Giving day 2019

[bravesfan]

That's an interesting take, because I normally feel the opposite. When people in Northern Virginia donate, most of the time it's because they are getting something in return... better season tickets, gold or green room passes... there is some sort of benefit to them. As an out-of-towner who donates, I really get nothing in return. I struggle with it every year.

I just donated small yesterday to pad the giving numbers, but I have a hard time justifying bigger donations to my wife when we don't get any of the benefits that local fans get. I realize that getting something in return isn't really what the spirit of donating should be - but be honest, how many people would donate what they do if they didn't have to in order to get their season tickets or green/gold room passes?

Like I said, I struggle with it every year.

I feel the same way. I donated when we moved to the A10, I donated when they fired Hewitt, I donated towards the practice facility. The least they could do is send a t-shirt or something as recognition.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

The least they could do is send a t-shirt or something as recognition.

But then next giving day, we will see a "Help us send T-shirts to thank donors" fundraising campaign.

 

[dr. gunnie]

It’s funny you say that, because friends of mine who have donated over the years have sent me pics of the Adidas gear they’ve been sent by the athletic department - donations they make for tickets and passes. They get the tickets and passes with their donation, plus an extra bonus. The athletic department has never sent me anything. I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven the hour and 45 min to St Louis to support all of our teams, basketball, baseball, soccer. Never got one thing.

Not saying this in a boo hoo - poor me by any means, just saying there is really no incentive at all for out of town fans and a huge one for local fans. Comparing the two is apples and oranges.

Would be awesome if the department would recognize this and maybe do something to help add incentive for out of town fans to donate - that’s the real issue. How about donate $200 or $500, and we’ll pay your ESPN+ bill (a $4.99 a month value) so you can watch all of our games? It would at least show that you care and make me feel more a part of something that I don’t really feel any affiliation to currently.

 

[Masonfan3]

It’s funny you say that, because friends of mine who have donated over the years have sent me pics of the Adidas gear they’ve been sent by the athletic department - donations they make for tickets and passes. They get the tickets and passes with their donation, plus an extra bonus. The athletic department has never sent me anything. I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven the hour and 45 min to St Louis to support all of our teams, basketball, baseball, soccer. Never got one thing.

Not saying this in a boo hoo - poor me by any means, just saying there is really no incentive at all for out of town fans and a huge one for local fans. Comparing the two is apples and oranges.

Would be awesome if the department would recognize this and maybe do something to help add incentive for out of town fans to donate - that’s the real issue. How about donate $200 or $500, and we’ll pay your ESPN+ bill (a $4.99 a month value) so you can watch all of our games? It would at least show that you care and make me feel more a part of something that I don’t really feel any affiliation to currently.

I have been donating for 12 years and haven't received a single thing either. Also donated directly to other sports and have been told I would receive gear but nothing...

 

[Mason2005]

Lol this thread has become a grieving spot. Let it all out fellas, let it all out.



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[gmubrian]

At a minimum, they could have Darryl Green send a signed thank you note to each person that donates. Then everyone would have something autographed by Darryl Green and we would be getting some visible value out of his salary.

 

[dr. gunnie]

At a minimum, they could have Darryl Green send a signed thank you note to each person that donates. Then everyone would have something autographed by Darryl Green and we would be getting some visible value out of his salary.

Nah, they’ll just make the kids call us to thank us or have them write notes to send out. It’s not like they have anything to do like study, write papers, practice, workout... can’t have the guys getting paid do extra work.

 

[GSII]

Sounds like someone needs to send a How To Thank Donors instructions letter to Brad.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

At a minimum, they could have Darryl Green send a signed thank you note to each person that donates. Then everyone would have something autographed by Darryl Green and we would be getting some visible value out of his salary.

Now this is a great idea. I know skins fans who would donate just for that reason, even if they never went to Mason.

 

[bravesfan]

But then next giving day, we will see a "Help us send T-shirts to thank donors" fundraising campaign.

And then they receive a t-shirt for donating towards t-shirts. The Mason Metas.

 

[The Great PATSby]

Years back they auctioned off the Game-Used Final Four Season throwbacks which banked around $4,000. Where did those proceeds go and is it in NCAA Compliance? Can the team auction off old Jerseys, leftover team issued Adidas gear or autographed memorabilia every year to make more money?

 

[Patriot8]

Not sure if this is something they have done, but what about donating individual lockers? At Tennessee, every locker in the football locker room has a donor name on a plaque at the very top of each locker.

A lesser option that I've seen in some other places would be a brick campaign.. Get 100 people to buy one brick for $50 a piece, and you have your $5000.

 

[dr. gunnie]

They already do the locker deal.

Many schools do the auctioning off old gear - or they have tent sales for old gear. I would guess every power 5 school does it. Mason never does - probably too much work.

 

[The Great PATSby]

Didn't Mason auction off Otis to Fairfax Mom? How much did they make off that?

 

[gmutom]

To Gunnie's point, my wife and I both received really nice Adidas Mason polo shirts and a handwritten note by Paulsen. It was definitely appreciated, but I am disappointed to hear out-of-town fans aren't treated with the same appreciation as local season ticket holders.

Granted, ticket holders and Patriot Club members spend thousands on the program every year, but even a t-shirt send to all donors goes a long way.

 

[mkaufman1]

So my situation is a bit unique. I started as a local season ticket holder but now I’m an out of state season ticket holder and donor. I also started a mason alumni regional group which I have to say everyone I’ve worked with from Mason has been awesome and supportive to get us resources or swag. So from that perspective (probably because of the work I’m doing), they’ve taken care of me. As much as there needs to be improvement, I have to say they’ve at least met my bar in terms of support. They also were awesome to me and masonfanatic at the a10 tournament upgrading our seats to right behind the bench.

