up 30.1%!  Hooray!"? I give what I can, when I can, but right now my focus isn't making tons of money...even so, if you averaged out what I've given to an annual amount and multiplied that by all of the alumni who are also not all that wealthy, we'd still have millions.  So what is a good solution to try to get EVERYBODY to throw in even 10 bucks a month average or something like that?  I bet if we could split it up like that (can we?) we might get the money we need just from the huge number of donors.

[KRAM1]

As my area of expertise isn't fundraising, I can't claim to know better, so I don't want this to sound mean, but...I just got an email about the North Texas Week of Giving, which raised about $83,000.00.  At a major University.  With over a quarter of a million alumni within about an hour of the campus, and 38,000 students.  Our big annual drive got us that.  Am I correct that 83 grand is kind of embarrassing and that they may want to keep it to themselves next time, instead saying stuff like "we're up 30.1%!  Hooray!"? I give what I can, when I can, but right now my focus isn't making tons of money...even so, if you averaged out what I've given to an annual amount and multiplied that by all of the alumni who are also not all that wealthy, we'd still have millions.  So what is a good solution to try to get EVERYBODY to throw in even 10 bucks a month average or something like that?  I bet if we could split it up like that (can we?) we might get the money we need just from the huge number of donors.

Jesse, that isn't in any way our "big annual drive".  UNT's Foundation applied to be part of the Annual Day of giving this year, and in so doing raised $83,000.00 which it did not have through lots of very small donations.  The size and type of donations some here are advocating be raised through a Crowd Funding effort.  It pretty much was a Crowd Funding effort, so hopefully these folks donated to UNT as I did through this Day of Giving effort.  In fact, the Denton County totals placed UNT in the top 3-4 in dollars raised that day.  It's a day where folks give to non-profits of their choice...another big winner that day was the Denton Animal Shelter.  So, this is not in any way a "big annual drive" from UNT.  But rather a newly engaged opportunity for folks making smaller donations to join their donations together to make an impact for the non-profit of their choice.  That $83,000 generated from lots of $10, $25 and $100 donations will provide some additional scholarship support that was not already there and is just another step in building a donor base of support for UNT....large, small and in between donors alike...lots of first time donors in that total.  So, that $83,000 is really sort of a big deal.  Hope this helps change your mind about being "embarrassed".  Not embarrassing at all, but rather significant in a very positive way.  We can all hope more funds are generated next year as more people become aware of National Giving Day, and select UNT as one of their giving choices.

[KRAM1]

Still would like to see a crowd fund approach for those of us who want to give back but haven't made our first million yet! Strength in numbers!

Just had the National Day of Giving thing as I explained in my reply to Jesse's post.  Very much a crowd fund approach.  Donors gave $5, $10....whatever.  Exactly what you are suggesting.  Sorry you missed it, but it will return next year.  In the meantime, the Mean Green Club accepts memberships as little as $25 and one can always add a tad to their current membership level anytime in any amount.  You can also send a check in any amount right to the UNT Foundation with your isnstructions as to where you wish the funds to go.  Also, no one has to be a millionaire to contribute to UNT's capital campaigns.  I contribute to them and I certainly do not have millions I can donate...sure would if I could, but alas, just not able.  

Strength in numbers, indeed, as was demonstrated by the success in the recent National Day of Giving event.  I appreciate your interest and willingness to give back to your university.  Any amount at any time matters.  Remember, it is not how much, it is only "if" one gives...our strength in numbers will prevail should more decide on "if".

[JesseMartin]

Well thanks, that sounds not as bad as I'd assumed.  So is our big push still in the spring semester, like February or March?  I don't think I'd ever seen that total published, but am curious to know what the difference is in the gross donations of that vs. this if this is more of a "bonus round" of accumulated smaller donations.