Diversity in the Development Workplace: The NAADD Diversity Initiative

The official release regarding the call for applications for this year’s National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) Diversity Initiative came out recently, and as a past recipient, I thought I would do my best to promote and recommend development officers, interns, and graduate assistants to apply for this award.

As a recipient in both 2008 and 2009, I was able to attend the NACDA national conference, which is an invaluable networking opportunity and educational experience.  As is the case with all national conferences, attendees have time to attend sessions which are extremely valuable, interact with peers and potential mentors from across the nation, and conduct important business.  In addition to this, the Diversity Initiative provides a training session called “Fundamentals of Athletic Development” that pair each attendee with a mentor in the field and in peer groups of young professionals. My mentors, Kay Hargrave, Associate AD at Auburn, and Lu Merritt, Director of Athletic Development at Virginia Tech, are seasoned professionals in athletic development, and my participation afforded me an opportunity to pick their brains and profit from their experience and insight.

Furthermore, having an opportunity to interact with the NAADD Executive Committee members is an unusually neat experience.  They are clearly devoted to increasing diversity in the field of athletic development because of the amount of time they spend genuinely interacting with each participant and the large group. I can’t think of many fields where individuals who are immensely successful, and at very successful athletic programs, would not only spend their time with you and encourage your development, but also share secrets of the trade.

More information is available in the release, but individuals interested in applying for the NAADD Diversity Initiative scholarship should contact Jason Galaska, NACDA Assistant Executive Director, at jgalaska@nacda.com.  And by all means, if you have more questions regarding my experiences as a participant, please feel free to contact me at broussardw@nsula.edu.

Dr. William Broussard

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What’s in YOUR subject line? How to increase your open rate

When sending a mass e-mail out to a large group, be it donors or season ticket holders, determining the correct subject line can play a large role in the open rate. How often will you open an e-mail that says, “Event on Tuesday” over an e-mail that claims, “Meet Head Coach on Tuesday!” My chances are with the latter.

In the February 24 edition of “Selling It,” an e-newsletter sent by the National Sports Forum, the Los Angeles Clippers‘ email strategy was described in detail and its application can pay dividends across the sports industry.

In an effort to grow their e-mail open rate, the Clippers devised a plan to determine the best subject line for mass blasts. Let’s say they were going to e-mail 2,000 people who had purchased tickets in the past year to advertise a special rate. They would take 10% of those 2,000 (200 people) and divide them into five different groups of 40 each. From here, the team would devise five different subject lines and send the e-mails to the subscribers.

After waiting two hours to allow subscribers to open their messages, they checked the monitoring software for each group. The subject line with the most opens and click-throughs was determined to be the most appealing and sent to the remaining 90% (1,800) of subscribers.

This approach allowed the Clippers in increase their open rate from 8% to over 12% in a short amount of time. While this approach was designed for a ticket office, it no doubt has applications for a development operation. As e-mails become a more important part of the communication process, having the correct subject line will become increasingly important to get your message across.

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Taylor Wood

Careerball: The sport athletes play when they’re through playing sports

Review: Careerball: The sport athletes play when they’re through playing sports, by Russ Hafferkamp

Hafferkamp, Russ. (2009). Careerball: The sport athletes play when they’re through playing sports. Charleston, SC: BookSurge Publishing.

The quandary that many athletes face when their athletic careers end is that much of what has led to their success all of their lives, and the activity(-ies) that has consumed their lives can threaten to stall or compromise a successful transition into a career.  The author of Careerball advises former athletes to keep their heads up, work as hard as they can, and success will be theirs in the end.

A true statement, almost without exception. However, one doesn’t need to be a former athlete to appreciate this advice, or profit from it.  Much of the advice that the career coach offers in his self-published tome is so widely applicable that it is a book-long challenge to identify what Careerball actually is. It doesn’t keep the book from being an enjoyable and at most times instructive read, but I was left wanting when it came to the book’s promise to identify a particular or unique way that former athletes could successfully approach career development based on character traits they develop as athletes (that somehow, non-athletes cannot develop or share).

