https://floridastate.forums.rivals.com/threads/booster-numbers-are-declining.250191/
2018
13,307
2017
14,111
2016
15,428
Major gift fundraising is having its best run in my 10 years right now, annual fund was down around the 13,000s when I 1st started working here.
100 percent agree with you about the need for home and home schedule as it is one thing - and the most important thing - we can control.
Andy Miller and I have been arguing for this for as long as we have known each other (1982). And I know you know that. I know you are old enough to remember we haven't had but a handful of good home and homes since the 1970s. You older guys will remember getting a KY or Ga a few tymes before they went home with upset loses and sworn statements they'd never come here again. Auburn dropped the home and home in the 1980s.
Before BB arrived, FSU needed money and signed a bunch of games on the road with no return. Bobby took the money, beat those teams on their field, and built a dynasty. But he seldom ever was able to get those teams to come here.
Jimbo didn't want them. I know that. We discussed it. Monk was my friend and told me he worked hard to find games but really struggled to do so. They would play neutral sites but not come to Tallahassee.
I don't get it but Jimbo and Monk showed Andy and I the history, with press guides all laid out as proof. You all help me. But these are the only non ACC schools I can remember playing in Doak since 1980: Auburn (1 or 2), Pitt (with Marino), USC (1), ND (2 or 3), LSU (1), Michigan State (1), Oklahoma (8). In 40 years we've had 10 of the kind of games we are talking about plus 20 against Florida.
We believe we need to replace one of the Directional State games with an interesting team. Oklahoma would be great or Ohio State. But if a W is important, then go for a more beatable team with an interesting location for a nice home and away. It could be an Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, TCU or Baylor. Something different at home and a road trip to look forward to.
I think Taggart and Coburn agree. We'll see if they can do what others have not been able to do very often.
I do know we have ND coming in at least 3 times in the next 10 years, so that solves 3 of the 10 slots.
![[​IMG]](https://floridastate.forums.rivals.com/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi3.yapics.com%2F01%2F26%2F3126S75L01.jpeg&hash=21a4c341e0a8fd0729bda372bb6a7bc3)
I don't know about where his data came from but the numbers are true. I will provide details later but this is how things have been trending. We've been raising more money from fewer people. I was analyzing it yesterday and where our numbers have declined is among the lowest level categories ($60 to $330). They have fallen off markedly from our highest membership years. Meanwhile our numbers of members at the five highest annual levels ($3250, $6500, $13,000 and $25,000) have all increased. Again, happy to share the data when I have it in front of me.
The next question is why?
1. Migration. Typically your higher level donors start at the lower levels. Once they get in and see how their money is being used, and the benefits of the higher levels, and maybe increased disposable income, they tend to migrate up to Tomahawks ($1300), Silver Chief ($3250) or higher. So you lose a lower level donor but gain a higher level donor (same person) and are now raising more total dollars.
2. Season ticket sales have declined at FSU and across the nation. We require a minimum donation ($60 and up) to purchase season tickets in the endzone and as much as $325 to purchase two to four seats on the sidelines close to the endzone. Those are the highest turnover seats so if a guy decides not to renew, we lose both the season ticket and the lower level Booster member.
3. Focus. In life you are good at what you focus on. I ran the annual fund from 2000 to about 2015. Charlie Barnes ran it before me. Prior to 2000, Seminole Boosters sole focus was on annual fund. In the mid to late 1990s, Dave Hart raised our focus on needing facilities for all sports and the Booster Board approved a $60 million capital campaign which expanded Doak, built the softball/soccer complex, enhanced track and baseball, etc. The Booster staff consisted of Andy, Charlie, Mike Bristol and Debbie Derzypolski so when they turned their focus toward facilities -- which ultimately led to national championships in soccer, softball and three in track -- I believe it diluted the focus on the annual fund. My opinion. I came on in 2000 as a major gift fundraiser who also was in charge of the annual fund and so my attention was not as focused as Charlie's had been when that was his primary focus with a major volunteer campaign bringing in $25 donors. Since that first capital campaign, it has been an arms race where we are constantly in campaign mode for an indoor practice facility, a players lounge and coaches offices, mandatory stadium rehabilitation and now a $100 million campaign for a football ops building, golf course, basketball, women's sports and baseball.
All of that distracts your focus from the lifeblood of your organization -- which is the annual fund. In spite of split focus, we've been able to raise more money from fewer people.
To Andy Miller's credit, he has hired a lot more people to raise capital gifts and to focus on annual fund marketing and fulfillment, which includes an outbound ticket/booster sales team and service and retention teams. He has also included unrestricted funds (annual funds) -- in addition to facilities and scholarships -- in our campaign initiatives and he's determined to restart a vibrant volunteer campaign again this year.
4. Change in the nature of Seminole Clubs. At one time Seminole Clubs were Seminole BOOSTER Clubs. When we got into the capital campaign mode, we turned the clubs over to the alumni association which is ultimately better for the university. But we lost a primary source, I believe, of those entry level, lower level donors who either don't renew or migrate up to higher levels. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, the clubs were the center of Seminole life outside Tallahassee as there was no internet, games were seldom on television, and Noles gathered at club meetings for a conference call with Bobby or for "game listening" parties on the radio or a rare game watching party or a bus trip to Tally. All of those gatherings were opportunities to gain new members for Seminole Boosters, which the Seminole Booster Clubs did very well for us.
5. Advent of social media. I think people want community and they find it on sites like Warchant or 247 or Tomahawk nation or any of dozens of other free sites. They live in virtual reality. They can express ideas with one another. That's heady stuff as you all know. Some realize they still need to invest in Athletics (through Booster membership) in order to fund all the things they want their sports teams to have and to accomplish but it is a tiny fraction of the number of people who do. They can get a lot of what they want - socially - without having to invest.
There's no doubt its challenging to keep the number of members high, especially when your football team is in transition, but you persist to market, to communicate and to sell to keep the numbers as high as possible and to be prepared for when the tide turns and you are in demand again.
It is a technical challenge; one I thoroughly enjoyed and one I have confidence the team who followed me will conquer.
Reasons
Late 2014 this story broke about the corruption of FSU boosters and 700,000 being stole by the people who donated and morons like Andy Miller are still there. It is pretty impressive and shows what a great fan base fsu has to have only been dropping by that amount.
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/10/02/fsu-booster-club-comptroller-accused-of-grand-theft/
No comments:
Post a Comment