Pollard on Cyclone Club Level Changes

[besserheimerphat]

I have no idea if the number of student tickets at a football game relative to the size of the student body is a good proxy for this, but when the student section is full you're talking about ~8,000 out of a student body of about 30,500, or about 26%.

Yes, but again a significant portion of those student attendees:

• Attend games socially, not because they are sports fans. No different from people who attend high school or professional sports events.
• Will graduate and leave the state, decreasing the chance that they donate even if they are big fans.
• Will graduate and stay in state and are fans, but have a job that doesn't pay enough or doesn't allow them the time to take advantage of the benefits of donating.

We're not attracting a "donor class" for whom the donation is a status signal either (think Texas/A&M, Bama/Georgia/LSU, OSU/Michigan etc). So the big earners who move here from outside Iowa, at places like Wells Fargo and Principle for example, aren't inclined to become donors for social status.

 

[Trice]

Yes, but again a significant portion of those student attendees:

• Attend games socially, not because they are sports fans. No different from people who attend high school or professional sports events.
• Will graduate and leave the state, decreasing the chance that they donate even if they are big fans.
• Will graduate and stay in state and are fans, but have a job that doesn't pay enough or doesn't allow them the time to take advantage of the benefits of donating.

We're not attracting a "donor class" for whom the donation is a status signal either (think Texas/A&M, Bama/Georgia/LSU, OSU/Michigan etc). So the big earners who move here from outside Iowa, at places like Wells Fargo and Principle for example, aren't inclined to become donors for social status.

Read my other posts. There are people here who seem to think that every alum is an athletic booster in waiting. I think that's wrong. My argument is that it's probably a relatively small percentage of the student body that really cares about athletics in the first place, let alone those who - as you point out - won't care once they're out of school and the social element is gone or move out of state.

 

[3TrueFans]

We’re over here talking about how to get people to donate more when people can’t even afford gold shirts from what I’m seeing on tv.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Mississippi State also has a new cool convention/conference center that I've been to - the Mill at MSU - which is a renovated cotton mill, built in 1902. Plus a 110-room Marriott Hotel connected to it. ISU needs to accelerate things.

The Historic Mill at MSU | Starkville MS

The historic Mill at MSU in Starkville, MS has over 12,000 square feet of event space for special events, conferences, and meetings.

themillatmsu.com

I wonder if Pollard has thought about some kind of "entertainment district" with, idunno, restaurants and bars and a hotel and stuff. Maybe like Power & Light but right next to the athletics complex. Somebody should email him.

 

[twincyties]

That was almost certainly the Alumni Association, a totally different organization than the Cyclone Club. ISUAA is a pack of vultures.

The idea of benefits for out-of-state fans has been rolling around the back of my head since somebody else mentioned it. What if they gave a care package that included all of the stuff they give away at games? The t-shirts, pom-poms, towels, etc. Obviously it would have to be at like 200% margin to cover the swag and shipping, but thats still probably not that much relatively speaking - a hundred bucks of donation should yield at least $40 return on a t-shirt, hand towel and pom-pom shipped anywhere in the US. Plus the increased volume should decrease the unit price. May be big out-of-state donors get their t-shirts/towels/whatever signed by the coaches of the sport where the stuff was given away. Or get souvenir cups/mugs from the concessions/Johnny's/End Zone Club. I bet I could convince my wife to donate from here near Seattle if we got just a little bit back. But now it's hard to justify. Tax deductions just aren't tangible enough. There's no feeling of connection to the program.

This is an interesting point. This may be my own interpretation and it may be misguided, but it seems like there is no benefit to a significant financial donation is about tickets.
Two problems with that. (1) So if you live a long distance from Ames and/or aren’t really in a position to get season tickets it’s not much motivation to give. (2) you’re limiting the size of your donor base to the capacity of your football stadium.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Little over a decade removed from Iowa State! 3 min limit in a bathroom? What is this a drag race? In and out? Come on now!!

Omg no dude, out only. If anything is going in you're doing it wrong.

 

[besserheimerphat]

You don’t see a benefit but you might do the lifetime? I don’t understand that reasoning.

To get them to stop calling.

 

[besserheimerphat]

I will send you a box of what they gave out at the game for the donors this year. Let me know where you want that empty box sent to you.