Hafferkamp offers sage advice, interesting considerations, and useful perspectives for student-athletes who are at a crossroads in their lives. He is the CEO of a consulting firm that specializes in career counseling for former athletes.  Sections on the unique perspective that an athlete develops, and how that shapes perspectives in ways that can be as beneficial as they are deleterious were engagingly written.  Chapters 11 and 12 focus on identity formation and transitions unique to high school and college athletics, and serve as an excellent precursor to an advice section that cites survey data from 300 former professional and collegiate athletes about athletic experiences and career development.  Sharp transitions and excellent antitheses appear sporadically (e.g. his suggestion that athletes’ focus on their craft makes them determined and mentally strong, but can also keep them from exploring other aspects of their development). Chapter 4 focuses, at one point, on stereotype threat research, which is very interesting.

However, platitudes dot the landscape of the book.  Statements such as “athletes are good at setting goals,” and “(they) don’t lose hope,” and claims that student-athletes are competitive, work well with others, and are loyal are so widely applicable that one does not have to be an athlete to identify with them.  Additionally, entire chapters that one suspects will be aimed specifically at a niche, selected audience instead reaches out to a very wide one, instead (chapters on “Personal Interests,” “Time Management,” and networking and mentorship) are not without merit, but also not germane specifically to student-athletes.

An interesting read, it is framed unfortunately as a book for former athletes on the subject of career development instead of as a book on career development that highlights ways that athletes may or may not benefit from their athletic identities.  The book’s shining moments are when his tone is reflective, even autoethnographic (as an athlete and father of an elite athlete) and less like self-help.

William Broussard, Ph.D. is the Associate Director of Athletics at Northwestern State University, Louisiana.

Professional Conduct: Development Officers are Never ‘Off-Duty’

Read and pondered Ross Bjork’s post on NAADD this morning (found here: http://www.nacda.com/sports/naadd/spec-rel/020810aab.html) about professional conduct.  In it, Bjork, Senior Associate Director of Athletics at UCLA, points out that first impressions, presentation skills, and professional etiquette are all important to the work that we do, and most importantly, that “It is okay to have fun socially but be mindful of your surroundings and who is watching.”

Because first impressions create the lens through which we may be seen for an extended period of time, it’s important to keep in mind that even though we are off the clock, we’re not really ever off-duty.  Recently, I was invited to attend a gathering by a generous supporter of the program, and got to put this adage into practice.  We have a tradition down here, affiliated with Mardi Gras, called “12^th Night.” In the Catholic faith, it’s the 12^th night after Christmas, purportedly the night when the wise men first meet Jesus. In the Louisiana faith, it’s the first Mardi Gras party night of the year (officially, anyhow)!

In attendance at this party was our Athletic Board president, two other Board members, several co-workers, our largest annual donor, and many other alumni and friends of the university.  Without indemnifying anyone in particular, I’ll say that the beverages were in no short supply, and everyone was feeling A-OK.  I had a drink or two, as is my custom (there is a great John Lee Hooker tune, that I use as my guideline in such situations) and, by the end of the evening, I am certain that I was among the most sober folks in the room.  I made several visits, made some good connections, and even established a couple of follow up meetings (I had to work quickly!) and, by avoiding the temptation to follow suit and let my hair down, hopefully made a good impression on everyone in attendance (at least so far as they could remember!).

Monday morning, our largest annual donor emailed me and complimented me on my professionalism in the face of such temptation.  Actually it was a good-natured ribbing about ‘always being on the clock,’ but I figure that has to be worth something.

If nothing else, it’s better than the alternative, which could be losing the support of that donor because of actions that I may not have even remembered.

Ross says it better than I do, so please, check out his write-up on the NACDA/NAADD website:http://www.nacda.com/sports/naadd/spec-rel/020810aab.html.

