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Christopher Keller Northeastern University Athletic Fundraising: Final Essay From Field Work

Keller   2   Athletic Fundraising Interview: University of Colorado For my final essay, I was fortunate to have a conversation with Scott Scheifele, Assistant Athletic Director of Development at the University of Colorado. Mr. Scheifele’s responsibility within the athletic office is to raise the annual funds necessary to operate thirteen sports at the University of Colorado. It is an exciting time in the athletic office, as they are in the midst of their “Drive for $105M” to fund a few new projects on campus such as the “Champions Center”, an indoor practice facility, and the renovation of the Dal Ward Sports Medicine Facility. The practice facility and sports medicine facility and scheduled to open this year, and the practice facility will open early 2016. It was exciting to talk to Mr. Scheifele, as he is currently in the middle of this campaign as the athletic department has over $75 million dollars as of May 2015. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Mr. Scheifele interned for the Salt Lake Gulls, the Triple –A organization affiliated with the Seattle Mariners for two years. After his time with the Gulls, Mr. Scheifele returned to the Buffaloes, where he has worked for more than 22 years in several different capacities including Assistant Vice President of Development for Athletics, Buff Club Director, and Assistant Development Director of Athletics. In his current capacity as Assistant Athletic Director of Development, Mr. Scheifele is responsible for supporting endowments, annual gifts, and capital projects by generating major gift revenue. The University of Colorado has a $17 million dollar endowment, however, Mr. Scheifele and the athletic office are looking to double that number during the athletic campaign. Mr. Scheifele and his supervisor, Kurt Gulbrand, who is the Senior Associate Athletic Director of Athletic Development, have focused most of their time on the “Drive For $105M” campaign. Obviously, raising $105 million dollars is no easy task. During my interview, Mr. Scheifele and I discussed his most effective strategies and methods to raise funds for the

Keller   3   campaign. Mr. Scheifele told me in order to obtain major gifts “identification, cultivation, engagement, and developing ownership in our programs is the most effective”. The first step in the process is to identify the demographic that would most likely be willing to give back to the University. Once the prospective donors have been identified, it is important that the University reaches out and begins to cultivate a personal relationship with them. Throughout our semester, we have learned the importance of having the donor feel valued throughout the giving process. If the donor feels that they are simply being used for their wealth, than they would be less likely to give. Also, it is important that the University reaches out personally instead of maybe a generic letter in the mail. These types of personal touches will ensure that not only the donor feels special, but needed at the University. To go along with the concept of cultivation is engagement. The donor must not only feel valued in the process, but wants to be “compensated” in some way, whether it be through name recognition or other perks. The final step of the process is developing ownership in the athletic programs. The athletic department must show that they take their programs seriously before a donor hands out large amounts of cash. I believe that the University of Colorado has shown this commitment through the building of the Champions Center, Indoor Practice Facility, and the renovation of Dal War. The goal of the project is to “be nationally recognized as a premier athletics department, by providing a world-class and holistic student-athlete experience, operating in a fiscally responsible manner, while consistently competing for and winning championships”. This is the type of message that a donor could get behind and support. The donor has the chance to be a part of creating a premier facility that will be beneficial to athletes, recruiting, students, the University of Colorado, and most importantly the community.

Keller   4   As I previously stated, donors want a return on their investment when donating to the University. The first type of gifts that I discussed with Mr. Scheifele was planned gifts that are received from donors. By contributing a planned gift to the University of Colorado, a donor would be recognized a member of the University’s Heritage Society. The names of the donors are placed on plaques in high traffic areas within the athletic department. The president of the University of Colorado hosts an annual luncheon for all planned gift donors. Priority seating and parking benefits to athletic events are not offered for donors of planned gifts. The donors who contribute to a planned gift have the opportunity to keep their legacy alive well after their lifetime, as their names will literally be cemented into the athletic department. If a donor was looking for more “perks” rather than a legacy, than they should look into annual giving. The “Buff Club” at the University of Colorado is club that was created to reward annual donors for different levels of giving. The donor’s ability to obtain various benefits is based on a combination of annual giving level and donor rank, which is determined by the Buff Club Priority Point System. The gifts range from a welcome packet and invitations to special events all the way to an on the field experience and premium gifts. The basic membership level goes from Chip ($100 per year) to Hall of Fame ($5,000 per year). The premium membership level, also known as the “National Buff Club Cabinet” goes from Silver ($10,000 per year) to Director’s Circle ($50,000 per year). Throughout the course we have studied many of the different types of giving that a university can utilize to raise funds in order to run athletic programs, as well as the strategies required to obtain the funds. I felt that this interview took the coursework from the entire semester and brought it to life. I was able to see the real-world application of these types of gifts, as well as the strategies that Division I schools such as the University of Colorado use to obtain

Keller   5   the funds. On top of discussing strategies, I was able to learn more about larger campaigns such as the University of Colorado’s “Drive For $105M”. Not only does the athletic department need to support their athletic programs, but also they are looking for capital to support three different building projects. I feel that this interview gave me insight on how the material taught in class was applied in the field, and the importance of these funds in the success of a Division I athletic program.

Keller   6   Reference: Cubuffclub.com. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2015, from http://cubuffclub.com/ The Drive For $105M. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2015, from http://cusustainableexcellence.com/