Fw*telegram On New Stadium Status Link

NT03 · July 26, 2007

We are set to host Air Force in 2009 , If I remember right the home & home series we have with them ( from 2003) was based on the fact that we would be in a new stadium by then. Is that correct ?

We are also supposed to host K-State on 09/25/10 as part of a 2 for 1 (we travel to Manhattan in 2008 & 2012 ).

Would we lose these games if we are still in Fouts ??

Edited July 26, 2007 by NT03

UNTflyer · July 26, 2007

That is the biggest reason why we need a bigger stadium. Look at UCF, they built a 45K stadium and get to host UT this year.

UCF also averaged 31,000 in attendance last year, ranked 73rd in the country.

UNTflyer · July 26, 2007

A lot of what realgrad88 says is true but I disagree with him regarding name recognition of fund raisers. I think that you are much more prone not only to give but to give more if called on by a person of national or state prominence.

Maybe we can get Dr. Phil to become a fundraising spokesperson. That guy is a natural salesman... look how many people bought his books.

UNTflyer · July 26, 2007

Attempting to bowl out Fouts would only double the time and expense.

Even that's not necessary. Pull out those bleachers that season ticket holders and MGC donors have to sit on and replace them with real seats. Remodel the bathrooms. Temporarily expand the Ben E. Keith deck out onto the track. Put some fresh paint on that concrete. It's not great, but these improvements would be somewhat easy to implement between seasons.

GreenEddieNT · July 26, 2007

Last year we averaged 222 more in attendance than SMU. We were ranked 107th in DIV-I, one spot higher than SMU and one spot lower than Temple.

Exactly, the size of our fan base is nothing to brag about. When you combine a small fan base with a crappy conference you end up with a situation where nobody wants to invest in a new stadium that will be empty and hardly noticed by the media.

GreenEddieNT · July 26, 2007

Yet still we only had 222 more people in attendance. Kinda sad

Yup, student size is the most overrated statistic out there. There are a bunch of schools out there with far less students than us but with fan bases so large they dwarf ours easily and I'm not even talking about schools in BCS conferences. The bottom line is that if you want to have a large fan base you need to have the community committed and obsessed to your program rather than just the students, not that our students care all that much either. This is where it really hurts us to be in a market where the public has so many options for where to spend their sports and entertainment money. People don't have unlimited budgets allocated to entertainment and sports. Every dollar that is spent on another sports or entertainment venue is a dollar UNT won't be getting. It is always going to be an uphill battle for us because not only are we not anywhere near the top of the food chain in terms of sports in this market but we also have to compete with a bunch of other people battling for those same sports and entertainment dollars. Another thing the schools with larger fan bases have going for them is great support for basketball so that they stay involved with the athletics even after the football season ends.

So to recap we need more "subway" bandwagon fans and a consistent basketball program.

Edited July 26, 2007 by GreenEddieNT

greenminer · July 26, 2007

Maybe we can lease Dragon Stadium for home games and the Dragon Bubble Dome for when we can't practice outside. Hey at least we would have a sellout everygame and have restrooms that work. Food is a lot better as well.

Huh? why? Dragon Stadium seats 11K. Why the...we...

nevermind :whistling1:

PlummMeanGreen · July 26, 2007

I think grad88's point was that as the size of the gift increase linearly, the chances of a cold call receiving that gift falls exponentially.
You have to admit none of those, heck all of those gifts combined, would be enough to start a stadium fund.

Yet it is my understanding that at least 2 (maybe 3) of the men in my posts could probably build UNT 2 or 3 football stadiums if they saw the need. Of course, I'm being facetious since we only need one stadium, but what I'm saying and what many of you already know are that some of these heavy-hitters are loaded financial-wise. I just hope we have the right ones (from campus) saying all the right words when they are doing all the asking, that's all.

Edited July 26, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

russell360 · July 26, 2007

Fans go to the game to see the team play, not the stadium.

Have there been any school in recent years that had a big jump in attendance after building a new stadium?

What was so bad about playing the bigger schools at Texas Stadium? I would think that the players from both school would love to play there(or the new Cowboy stadium).I would think that lots of big school would love the metroplex exposure.

I don't see a new stadium bringing in any more fans to see ULM play than Fouts does.

Did the school see a big attendance jump when the Super Pit was built?