William Broussard

Big 10 Development Website Evaluation

Athletics Development Frontier is proud to announce the release of their Big 10 Development Website report, an evaluation of the best practices found within the conference’s athletics development websites. Using a scorecard to evaluate all the necessary components of an effective website, Michigan State University, Purdue University, the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan were determined to be tops in the conference. Feel free to view the report in your browser by clicking on the document below. You can download and print the PDF once it has uploaded.

Feel free to contact us at twood@athleticsfrontier.com to send us any feedback you may have on the report or if you would like your own website evaluated.

Transparent ideas from the National Sports Forum

I have had the privilege to attend the National Sports Forum in Baltimore for the last two days. While the conference is more focused on sponsorship and marketing, I have found many parallels with development that can be utilized to help grow development offices.

Sponsorships

In a panel with representatives from some major sponsors in sports including Anheuser-Busch, Cintas, and Sports Clips, the consensus was do your homework and less-is-more in the early stages. Sponsors get hundreds of emails a day with ideas and proposals, but it is better to contact the sponsor after you have done extensive research into the company and ways the two brands match-up going into the future. This works the same in development. Very few schools have the luxury of getting large donations from unfamiliar figures. It is a daily challenge for fundraisers to gain the best understanding of the prospect to get the initial foot in the door. If you choose to approach the prospect via email, it isn’t going to do much good to send the large development brochure. Sum up the message into a couple of paragraphs and personalize it to that particular prospect.

New Media

New media such as Facebook and Twitter is a hot topic in sponsorship and marketing because no one has figured out how to make consistent revenue from the medium. Many development offices have dabbled in the practice, with the main goal spreading news about the offices to followers. While this can fulfill some objectives, one tactic being discussed extensively at NSF is using new media as a focus group to gain feedback. Allowing followers or fans to contribute to the school or feel as if they have insider information is a great way to build rapport with the group and gain important feedback from donors, particularly younger demographics.

Ticket Sales

Major League Baseball teams have one of the toughest tasks in attempting to sell tickets for 81 home dates between April and September. Because of this challenge, baseball teams have gotten extremely creative with season ticket holder programs. One such idea is a new customer reception at the beginning of each season. This reception not only allows the team to thank the new customer, but to also educate them. It is a great way to get in front of new customers early and ensure a relationship before renewals come up the next year. This is a strategy that can be utilized by development offices with new donors to grow their relationship but also to educate on the benefits of becoming a donor.

Sean Phifer

Mobile iPhone Applications stand to benefit athletics development efforts

A large number of universities are now offering Mobile iPhone Applications for their athletic department. The University of Iowa is the latest school to announce the official iPhone Application for Hawkeye Athletics. Although this technology is not being used for the sole purpose of raising money, its many ancillary benefits will surely contribute to development efforts.

Villanova , Oklahoma State , Michigan State and Indiana are among the many universities that are taking advantage of this increasingly popular technology. For each athletic department, the application will serve the same primary purpose: to offer “easy access to up-to-the-minute news, scores, schedules, rosters and audio and video streaming” at a price of around $5.00 per year. The application’s content is fed directly from the athletic department’s official web site. As is the case with all mobile applications, the selling point is that fans are no longer required to have a computer with internet access to get the most up-to-date athletics information.

Any time an athletic department becomes more accessible to its fans, it serves to benefit in a big way. A large number of donors will be a part of the contingent of fans who see value in downloading this application, further strengthening their affiliation with the university and the athletic department. The increased accessibility will also draw new donors to the fold.

It is only a matter of time before development officers find a way to directly reach both existing and new donors through this distinctive technology, offering a much needed new revenue stream to fundraising efforts.

