Selling the New Cowboys Stadium

Recently, the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration held its 38th Annual Sports Administration Symposium.  One of the featured speakers, Chad Estis, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Dallas Cowboys New Stadium, was kind enough to share his experiences in selling tickets, suites, and other gameday packages.  Specifically, Estis addressed the way he and his whole staff  were able to go after the entire Dallas market in an efficient and calculated process.

Throughout the whole process of going after new clients, the Cowboys used a CRM system.  Although basic in its applications, the Cowboys were diligent in the use of the system.  Every potential season ticket holder was entered in the system, ensuring complete understanding of where each potential client was in the purchasing process.  Also, Estis emphasized the ability to “manage-up” with CRM data, helping him describe to upper management where his team was with consumers.

Additionally, Estis explained the significant boost in consumer awareness the Cowboys were able to receive through their partnership with Channel1media.  Through Channel1media, Cowboy fans were allowed to get a complete view of their seat before purchase.  From there, Estis and his team were empowered with the selling of something tangible that the consumer had actually seen and experienced (virtually).

Most offices have a donor tracking software, but accurate management by the entire staff will make the operation that much more efficient.  There are also companies such as Ballena Technologies that can build virtual models of stadium for premium seating opportunities.  Overall, some of the same practices that helped the Cowboys go after the Dallas market can be applied to collegiate athletics development.  Whether it be keeping track of the stewardship process of donors through a CRM system, or using interactive web applications to help validate seat license purchases.

Michael Speight

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

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.

UC Berkley uses groundbreaking approach to renovate stadium, build for the future

The Regents at the University of California recently approved the financing plan for the reconstruction of Memorial Stadium. The funds, which will be used to renovate and improve the west side of the stadium, will come completely from private donations being raised by the athletics department.

While this approach by itself may seem ordinary, Cal’s approach is truly groundbreaking as the department will fund the project through the Endowment Seating Program (ESP). In this model, the university is asking for donors to “purchase” a seat for an annual fee that can be paid through various payment options. There are four different price level and points as well as four different options. This chart provides an excellent comparison of the seats and the benefits associated with that level.

The ESP, which also has its own website, only affects 3,000 seats in the stadium. Yet these seats will generate enough revenue to not only renovate the stadium, but leave additional funds to create an endowment, one the school is publicizing could eventually reach $1 billion. This would ensure the athletics department a steady stream of income for the foreseeable future.

California Memorial Stadium

To date, the program has been received well, with 2,000 seats already being sold. These seats, depending on giving level, are held by the donor for a predetermined amount of time (ranging from 50 to 40 years). The seats can be resold or transferred under the donors discretion after payments and the letter of intent has been signed.

The donation for the seat also covers all amenities and the price of season tickets. Participants will be able to lock in the price of their seat for the duration of their endowment, making the seats a fixed yearly payment.

This approach allows donors the ability to choose their seats, not be subject to reseating, and to “own” their seats in the stadium. While this program may not be for all development operations, it highlights a school using a creative approach to fundraising and leveraging their current success to plan for the future.

Unique "TV" Programs Make Good Benefits

On Friday, September 4, the Auburn University Athletics department will debut its newest attraction: Auburn Football: Every Day… This reality-based television show will air once a week and will be dedicated to following the 2009 Tiger football team through pre-season practices, regular season games, and any postseason bowl invitations they receive. The show will give Auburn fans the “inside” look that so many seek out, but few have access to see.

Donors often cite interaction with student-athletes as the most rewarding part of giving to an athletics department. Every Day… provides the supporters of Auburn football with a personal look into life of the football team from the comfort of their own home or computer. A show such as this could provide Auburn with unique opportunities to recruit new members to their annual fund through commercials and advertisements on the show.

In addition, a show like this (at universities not large enough for a commercial broadcast) could also be provided as a benefit to donors. If the show is broadcasted online, a password-access to the content would provide a unique and desirable benefit to supporters. For non-donors, perhaps a fee could be charged to view the material. Based on the success of similar reality-based shows in sports, the benefits of a program such as this are essentially endless.

Revenue generation projects uncover economic impact

Chapel Hill gained $6.4 million in one football game this fall.

A recent trend in college athletics has been the disclosure of economic impact studies of athletics departments. Perhaps brought on by the recession, these studies are proving the worth of a strong athletics program to their surrounding community.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently released a study done on one specific football game against Notre Dame. According to the study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Sport Leadership, the game brought $6.4 million for the Chapel Hill and Orange County economies. The study also states that the game raised $325,000 in local and state tax revenue.

The Ohio University Center for Sports Administration and Facility Management recently conducted a study for the athletics department on the economic impact of their program for their community. This study uncovered an economic impact of $8-10 million to a region of the state that has been historically economically stagnant.

While these studies can be applied directly to sponsorship revenue, they can also be used to build strong community relations. As a development officer, it is increasingly important to show the value of your program to the community. For those donors who are intrinsically motivated to give, knowing their money will also impact the surrounding community may be worthwhile information.

Additionally, for those departments with Gift-In-Kind giving programs, having such a number in literature and as a talking point can help sell the local businesses to provide trade as the value of the department has been quantified.

Yard Sales Add Extra Cash

Cornell uses yard sale to generate cash.

With budget cuts on the horizon, extra cash is something that is hard to find these days in athletic departments. However, some departments may be sitting on a potential cash source that they may have never considered. Tucked away in coach storage closets and in equipment rooms around the nation are boxes full of old uniforms, hats, and other game-worn items that many fans or collectors find attractive. One way to generate a few needed dollars is to take these old items and have an old-fashioned yard sale.

Neutral Site Football Games Add New Revenue

Cleveland Browns Stadium

The University of Toledo is taking full advantage of a landmark opportunity for their Athletic Department. On September 19th, the Toledo Football team will be the “Home” team when they take on Ohio State at Cleveland Browns Stadium (Toledo is approximately 120 miles from Cleveland, while Columbus is just over 140 miles). Instead of playing the game in the Glass Bowl, which seats between 30,000-35,000 on the Toledo campus, Toledo officials arranged for the game to be played in the NFL stadium, with seating for over 70,000.