SilverEagle · July 26, 2007

Fans go to the game to see the team play, not the stadium.
Have there been any school in recent years that had a big jump in attendance after building a new stadium?
What was so bad about playing the bigger schools at Texas Stadium? I would think that the players from both school would love to play there(or the new Cowboy stadium).I would think that lots of big school would love the metroplex exposure.
I don't see a new stadium bringing in any more fans to see ULM play than Fouts does.
Did the school see a big attendance jump when the Super Pit was built?

When Fouts was at it's origianal capacity we sold out the SFA game in 1989 (the media guide said it was 20,272, but the announcer at the game said it was a sell-out) for the first time in Fouts field history. We were 1-AA back then, and Fouts didn't have near the improvements that it does now.

So, what was going on at that time?

Winning (the year before we had beaten all of our SWC opponents and went to the 1-AA playoffs) and better promotions.

PlummMeanGreen · July 26, 2007

Yup, student size is the most overrated statistic out there. There are a bunch of schools out there with far less students than us but with fan bases so large they dwarf ours easily and I'm not even talking about schools in BCS conferences. The bottom line is that if you want to have a large fan base you need to have the community committed and obsessed to your program rather than just the students, not that our students care all that much either. This is where it really hurts us to be in a market where the public has so many options for where to spend their sports and entertainment money. People don't have unlimited budgets allocated to entertainment and sports. Every dollar that is spent on another sports or entertainment venue is a dollar UNT won't be getting. It is always going to be an uphill battle for us because not only are we not anywhere near the top of the food chain in terms of sports in this market but we also have to compete with a bunch of other people battling for those same sports and entertainment dollars. Another thing the schools with larger fan bases have going for them is great support for basketball so that they stay involved with the athletics even after the football season ends.
So to recap we need more "subway" bandwagon fans and a consistent basketball program.

When UNT students show up in full force it is an impressive sight to see. I sat by a UH alum & administrator of CoogFans.com at one of our games at Fouts and he was duly impressed with our UNT student support.

YET................any NCAA D1-A school located in a metropolitan area should triple their promotions staff and quadruple their promotions budget because (as you said GreenEddieNT) there are just a few other things out there in the North Texas Metroplex our alums can do on Game Day other than attend a Mean Green football game.

If you don't have a promotions staff large enough to get the job done, then hire one large enough to get the job done even if you have to reduce other areas to get the monies for a larger promotions staff and budget because without a sizeable show of NT Exes and Mean Green fans, just who is this program for anyhow?

Edited July 26, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

the real grad88 · July 26, 2007

Yet it is my understanding that at least 2 (maybe 3) of the men in my posts could probably build UNT 2 or 3 football stadiums if they saw the need. Of course, I'm being facetious since we only need one stadium, but what I'm saying and what many of you already know are that some of these heavy-hitters are loaded financial-wise. I just hope we have the right ones (from campus) saying all the right words when they are doing all the asking, that's all.

I that is true Plumm, the stadium will happen eventually...if Dodge does what we think he is going to.

PlummMeanGreen · July 26, 2007

I that is true Plumm, the stadium will happen eventually...if Dodge does what we think he is going to.

Good Reverend grad88, I guess it will just come to a scenario such as this: Can UNT's fund-raisers truly capture the imagination of just one of these heavy-hitters as to just how important their large donation could mean to the entire UNT community (and beyond); even how historic a donation it would be providing monies to build such an edifice where UNT's alums/MG fans will gather to gather in its largest numbers.

What monies we need to spend on our new stadium (with cost unfortunately rising each day we delay our dirt-turning ceremony) will be larger than our school's modest financial endowment (which is something that I'd bet Prez' B and other university academians have thought of that wrinkle at one time or another).

Yet................why not a modern new football stadium that will be an exciting, new gathering place for many future Big Donors? A place where UNT's development for such future Big Donors will even begin? It happens this way at other Texas NCAA D1-A schools so why not UNT? :huh:

Edited July 26, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

stebo · July 26, 2007

Over and over again I read our fans bitching and moaning about not getting the "big donor" - folks, NONE of the people building their news stadiums had a big donor BEFORE they announced their stadium and already had it funded. Troy had theirs built and running for a year before they got their donor. UCF is funding theirs through student service fees that we are not allowed to charge in Texas. So is FIU. WKU had their $37 million dollar renovation announced, paid for, and they were building it before a donor came along with a $5 million dollar check to help them out. We have to do this in house and show a commitment from the FANS before we will build and we have to build before any donor is going to slap his/her name on it. This is a tired arguement. I can't believe that people would blame RV. The man that is often associated with bringing NT to the highest level ever is Hayden Fry and he wasn't able to raise 1/5th of what RV has raised in about the same time period.

