https://floridastate.forums.rivals.com/threads/players-who-donate-back-to-fsu.250390/page-2
We communicate with Varsity Athletes in a variety of ways. The most tangible - put our money where our mouth is - is probably the Varsity Club.
1. When Andy conceived the University Center Complex, the original plan was to have skyboxes all the way around. Then a better idea surfaced. Rather than ringing the stadium with private skyboxes, he chose to reserve the Northwest Corner for Varsity Club members only. At the time, the Varsity Club had a little store room under sections 35. A really bleak space. Very few schools provided varsity athletes with anything but Andy and the Varsity Club board saw an opportunity to show appreciation for all the men and women who had ever played for FSU.
Rather than build 10 boxes in that space, which could generate close to $500,000 per year from skybox seat holders, Miller made the space available to the Varsity Club to build a fantastic big skybox for all student-athletes. The Varsity Club had to raise the money to build it but Miller also assigned Joel Padgett, a Booster fundraiser, to help Monk and the Varsity Club raise the money. And they did.
FSU's Varsity Club Skybox has probably been the best facility in college athletics the last 20 years. It is funded by club seat sales to VC members and with founding memberships of $50,000 (I believe) of which there are quite a few. They started on one floor only and sold out so they added the second floor. In addition to the seat holders, hundreds of former student-athletes gather in the congregating space - reliving old memories - enjoying food, beer and wine at every game.
2. Another way we stay connected is by inviting them to events. Many former players enjoy the spring golf tour stops and other events.
3. Former runningback coach Billy Sexton is a fundraiser for us and he enjoys seeing the guys. former defensive ends coach Jim Gladden put in a few years with us too. And Tom Carlson, an assitant under Pat Kennedy, has a number of former athletes who have made major gifts to FSU too.
I've raised money from former student athletes over the years too, guys I had covered when I was a writer for the Osceola. I don't think its any different cultivating gifts from student-athletes than anyone else. They are passionate about FSU and appreciate what's been done for them by and large. Like other donors, you don't hard sell. You visit with them, find out what their passion is and what their capacity to give is, and what their time line for giving is. They will ask the same questions. And when they are ready to give they will tell you how much and for what just like all other donors. You learn when the right time to ask is.
4. you suggested we begin the cultivation with student-athletes when they are in school. I'll mention something we can do better in a moment but we agree with you. Awhile back, we started the Seminole Student Boosters to cultivate regular students while they were here. Tech them what we do. Provide them with seating benefits as donors. Create events. I don't know how many of our football players are in the Student Boosters today but there was a day when EJ Manuel, Lonnie Prior, Christian Ponder, Drew Weatherford were very active, some serving on our board.
We also hired football players to work for us (me) in a phone room during the summer. We put them through an orientations course, showing them the athletic budget and how much money Seminole Boosters needed to raise each year to fund scholarships for them and for their friends on other teams. They always asked good questions. One day, Leon Washington raised his hand and said something like, "Are you telling the people we are going to call paid for my scholarship? I said yes. He said, "Where's a phone. I want to tell them thank you."
I said, "you just wrote the script. Meeting over."
The one thing I have always maintained we could do better I learned when I was an employee of Dr. Ann Wang when I was first out of college and selling computer systems for him.
Every year Wang would give us a new sales quota (always higher) embossed on the cover of a nice portfolio. Inside the portfolio were a number of pages with tabs. The first tab showed us what are compensation from the previous years actually was. Like most companies it included our salary, bonus and commissions. But it went several step further. It also included the company's cost of insurance, retirement and all other benefits. It stunned me. Most employees have no idea of what is being spent on them. I was glad to see FSU has printed that material and hopefully they'll do a great job of explaining it to the players. Like most employees, student-athletes don't have a clue if you don't tell them.
The brochure I saw last week surprised me. FSU spends on average more than $80,000 each year on a student-athlete. That is more than $400,000 in their career. I knew scholarship costs averaged $25,000 but I had no idea that all the other services and monies paid to, or for them, were another $55,000. These services include surgery, rehab, strength coaches, trainers, nutrionists, academic advisors, tutors...
Willie is doing a very good job in this area. His career planning efforts, putting his players with mentors in the field of study as well as relevant internships in their field, helping them with resumes and how to interview, so when they graduate they have a job waiting, is another very tangible way of FSU telling them we love them and want them to succeed. That effort helps the current players and the former players he is inviting back as mentors and internship supervisors.
These are the things that matter when fundraising former student athletes: substance.
https://floridastate.forums.rivals.com/threads/players-who-donate-back-to-fsu.250390/
A lot of thoughts on this thread, so here's some responses:
1. Deion has given back in many ways to many causes including in his hometown and to many of his former teammates. He does a lot anonymously. He makes himself available to FSU when he isn't obligated elsewhere. Brooks is far from "cheap". His charities are phenomenal and he does a lot for FSU. In addition to gifts, he has invested valuable time as a University Trustee and tries to find time to help Seminole Boosters or athletics when we ask.
