Tulane Athletic Foundation falls short of fundraising goal
July 29, 2008
Tulane Athletic Foundation falls short of fundraising goal- NOLA.com
Officials say increase in members will help
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
By Ted LewisThe Tulane Athletic Foundation set a record for membership in the past fiscal year, increasing its number of donors by nearly 30 percent to 2,863.
However, the school’s official athletic fundraising arm fell far short of its goal of $2.5 million, increasing its 2007 total of $1.88 million by about $30,000.
“Any time we set a goal and don’t reach it, we’re going to be disappointed,” said Travis Goff, Tulane’s associate athletic director for external affairs. “But after we’ve studied it as an overall health indicator for TAF, this is the track we’re going to continue to go on.
“We were looking at $2.5 million from 2,500 donors, but we realize now it will not align that way. What we’re looking at now is that our membership level will continue to increase, and in turn that will increase our dollar level to where it needs to be.”
Goff attributed the per-capita drop in donation levels from $850 last year to $663 in part to the loss (via death) of several significant supporters in the past few years.
Most of the new donors are younger and fall in the $250 to $750 donation range. Among the number of new donors are two recent high draft picks, running back Matt Forté, who was chosen in the second round of the NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, and pitcher Shooter Hunt, taken in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins.
“They’re both quality kids and fantastic athletes,” Goff said. “The fact that they made a commitment to us even before they signed contracts is another indicator of the kind of student-athlete we have at Tulane.”
Of even more significance, Goff said, is the overall increase in the number of donors.
The number had dropped from 2,085 in 2005 to 1,550 in the year after Hurricane Katrina, but it now has risen substantially in the two years since.
“What we feel we’ve reached is our base group of supporters,” he said. “Now that number can go up after good years when we’re in the College World Series or go to a bowl game, but this is going to be the group that’s with us no matter what.”
For that reason, Goff said, it should be no problem to go
beyond 3,000 in the coming year, while resetting the dollar
goal at $2.5 million.Getting to that dollar figure — and beyond — is
vital because of the increased costs of bringing back
sports, which were trimmed after Hurricane Katrina.Women’s tennis and golf and men’s cross country
and outdoor track will resume competition this year, with
women’s swimming and men’s tennis returning in
2009, and women’s soccer and bowling being added in
2010 to get Tulane back to the Division I-A minimum of 16
sports.
“We’re now well beyond the stability
stage,” Goff said. “Now we’re looking forward
to bringing back programs. TAF donations will have to
substantially increase as we go forward over the next few
years.”About 60 percent to 65 percent of TAF members live in the
New Orleans area, Goff said, but in the coming year, the
focus will be on a national campaign to appeal to alumni in
Atlanta, Houston and New York.“We feel like that’s our best target right
now,” he said. “But these are the people who
don’t realize things like better seating at Turchin
Stadium or the Superdome through their donations. They will
be asked to donate largely because of their loyalty, faith
and belief in what Tulane athletics stands for.”
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