Online Forum Explains New Plan

After recently introducing a new initiative in the Nittany Lion Club (the Nittany Lion Club Seat Transfer & Equity plan), Penn State Athletics found themselves in a situation that can be found at schools across the country: their donors had questions…lots of them. Of course, the administration at Penn State provided the answers to most questions on their website in a very detailed and complete manner. Anyone who could get online could find the reasons, strategies, and processes to work with the new plan.

Fortunately for their donors, Penn State staff sought out a creative way to answer questions that their donors had about the new program. Using technology that provides them with an online and live chat-room, the staff in the Nittany Lions Club (including their Associate Athletics Director) answered questions for 60 minutes on their website. Fans and donors could submit questions in advance or during the program that the staff would answer in real time with all the answers that their fans needed.

This type of online forum could be used for any number of functions for an athletics development department. Obviously, new initiatives come to mind, but special press conferences, event announcements, and interviews can be conducted using similar technology and the donors or fans of the school would benefit.

Rob Norris