I'm talking about the stuff they give to students. You got to attend some games this year. I haven't been to more than a couple games in the last 10 years (one of which was canceled after 4 minutes...).

 

[BCClone]

I'm talking about the stuff they give to students. You got to attend some games this year. I haven't been to more than a couple games in the last 10 years (one of which was canceled after 4 minutes...).

That would make more sense. That stuff is gone by the time we get in.

 

[besserheimerphat]

This is an interesting point. This may be my own interpretation and it may be misguided, but it seems like there is no benefit to a significant financial donation is about tickets.
Two problems with that. (1) So if you live a long distance from Ames and/or aren’t really in a position to get season tickets it’s not much motivation to give. (2) you’re limiting the size of your donor base to the capacity of your football stadium.

That's exactly where I'm coming from. We were NCC members from 2004 - 2012. When we graduated we joined at the "new graduates" rate and remained members until moving out of state. Had season football tickets that whole time. After aging out of that new grad deal, we did a company match and split the donation/tickets with my parents so we could donate more and get a parking pass in the S lots. When we moved out of state, we transferred out points to my parents who continue to donate and buy tickets. My parents met at ISU and stayed in Ames so I'd been going to games since I was little (early-mid 80s). Parents are still in Ames.

It's hard to justify donating anything when all the benefits are around attending games.

 

[besserheimerphat]

I still have souvenir cups in my cupboard from Hilton and JTS. I would probably donate $50/year if they sent me a couple of those per year. As it is, I ask my parents to bring me some when they come to visit. For the shirts/rally towels, I'd probably do $100. Maybe more if there were multiple shirts per year. I mean they are probably like $5 unit cost, plus a couple bucks for shipping. But I get to feel more like a part of the Cyclone community with something tangible.

 

[06_CY]

Here's the list of donors.

https://www.cycloneclub.org/wp-content/themes/cycloneclub/resources/pdfs/donor-honor-roll-2021.pdf

It is really interesting to look through this and search for people you associate with Iowa State. I am legit shocked by a who's who of Iowa State not listed on there as individual donors. Others it is shocking what level they are at (both higher and lower than expected).

 

[Mr.G.Spot]

It is really interesting to look through this and search for people you associate with Iowa State. I am legit shocked by a who's who of Iowa State not listed on there as individual donors. Others it is shocking what level they are at (both higher and lower than expected).

Give an example of who u would have thought that would give to athletics, but doesn't. No agenda here, just wondering.

Some people might ask to have their name not listed.

I haven't looked, but here are two examples: Jerry Ivy - have given $50 million to the College of Business and Turkelson who recently gave $$42.5 million for a new industrial engineering building.

 

[06_CY]

Give an example of who u would have thought that would give to athletics, but doesn't. No agenda here, just wondering.

Some people might ask to have their name not listed.

I haven't looked, but here are two examples: Jerry Ivy - have given $50 million to the College of Business and Turkelson who recently gave $$42.5 million for a new industrial engineering building.

I'm not calling anyone out, that's not my intent at all.

 

[Mr.G.Spot]

I'm not calling anyone out, that's not my intent at all.

I understand.

I just highlighted two big names to see if they were listed. They were not listed, but these gifts are game-changing for the IE department and the CoB.

 

[06_CY]

I understand.

I just highlighted two big names to see if they were listed. They were not listed, but these gifts are game-changing for the IE department and the CoB.

I understand there are school donors that may not be Cyclone Club donors. I guess I should have been more specific that there are people I associate heavily with Iowa State athletics that are not listed as donors. I also understand your point they could request to not be specifically listed.

 

[8bitnes]

I

To get them to stop calling.

Nah, that just gets you on a different list. One that calls more frequently

 

[CycloneErik]

I am not telling him how to spend money. I am just saying it’s weird that he can’t donate $12.5K on a $750K salary to a school that’s paying him that much money.

It's weird to expect someone to donate money to their employer.

 

[legi]

It's weird to expect someone to donate money to their employer.

I don’t expect him to donate but I also think it would be weird if he didn’t. It’s the amount that he is donating with respect to his salary, and in comparison to his peers like Campbell and TJ that I thought was weird.

 

[CycloneErik]

I don’t expect him to donate but I also think it would be weird if he didn’t. It’s the amount that he is donating with respect to his salary, and in comparison to his peers like Campbell and TJ that I thought was weird.

I think it would be like a job if he didn't.