That said, they should be doing the little things a lot of you have mentioned. Whether it’s a Darrell Green autograph, sending polos with a handwritten note once you hit 5 years or 10 years or whatever as a donor/season ticket holder, thank you T-shirts/care packages what have you. This area sorely needs to be improved and it doesn’t even have to be drastic measures. The donation for the espn plus subscription is something super easy and makes for some incentive for those who aren’t in the Fairfax region.

When was the last time the giving level benefits were evaluated? Maybe something new can be given for each level. Freshen it up. There’s certainly still enough of us that are pretty passionate about the program, that watch every game and give every year. They certainly can have some creativity in showing thank you (that they do say a lot, but it needs to go beyond that).

It seemed like the first two giving days they stated a need, promoted the need and got some good money out of it. This year was completely different, and it’s a regression instead of progression. It’s a shame. I feel like these ideas or so simple and it makes me wonder sometimes why they haven’t been thought of within the department.

 

[gmubrian]

So my situation is a bit unique. I started as a local season ticket holder but now I’m an out of state season ticket holder and donor. I also started a mason alumni regional group which I have to say everyone I’ve worked with from Mason has been awesome and supportive to get us resources or swag. So from that perspective (probably because of the work I’m doing), they’ve taken care of me. As much as there needs to be improvement, I have to say they’ve at least met my bar in terms of support. They also were awesome to me and masonfanatic at the a10 tournament.

That said, they should be doing the little things a lot of you have mentioned. Whether it’s a Darrell Green autograph, sending polos with a handwritten note once you hit 5 years or 10 years or whatever as a donor/season ticket holder, thank you T-shirts/care packages what have you. This area sorely needs to be improved and it doesn’t even have to be drastic measures. The donation for the espn plus subscription is something super easy and makes for some incentive for those who aren’t in the Fairfax region.

When was the last time the giving level benefits were evaluated? Maybe something new can be given for each level. Freshen it up. There’s certainly still enough of us that are pretty passionate about the program, that watch every game and give every year. They certainly can have some creativity in showing thank you (that they do say a lot, but it needs to go beyond that).

It seemed like the first two giving days they stated a need, promoted the need and got some good money out of it. This year was completely different, and it’s a regression instead of progression. It’s a shame. I feel like these ideas or so simple and it makes me wonder sometimes why they haven’t been thought of within the department.

Great post.

One question, for your alumni regional group, are you dealing with the alumni association, the AD, or both?

 

[mkaufman1]

Great post.

One question, for your alumni regional group, are you dealing with the alumni association, the AD, or both?

Thanks and both actually. All parties have been super psyched about what we’ve done and continue to do. They always say let us know what you need and help out however they can.

 

[GMUgemini]

It’s funny you say that, because friends of mine who have donated over the years have sent me pics of the Adidas gear they’ve been sent by the athletic department - donations they make for tickets and passes. They get the tickets and passes with their donation, plus an extra bonus. The athletic department has never sent me anything. I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven the hour and 45 min to St Louis to support all of our teams, basketball, baseball, soccer. Never got one thing.

Not saying this in a boo hoo - poor me by any means, just saying there is really no incentive at all for out of town fans and a huge one for local fans. Comparing the two is apples and oranges.

Would be awesome if the department would recognize this and maybe do something to help add incentive for out of town fans to donate - that’s the real issue. How about donate $200 or $500, and we’ll pay your ESPN+ bill (a $4.99 a month value) so you can watch all of our games? It would at least show that you care and make me feel more a part of something that I don’t really feel any affiliation to currently.

Problem is the new tax laws disincentivize giving out any benefits to donations because then they becomes non-tax deductible (not that a ton of people itemize anyway).

You are probably right in that just having your name on a list under your giving level isn’t really enough.

By the way, total giving on giving day was only $350,000 which doesn’t seem like a lot. Only 1,400 donors, with a target of 2,500 — well short. So it wasn’t just athletics that underperformed.

 

[MasonSAE4]

It’s funny you say that, because friends of mine who have donated over the years have sent me pics of the Adidas gear they’ve been sent by the athletic department - donations they make for tickets and passes. They get the tickets and passes with their donation, plus an extra bonus. The athletic department has never sent me anything. I can’t count the number of times I’ve driven the hour and 45 min to St Louis to support all of our teams, basketball, baseball, soccer. Never got one thing.

Not saying this in a boo hoo - poor me by any means, just saying there is really no incentive at all for out of town fans and a huge one for local fans. Comparing the two is apples and oranges.

Would be awesome if the department would recognize this and maybe do something to help add incentive for out of town fans to donate - that’s the real issue. How about donate $200 or $500, and we’ll pay your ESPN+ bill (a $4.99 a month value) so you can watch all of our games? It would at least show that you care and make me feel more a part of something that I don’t really feel any affiliation to currently.

I’m with you. I don’t really care that I’ve never received anything but it would be nice once in a while. I’m by no means the biggest donor on these boards, but I do donate more than just the minimum for Gold Room/have had season tickets for four years now and I’m lucky if I even get the emails from Paulsen (most of the time I don’t for some reason.)

Seems disjointed with no rhyme or reason as to who they show appreciation to. Can’t imagine it’s hard to send an autographed jersey or some piece of merch. We don’t really have that many season ticket holders in the grand scheme of things, wouldn’t be hard to show them all some love, even if you tier the fans and send smaller things to the people who donate less.