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.