The only thing that I blame RV for, and this is a very SLIGHT blame, is that he hasn't set up a direct fund for donors that want their money earmarked ONLY for the stadium and nothing else. If he were to do that, they would lose out on Mean Green Club donations and those are really helping to pay the bills. The next step would be to set up an account that cannot be used for anything BUT a stadium. Let donors donate at any time or set up for automatic payment plans. In addition - you should be able to click a button at any time and throw $20 bucks in their via credit card. The fans should also be able to see the balance. Almost like a HUGE trust fund that we can all donate to whenever a guy like RETSO has #495 bucks that he wants to donate but wants to make sure that it goes to STADIUM USE ONLY. All major donations should go in there as well as private donations (small and big). There was talk a while back of the fans doing this on their own and giving the department a password to view the funds as they grew. The only thing is that the Athletic Department would surely think that if a person was giving to this stadium fund then they would cut back on their Mean Green Club donations. I don't think so. Here is the reason why - this fund would not give anyone the free game day giveaways. In fact, about the only thing that this fund would do is give the fans a chance to REALLY see how far we are in terms of fundraising. If this fund had been started 10 years ago (when it was first kicked around) - there could have been up to a couple of million in there, especially if it was invested wisely. Now we have question marks. I trust RV but I really want to know how close or far we are from the stadium. I put al of the blame on the fans for not giving more but I really can't blame them if they think that the money will be used for Women's Softball (no offense ladies) when what we really need is a new football stadium.

Stan R · July 26, 2007

One additional thought on the renovations vs. new stadium debate. I think at some point the AD's office (and to some degree the fans collectively) have to put a marker down for a "go date". If that date is not met, then you simply use some portion of whatever funds you have to do a renovation of fouts.

Here's my reasoning - if you just pour everything into looking for the home run of a new stadium, then Fouts may get to the point where people will stop coming not because of gameplay, or wins but because the place is just so awful. I would not be surprised if once some of the Southlake folks (the NFWBP North Fort Worth Beautiful People - thanks randy galloway I think I'll steal that one) see the facilities, stop by for one game and then say no thanks, that is a horrid facility. I can tell you that a renovation of the restrooms could be done for probably less than 200K for both sides of the stadium. At some point you've got to cut your losses and say we've just got to live with fouts.

So what is the date? 2011 now? 2020? I'm going to say that if it is any later than 2011 to have a new stadium then you HAVE to do some renovations. Just my opinion. But I"d like to know what everyone else feels is the "drop dead date" to fund renovations.

AnotherEagleFan · July 26, 2007

I dont think that people on this board realize how difficult a job that RV has. He has to spend his time with every aspect of Athletics because EVERYTHING is lacking. Most AD's have the ability to really focus on a main project for a couple of years then switch gears. But here EVERYTHING is broken.

STOP complaining and do something. We do not need a huge donor. We need to win and get people in the stands. I agree with the posts challenging everyone to "just give 100 bucks more" or if everyone "just brought 4 people to the games." The point is to stop complaining and get off your butt and do something.

And dont start the string of "I do's" because if everyone did then we would not have this thread and a new stadium would be being built. AND an average of under 20K in the stands per game is pathetic.

RV cannot do it all there is just too much to be done.

My gosh if half of the effort was spent on doing something as was spent on trying to justify why we are better then whoever then we would be getting somewhere.

gangrene · July 26, 2007

What was so bad about playing the bigger schools at Texas Stadium?

I don't know...I didn't have a problem with it either. I'm sure we had to pay a hefty fee to Jerry to lease the stadium, but at least we got some big schools to travel to play us in Irving. We can't get anyone to come to Denton.

Did the school see a big attendance jump when the Super Pit was built?

I don't know if there was a big attendance spike for UNT games but I do know that the Super Pit played host to a regional bracket of the NCAA Final Four tournament and it was certainly packed for that.