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Matt Kirinovic

ESPN highlights College Athletics Endowments

ESPN’s Outside the Lines has recently published a story highlighting the success many schools are having endowing scholarships for their programs. The story covers USC’s endowment of position scholarships for their football program, Duke University’s endowments within their basketball program and Braylon Edwards‘ recent endowment of a football scholarship at the University of Michigan.

The endowment of scholarships is certainly not the largest avenue for revenue in the athletics department, but covering the scholarship bill is a large part of an athletics budget. The endowment of scholarships will free funds for other uses. Additionally, these scholarships are allowing players to give back to their alma mater in a way that will allow their legacy to be remembered in perpetuity.

by Taylor Wood

Note: This article was sent to ADF by Garrett Munro, a member of the MSA Class of 2010 at Ohio University.

University of Kentucky utilizes video technology for making "the ask"

As a 2007 graduate from the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, I have received multiple pieces of e-mail and brochures encouraging me to give back to the school and help shape its future. None of these pieces were very revolutionary, simply brochures, letters, and newsletter e-mails.

A screen shot of the e-mail.

However, yesterday I received an e-mail from the school with a leading question, “See the one question that will shape our future.” In the e-mail was a link that looked like the picture to the right. Once clicked upon, there was a video of a young man talking about the college and number one reason why people do not give back-they have never been asked. So here he was, asking me to pledge to donate a certain amount and help give back to the school.

When the video was over, I was prompted with a form that already had all of my information filled in, all I had to do is verify it was correct and click which amount I desired, which was $25, $50 or my own amount. Once this was done, I was asked if I would like to be contacted by phone, e-mail or mail.

The video player was put on a separate site customized for the school.

This innovative design provides a different approach to the ask. In athletics, the school could leverage its relationship with a popular coach or administrator to make the ask, causing potential donors to feel the connection with the school and program. While this may not be good for soliciting large dollar amounts, it could be very effective for getting people on board. The ease of the process made it very easy from a donor standpoint.

The tool was developed by Pursuant Group, a fundraising agency that specializes in building tools for non-profits and other companies looking to increase their development capabilities.

Xavier's Dan Cloran gives a developing perspective

Dan Cloran spoke at the Follett's Sports Business Forum at Ohio University on October 2.

Dan Cloran treated the Follett’s Sports Business Forum with an educational and inspirational presentation on athletics development and advancing in the world of sports. Cloran, the Executive Director of Athletic Development, Annual Fund, and Alumni Affairs at Xavier University in Cincinnati, gave the audience of undergraduate and graduate students many key tidbits to carry into the sports industry.

Cloran outlined his career path to his current position, which includes a stop in the retail world at Sherwin Williams before finding his true calling as the director of development and alumni affairs at Cincinnati’s Moeller High School. While at Moeller, Cloran learned the art of development and went on to work as a Development Consultant for Field Development Consultants.

Cloran described the steps he took to develop the All for One Club at Xavier University, which has led Xavier to double its annual fund during his tenure. While handling most of the day-to-day operations of the All for One Club during his eight years at Xavier, Cloran recently handed over the reigns to Matt Mattmiller to allow him to focus on more of the large donors at Xavier.

Cloran structures his presentation to the large crowd of undergraduates and explained what development really means. He stated that development isn’t fundraising, “that is selling candy bars,” but cultivating a relationship between a donor and the institution. He quoted one of the great developers of all-time, Roberto Clemente, to say, “If you have a chance to make life better for other and fail to do so, you are wasting your time on earth.” This is what Cloran tries to do on a daily basis.

Cloran concluded his talk by talking about some of his greatest success stories while at Xavier. These included cultivating a relationship with one Xavier’s biggest donors by changing light bulbs at their vacation home and helping them with whatever they need to be able to ask them for a donation and receive a commitment on the spot. He also told the story of using Xavier’s first African-American basketball player to show donors the influence they have on Musketeer student-athletes.

Cloran did a fantastic job of giving the audience a view into his every day life as a developer for Xavier University. It was clear to everyone in the audience that this man loves what he does and is very successful at it.