"gretchen Wrote Me A Letter"

[DeepGreen]

Received Dr. B's "general fundraising letter" yesterday, the letter that several have already discussed on this board. According to a previous thread, RV states we will start stadium construction in the Spring, while Dr. B says construction won't start until Alumni and Corporate sponsors, etc., pony up $30 million.

My question, is Dr. B's "general fundraising letter" with a simple stadium check box, the total UNT effort to raise money from Alums? Some rich UNT blote who wants to give big money to the cause is expected to check the stadium box and enclose a 6 figure donation for the stadium?

When will they start a real, no sh!t effort to get the $30 million? When will they have 5 or 10 year committment options for donors to pay forit over time?

In know it's early, but so far all I have heard or seen is a typical "have a$$" effort by UNT to raise the money. Or, are will still in the seven year "silent phase"?

And yes, I know the Texas Legislature has to approve the student athletic fee first.

Edited November 30, 2008 by DeepGreen

[untgeorge]

Received Dr. B's "general fundraising letter" yesterday, the letter that several have already discussed on this board. According to a previous thread, RV states we will start stadium construction in the Spring, while Dr. B says construction won't start until Alumni and Corporate sponsors, etc., pony up $30 million.

My question, is Dr. B's "general fundraising letter" with a simple stadium check box, the total UNT effort to raise money from Alums? Some rich UNT blote who wants to give big money to the cause is expected to check the stadium box and enclose a 6 figure donation for the stadium?

When will they start a real, no sh!t effort to get the $30 million? When will they have 5 or 10 year committment options for donors to pay forit over time?

In know it's early, but so far all I have heard or seen is a typical "have a$$" effort by UNT to raise the money. Or, are will still in the seven year "silent phase"?

And yes, I know the Texas Legislature has to approve the student athletic fee first.

Just curious - what makes you think they haven't undertaken a real, ns effort to get the $30 mil? And do you think we have no commitments for funds thus far? (I don't know, either.) People should understand that no one in the ath dept or admin will alert us when they have an interview with someone with big bucks.

The theory has been that first you have a "quiet phase" during which time you talk to big bucks guys. The quiet phase ends when a target dollar amount has been pledged. This letter could be read as being the end of the quiet phase; or not. Who knows. But this letter is certainly not a negative, though one could certainly choose to take it as such.

[VideoEagle]

I guy I sit next to at the games pointed out back in the Spring and early Fall, people here were writing and complaining there was not way to make small donations in the $25, $50 or $100 range. "They want $250 or nothing." Now there is a general fund raising opportunity to do just that it draws complaints from the same message board.

Why are NT "fans" so desperate to complain they will invent excuses to do so? The football team was terrible this year, is that enough to complain about without making up things?

[DeepGreen]

Guys, am I wrong in expecting more from my University, other than a check box donation? C'mon, if we are still in the silent phase, there should be enough in the til to build two stadiums. Well, maybe not. Seems that if the big buck donors had already forked over their committments during this "long running" silent phase, Dr. B wouldn't be stipulating that $30 million be raised from the Alumni before construction could begin.

Heck, maybe I want to have a private suite so I can invite my friend SUMG to a game for some fun and frolic - as long as he brings some of his live "avatar babes" to party with us.

[VideoEagle]

Heck, maybe I want to have a private suite so I can invite my friend SUMG to a game for some fun and frolic - as long as he brings some of his live "avatar babes" to party with us.

You could invite the Box Tops to play "The Letter" during the after the game party.

[DeepGreen]

You could invite the Box Tops to play "The Letter" during the after the game party.

Never mind.

Edited November 30, 2008 by DeepGreen

[HoustonEagle]

I have been donating money to the Stadium Fund for 2 years now. Yes they did contact me but that does not mean you can not contact them if you are so eager to donate money. Of all the arguments that are on this board this one frustrates me the most. Everyone here knows very well how to donate money to the athletic department. It is called a phone. Give it a try sometime. They will be more than happy to take your donation.

I personally made a 10 year commitment to the stadium that is separate from my MGC donation. The commitment is important as it will allow them to lean on that money for budgeting and financing purposes. The Athletic department will be willing to work with you however you would like to structure your donation just give them a call. "Be a Fountain, Not a Drain"

[DeepGreen]

Folks, you'll are missing my point. I'm sure if "I" take the initiative and call to make a 5 or 10 year committment to the athletic department, they will be more than willing to take my money and work with me. What I'd like to see our astute AD do is an organized campaign to solicit me and thousands of alumni like me to commit to help fund a new football stadium. Why is that so hard to comprehend? My calling to ask if they would like to take a donation from me for the department's benefit is not going to get a stadium built any time soon. Great numbers of Alumni are going to have to be part of the stadium funding. It can't be all on the shoulders of the students. Or a 100 or so calling in to offer a 5 or 10K donation paid out in 10 years.

[VideoEagle]

I have been donating money to the Stadium Fund for 2 years now. Yes they did contact me but that does not mean you can not contact them if you are so eager to donate money. Of all the arguments that are on this board this one frustrates me the most. Everyone here knows very well how to donate money to the athletic department. It is called a phone. Give it a try sometime. They will be more than happy to take your donation.

I personally made a 10 year commitment to the stadium that is separate from my MGC donation. The commitment is important as it will allow them to lean on that money for budgeting and financing purposes. The Athletic department will be willing to work with you however you would like to structure your donation just give them a call. "Be a Fountain, Not a Drain"

Thank you for the well reasoned post. In the past, people here have complained about donation requests being too high. Now they are complaining they are too low. I would think they expect a capital campaign to be planed around their personal giving pattern, except people complained about the students personally calling then during the Phone-a-thon campaigns. I've even seen people suggest they won't give because the person in charge wore what they felt was the wrong color of dress to a game! It is far easier to invent a reason to complain than to actually help.

Come on everyone, be a fountain, not a drain.

[Green Dozer]

Just curious - what makes you think they haven't undertaken a real, ns effort to get the $30 mil? And do you think we have no commitments for funds thus far? (I don't know, either.) People should understand that no one in the ath dept or admin will alert us when they have an interview with someone with big bucks.

The theory has been that first you have a "quiet phase" during which time you talk to big bucks guys. The quiet phase ends when a target dollar amount has been pledged. This letter could be read as being the end of the quiet phase; or not. Who knows. But this letter is certainly not a negative, though one could certainly choose to take it as such.

Do you really think there are enough "big buck guys" at UNT to make a difference? It there are any, it wouldn't take but about 30 minutes to talk to all of them.

[Green Dozer]

Folks, you'll are missing my point. I'm sure if "I" take the initiative and call to make a 5 or 10 year committment to the athletic department, they will be more than willing to take my money and work with me. What I'd like to see our astute AD do is an organized campaign to solicit me and thousands of alumni like me to commit to help fund a new football stadium. Why is that so hard to comprehend? My calling to ask if they would like to take a donation from me for the department's benefit is not going to get a stadium built any time soon. Great numbers of Alumni are going to have to be part of the stadium funding. It can't be all on the shoulders of the students. Or a 100 or so calling in to offer a 5 or 10K donation paid out in 10 years.

Exactly..and there has not been one word about the stadium, except for this letter, since the vote. NO stadium video, FFR organized the effort to thank the students (maybe he should run the campaign) which should have been done by the athletic dept., no update as to where the "stadium project" stands or goes from here. No, nothing at all. And yes, I know the ath. fee has to go through the approval phase. And speaking of a silent phase in fundraising, the only reason it is silent is because there is nothing going on.