Over and over again I read our fans bitching and moaning about not getting the "big donor" - folks, NONE of the people building their news stadiums had a big donor BEFORE they announced their stadium and already had it funded. Troy had theirs built and running for a year before they got their donor. UCF is funding theirs through student service fees that we are not allowed to charge in Texas. So is FIU. WKU had their $37 million dollar renovation announced, paid for, and they were building it before a donor came along with a $5 million dollar check to help them out. We have to do this in house and show a commitment from the FANS before we will build and we have to build before any donor is going to slap his/her name on it. This is a tired arguement. I can't believe that people would blame RV. The man that is often associated with bringing NT to the highest level ever is Hayden Fry and he wasn't able to raise 1/5th of what RV has raised in about the same time period.

You're exactly right in that no corporation is ever going to commit to a naming rights sponsorship for a stadium in which the ground has yet to be broken.

The only thing that I blame RV for, and this is a very SLIGHT blame, is that he hasn't set up a direct fund for donors that want their money earmarked ONLY for the stadium and nothing else. If he were to do that, they would lose out on Mean Green Club donations and those are really helping to pay the bills. The next step would be to set up an account that cannot be used for anything BUT a stadium. Let donors donate at any time or set up for automatic payment plans. In addition - you should be able to click a button at any time and throw $20 bucks in their via credit card. The fans should also be able to see the balance. Almost like a HUGE trust fund that we can all donate to whenever a guy like RETSO has #495 bucks that he wants to donate but wants to make sure that it goes to STADIUM USE ONLY. All major donations should go in there as well as private donations (small and big). There was talk a while back of the fans doing this on their own and giving the department a password to view the funds as they grew. The only thing is that the Athletic Department would surely think that if a person was giving to this stadium fund then they would cut back on their Mean Green Club donations. I don't think so. Here is the reason why - this fund would not give anyone the free game day giveaways. In fact, about the only thing that this fund would do is give the fans a chance to REALLY see how far we are in terms of fundraising. If this fund had been started 10 years ago (when it was first kicked around) - there could have been up to a couple of million in there, especially if it was invested wisely. Now we have question marks. I trust RV but I really want to know how close or far we are from the stadium. I put al of the blame on the fans for not giving more but I really can't blame them if they think that the money will be used for Women's Softball (no offense ladies) when what we really need is a new football stadium.

I like this idea...sort of like the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. Maybe we could auction off Mean Green memoribilia to increase donations? I think the website idea is great. Having a running balance for all to view and a paypal or other "button" in which alumni/fans can made immediate donations is a good way for everyone to monitor the progress.

Quoner · July 26, 2007

I dont think that people on this board realize how difficult a job that RV has. He has to spend his time with every aspect of Athletics because EVERYTHING is lacking. Most AD's have the ability to really focus on a main project for a couple of years then switch gears. But here EVERYTHING is broken.
STOP complaining and do something. We do not need a huge donor. We need to win and get people in the stands. I agree with the posts challenging everyone to "just give 100 bucks more" or if everyone "just brought 4 people to the games." The point is to stop complaining and get off your butt and do something.
And dont start the string of "I do's" because if everyone did then we would not have this thread and a new stadium would be being built. AND an average of under 20K in the stands per game is pathetic.
RV cannot do it all there is just too much to be done.
My gosh if half of the effort was spent on doing something as was spent on trying to justify why we are better then whoever then we would be getting somewhere.

Good points but:

!) He signed up for this job knowing full well what we was getting into. No athletic director can do it alone. A huge part of the job is identifying the quality talent you need to manage each part of your vision. That's like saying a GM is not responsible for an offensive line sucking because he can't go out there and block.

2) The fans on this board are responsible for showing up, giving money and spreading the Mean Green gospel, but none of these issues are under our control. If someone is being paid to fundraise - which several people in the department are - they should be fundraising much better than us. If someone is paid to sell tickets, they should be selling tickets and managing customer relationships better than us. You can say the same for every group there.

3) People seem to hate me for this, and I have nothing against RV, but so far he as implemented a template of best practices from other universities. That is great and what we needed and it is sad nobody did that for so long, but the sainting of him here is a little much. He's a fallible leader - and probably the best UNT could ask for right now - but I will never get why so many of you find him flawless. It's creepy. I guess the analogy was that the fan base was a mistreated puppy that finally found an owner who pays attention to it before and after work and walks it once in awhile. Oh, and the old owner was Michael Vick.

SilverEagle · July 26, 2007

Good points but:
3) People seem to hate me for this, and I have nothing against RV, but so far he as implemented a template of best practices from other universities. That is great and what we needed and it is sad nobody did that for so long, but the sainting of him here is a little much. He's a fallible leader - and probably the best UNT could ask for right now - but I will never get why so many of you find him flawless. It's creepy. I guess the analogy was that the fan base was a mistreated puppy that finally found an owner who pays attention to it before and after work and walks it once in awhile. Oh, and the old owner was Michael Vick.