2. There actually are quite a few former players who give back. We immediately think of football and then current NFL players. Typically, alumni don't give back right away and football players are no different. Most don't know how long they are going to be able to play in the league so their first inclination is to develop some security for themselves and their parents. Many buy a home for their parents, lease a car and a condo wherever they are playing ball and protect some money from tax by creating a charitable trust which they can direct. Their agents recommend this as a tax shelter, rather than outright giving money to the university or to their church. They keep the money under management (which is good for agent too) and at some point they can distribute the money from the trust to the causes they believe in. These trusts grow and when football is over they have the resources within the trust to do some nice things for whatever cause they want (including FSU) and it gives them a passion after football, even a career.
3. Quite a few of those same players do give back. In this upcoming issue of Unconquered magazine, you'll see a feature on Kam Wimbley who has recently donated $50,000. You'll also read about several successful former basketball players who have built an incredible company Bags, Inc and have been active donors. There are many and I don't want to leave any out so suffice it to say there are quite a few.
4. Some give right away. Barry Smith was a 1st round pick in 1973 and he takes great pride in saying FSU was one of the first checks he wrote. David Castillo, with no job, no money and med school looming on the horizon, wrote a check to Boosters for $600 and bought season tickets immediately upon graduation. I was moved by his generosity and hired him in the Boosters until he went to med school. Passionate kid who is now a doctor. Fans also forget the Varsity Club. A lot of our student-athletes do join the Varsity Club right out of college and come back to games which is their way of giving back. While VC membership doesn't help fund athletics in the way Booster membership does, it still provides a good service to athletics and is a legitimate means for players to give back and participate.
5. Most are like most other alumni and give about 10 years later. When you think of big Boosters like Larry Strom or Dr. Joe Camps, you often forget those guys were outstanding basketball and football players respectively. Significant numbers of our larger donors were once ball players.
6. There definitely is a feeling among players that they have given enough blood, sweat and tears - and broken bodies - to their respective university when they first leave here. But time passes and the spotlight dims and they begin to realize that the lessons they learned here from guys like Bobby or Mickey have served them well in life. They begin to have a desire to give back. Not all of them but then again not all alumni have philanthropic hearts.
7. Someone in this thread made a comment about the players not getting paid while they are here. We just put together a graphic that shows FSU spends on average more than $80,000 per student athlete in terms of scholarship (Avg $35,000) plus medical costs (surgery and rehab), trainers, tutors, advisors, supplementary food, dieticians, strength coaches, etc. Think about that. If we were to pay them $80,000 and they had to pay for these services out of pocket, would you still feel we weren't paying them?
We are doing this graphic partly so they can see what all we spend on them so they can prepare for the NFL and/or help them get their degrees and choose the career they desire.
In addition to scholarships, which covers a nice apartment, meal plan, tuition, books, fees, and a cash NCAA stipend they receive for incidental expenses, they are eligible for walkaround money. The NCAA provides every student-athlete access to something like $500 per semester for "emergency funds" which can be virtually anything from travel to clothes to a tv or radio. Student-athletes can also receive Pell Grant money which can be more than $3000 per year. I figured it out years ago and our football players have all their expenses paid and if they qualify for Pell Grant have more than $100 per week for incidental expenses. That's probably $200 a week now with the new incidental expense payments they started receiving a couple of years ago. And anywhere they go in our athletic buildings there are nutrition stations where they can pick up fresh fruit, healthy snacks and food they can take to class or back to the apartment.
I should have had it so good when I was a student, making 90 cents and hour at McDonalds and $5 an hour roofing apartment buildings.
And they graduate with NO debt.
8.) The most important benefit they get is this: ACCESS to a university. The reality is many of the student-athletes are first time college students who do not have grade point averages or test scores high enough to compete with other students applying for admission. The kids FSU is accepting now a days average a 4.0 GPA (weighted) and I think a SEC test score over 1200, ACC over 23. Most of our student-athletes are admitted as exceptions.
Let me put that into perspective for you -- and you assign a dollar value. Every year the Seminole Booster office and the Foundation receive calls from longtime donors whose legacy children fall short of admission. They may be a 3.7 or have a 1100 SAT. Their parents have been bringing them to FSU games since they were born. The family bleeds Garnet and Gold. And they get the Dr. John letter. The parents call our office, either mad or in tears, and offer to contribute large sums of money if only we can intervene and get the university to grant them an exception for their little Johnny.
You know what it would be worth to you to get your child in if they dreamed of FSU. I've seen five, six and even seven-figure gifts offered.
So access is a VERY big and very real number that no fan ever or 18 year old prospects ever thinks about.
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