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 Athletic Policies: Fundraising Guiding Principles Fundraising Guiding Principles
Annual giving from private donors is a vital component of BGSU Athletics. The financial donations provide an important foundation for teams and support areas. The items and policies below outline the structure for coaches and staff to follow with fundraising. These guidelines will ensure consistency with gift handling, proper stewardship and a better opportunity for long-term success in fundraising for BGSU Athletics.
Donations - All private donations will be funneled through the Falcon Club, the department’s official booster organization. Under the Falcon Club umbrella, appropriate gift accounts have been or will be established for specific sports and/or projects. - Any donation to BGSU Athletics is tax-deductible, provided it is given via the Falcon Club. - Donors making a gift to BGSU Athletics should make their checks payable to the BGSU Foundation. If they wish for the gift to support a specific sport or area, that should be noted on the check’s designation line or in an accompanying letter.
Budgeting - In 2007, the Falcon Club changed its fundraising policies to allow gifts that go directly to specific sports or areas. As a result, general Falcon Club gifts have decreased, while sport-specific giving has increased. - Beginning in FY09, each sport will receive a portion of its annual budget from its enhancement or foundation account. The amount will be based on a combination of past giving, general fundraising expectations for coaches and the status of the university budget. For FY09, all sports’ budgets will remain the same from FY08 when taking into account the combination of university/department/Falcon Club funding and foundation funding. - While a portion of each sport’s budget will come from its foundation account, there is no limit to the amount of money a sport can raise or maintain in its foundation account. Monies remaining after the initial budget transfer may be spent based on normal departmental spending policies. - Looking ahead to FY10 and beyond, the process will remain the same as FY09. A portion of each sport or area’s operating budget will come from its foundation account.
Sport Fundraising - Each head coach is expected to fundraise for both the department and his/her sport. Specific expectations include: o Participation in the summer Falcon Bash event and other departmental fundraisers. o Donation of at least one auction item for either the Falcon Bash event or the online auction. o In coordination with the Falcon Club, annual mail solicitation efforts to former players and team parents. The Falcon Club staff will work with each head coach to determine when the sport’s annual mailing will occur. Development staff will coordinate the mailing, although the coach’s assistance is needed with the database and letter. o Coaches are welcome to solicit donors that are not former athletes or parents. If a program friend gives to multiple areas of BGSU Athletics, though, coordination of their annual gift needs to be run through the development staff. o Coaches will be informed of annual gifts that are made to their sport via regular foundation reports. Coaches are expected to write timely thank you acknowledgements to donors. o Each sport should conduct an annual alumni gathering. The purpose of the event is two-fold: to gather former athletes and raise money.
Event Fundraising - Sport alumni events/fundraisers may take place any time other than May, June or July. This will avoid competition with other alumni and Falcon Club functions. - Any sport alumni or fundraiser event must be approved at least six months in advance by the sport administrator. The head coach and sport administrator are responsible for coordinating potential dates with the Falcon Club, which will maintain a master calendar of departmental external events. - Departmental events and fundraisers to be aware of in planning: o Fall Sports Kickoff–Saturday before the first football game (all fall coaches) o Football Kickoff Dinner–evening before the first home game (head football coach) o Hockey Face Off Reception–Wednesday before first exhibition game (head ice hockey coach) o Basketball Tip Off Dinner–weeknight in mid-October (head basketball coaches) o Athletics Hall of Fame banquet–tied to a home football game each fall (sports with inductees need to be represented at the banquet) o Doyt Perry Classic–first weekend after football signing day o Falcon Club Reception–spring event (all head coaches) o Athletics Honors Night–evening in mid- to late-April (all head coaches) o Barnstorming and Alumni Association events–various dates in May and June o Falcon Bash–third Friday in June (all head coaches) - Coaches that wish to conduct golf outings are encouraged to use the Forrest Creason course on campus. Additionally, sport golf outings must be priced so that the event nets at least $100 per golfer (registration less golf/gift/meal costs equals or exceeds $100). - Current student-athletes may participate in event fundraisers provided they are not directly involved in soliciting. This includes not selling raffle tickets.
Scholarship Endowments - All athletic scholarships and endowments are managed financially through the BGSU Foundation. - To maintain proper donor stewardship, the selection and recognition process will be coordinated through athletic development following this timeline: o July/August: in conjunction with Student-Athlete Services and Compliance, student-athletes will be matched with the appropriate scholarship/endowment/award within the guidelines established by each endowment agreement. Recipients will be shared with head coaches prior to final selection. The Athletics Director will give final approval of each selection. o August: head coaches will be notified of final scholarship recipients. o September: donors/beneficiaries will be notified by athletic development of the student-athlete recipient. o October: head coaches will be sent donor/scholarship information in order for that sport’s student-athlete(s) to write a thank you note. o November: thank you notes are collected, proofed and sent to donors from athletic development. o April: endowment donors are invited to Athletics Honors Night.
Donors and Team Travel Traveling with a team should be the highest privilege given to a donor and those opportunities should be reserved for our highest level donors. Team travel can be an incentive used to “move” people to the highest giving level as well as an opportunity to cultivate donors for a leadership gift.
All invitations to travel with a team should come from athletic development in consultation with the head coach and/or director of operations, where appropriate. A member from the athletic development staff will travel in order to serve as a host to the donor(s). This will free up the coaching staff to concentrate on team/game preparation rather than donor entertainment.
The following will be used to determine donor travel:
OR
Silent auction items: Auctioning off team travel as a silent auction item should be discouraged for the simple reason that donors at the lowest level are winning team travel trips and there isn’t an incentive to increase their giving.
Team Fundraisers It is important that our student-athletes and coaching staffs be visible in the community and philanthropy is an important element to be teaching to our students; however, games and events may not be used to fundraise for causes other than BGSU Athletics. With 50/50, programs and concessions, people are already being asked for enough money.
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