Not a bad one (analogy) at that.

I never met Craig Helwig, but his attitude, and the atmosphere that he created in the Athletic Department, almost caused me to kick my University's football team to the curb. Aloof and indifferent to the every day fan would be the best way to describe him.....and his minions. In fact, Craig Helwig caused Jim Hobdy, one of the most hard working, dedicated, and creative staff members in the Athletic Department to call it quits. IMHO it took a real a$$-hole to accomplish something like that.

But just because RV is miles ahead of Helwig, doesn't make him even remotely perfect. But he has shown a great amount of insight about what this program needs by hiring Todd Dodge.

AnotherEagleFan · July 26, 2007

Good points but:
!) He signed up for this job knowing full well what we was getting into. No athletic director can do it alone. A huge part of the job is identifying the quality talent you need to manage each part of your vision. That's like saying a GM is not responsible for an offensive line sucking because he can't go out there and block.
2) The fans on this board are responsible for showing up, giving money and spreading the Mean Green gospel, but none of these issues are under our control. If someone is being paid to fundraise - which several people in the department are - they should be fundraising much better than us. If someone is paid to sell tickets, they should be selling tickets and managing customer relationships better than us. You can say the same for every group there.

3) People seem to hate me for this, and I have nothing against RV, but so far he as implemented a template of best practices from other universities. That is great and what we needed and it is sad nobody did that for so long, but the sainting of him here is a little much. He's a fallible leader - and probably the best UNT could ask for right now - but I will never get why so many of you find him flawless. It's creepy. I guess the analogy was that the fan base was a mistreated puppy that finally found an owner who pays attention to it before and after work and walks it once in awhile. Oh, and the old owner was Michael Vick.

1) It is his first AD job and he has done a good job with his resources. Good enough I believe to get a better job. And I believe that he probably will.

2) Sorry, but if we are "showing up, giving money and spreading the mean green gospel" then we have almost nothing to show for it. The simple fact is that WE blame more then we do.. WE cannot put everything off on the AD. If we do then we will have the same results as we always have.

3) I'm not going to argue that he is flawless but I'm more concerned about UNT and the lack of ability for US (the fans) to do our part.

EagleD · July 26, 2007

I'm surprised no one has mentioned how TD as a fundraiser should help out. Part of being a coach at the D1 level is fundraising. DD raised some money, thanks to Matress Mac, but I think Dodge has the potential to generate a lot more medium sized donors. Shortly after RV was hired he said he'd rather have 1,000 donors of $100, rather than 1 donor of $100,000. I think Dodge, moreso than Dickey, has the potential to generate that kind of interest.

I really get the feeling TD knows how important it is to generate money for the athletic dept.

GO MEAN GREEN !!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited July 26, 2007 by EagleD

Quoner · July 26, 2007

1) It is his first AD job and he has done a good job with his resources. Good enough I believe to get a better job. And I believe that he probably will.
2) Sorry, but if we are "showing up, giving money and spreading the mean green gospel" then we have almost nothing to show for it. The simple fact is that WE blame more then we do.. WE cannot put everything off on the AD. If we do then we will have the same results as we always have.
3) I'm not going to argue that he is flawless but I'm more concerned about UNT and the lack of ability for US (the fans) to do our part.

1) He applies every summer. How's that working out for him? The man has worked in two larger programs. It his profession.

2) I agree we have nothing to show for it. A fan base does not turn its program around. It helps, but the leadership does. Name me a turnaround story in any sport that started with the paying customers and not the product offered or the way it was repackaged.

3) I am concerned about that too, but your group to reach on this is not on this message board. It is in the other part of the school. Should we fans that care start storming classrooms and events to speak about how great the sports teams are?

We all want the same thing, but the arguing over abstract points we can't change is just so much fun sometimes...

I blame you. And him. And maybe her over there.

AnotherEagleFan · July 26, 2007

1) He applies every summer. How's that working out for him? The man has worked in two larger programs. It his profession.
2) I agree we have nothing to show for it. A fan base does not turn its program around. It helps, but the leadership does. Name me a turnaround story in any sport that started with the paying customers and not the product offered or the way it was repackaged.
3) I am concerned about that too, but your group to reach on this is not on this message board. It is in the other part of the school. Should we fans that care start storming classrooms and events to speak about how great the sports teams are?
We all want the same thing, but the arguing over abstract points we can't change is just so much fun sometimes...
I blame you. And him. And maybe her over there.

Marshall, Central Florida, South Florida, Troy, UAB to name a few off of the top of my head. But the point is that This board does more complaining then any board that I visit. Look I am a football fan. My University is too far away for me to be a season ticket holder. So I try to support UNT athletics (football and basketball). And in doing that I frequent this board. But I have to tell you that all of the constant complaining is driving me crazy.

Maybe it is best that I support another team locally. I actually work with a UNT Alum who supports OU. Not because they are a BSC team but bucause they dont have to deal with the UNT fans. I'm not an OU kind of guy, but I could support SMU or Baylor easily.

the real grad88 · July 26, 2007

Over and over again I read our fans bitching and moaning about not getting the "big donor" - folks, NONE of the people building their news stadiums had a big donor BEFORE they announced their stadium and already had it funded. Troy had theirs built and running for a year before they got their donor. UCF is funding theirs through student service fees that we are not allowed to charge in Texas. So is FIU. WKU had their $37 million dollar renovation announced, paid for, and they were building it before a donor came along with a $5 million dollar check to help them out. We have to do this in house and show a commitment from the FANS before we will build and we have to build before any donor is going to slap his/her name on it. This is a tired arguement. I can't believe that people would blame RV. The man that is often associated with bringing NT to the highest level ever is Hayden Fry and he wasn't able to raise 1/5th of what RV has raised in about the same time period.
The only thing that I blame RV for, and this is a very SLIGHT blame, is that he hasn't set up a direct fund for donors that want their money earmarked ONLY for the stadium and nothing else. If he were to do that, they would lose out on Mean Green Club donations and those are really helping to pay the bills. The next step would be to set up an account that cannot be used for anything BUT a stadium. Let donors donate at any time or set up for automatic payment plans. In addition - you should be able to click a button at any time and throw $20 bucks in their via credit card. The fans should also be able to see the balance. Almost like a HUGE trust fund that we can all donate to whenever a guy like RETSO has #495 bucks that he wants to donate but wants to make sure that it goes to STADIUM USE ONLY. All major donations should go in there as well as private donations (small and big). There was talk a while back of the fans doing this on their own and giving the department a password to view the funds as they grew. The only thing is that the Athletic Department would surely think that if a person was giving to this stadium fund then they would cut back on their Mean Green Club donations. I don't think so. Here is the reason why - this fund would not give anyone the free game day giveaways. In fact, about the only thing that this fund would do is give the fans a chance to REALLY see how far we are in terms of fundraising. If this fund had been started 10 years ago (when it was first kicked around) - there could have been up to a couple of million in there, especially if it was invested wisely. Now we have question marks. I trust RV but I really want to know how close or far we are from the stadium. I put al of the blame on the fans for not giving more but I really can't blame them if they think that the money will be used for Women's Softball (no offense ladies) when what we really need is a new football stadium.

Big projects like this just aren't done that way. It works for small things like a new roof on the church...not this. You have got to have the kickoff money in hand or promised before you start a campaign like this. A student service fee would work, it doesn't matter, but you have got to have the kickoff money secured before you open it up for the small fellow to give the mopup money. Otherwise, you will offend everyone who gives into the program thinking it is going to a new stadium...that never gets built? Those other examples you provided had a way to get the stadium built so that they could then go after the donor to name it. Even then, you run into problems naming things that have already been built. It's not nearly as "sexy." People that give that kind of money usually want to be on the ground floor...to get the maximum pub during all of the phases of the project.

the real grad88 · July 26, 2007

"You're exactly right in that no corporation is ever going to commit to a naming rights sponsorship for a stadium in which the ground has yet to be broken"

I'm sorry Gangrene, but this statement tells me that you know nothing about big-time fundraising. There is always a kick-off/flagship donor. There maybe other donors who jump on board along the way, but there has got to be the big seed gift to start the project. And another thing, it should be the campus president and chancellor who are courting this kind of donor, with the Advancement Office's assistance and support. These kinds of donors don't want to talk to an Advancement Associate with the AD office, they want to talk to the top. The problem is that the top won't start the process of courting folks until the feasibility study says it's a go...and the BOR agrees. That is just the way it is done.