Yosef Club 3100 members???

[AZAppGrad]

Just one old guys opinion…. I give to the YC (in addition to the other funds) not because of what I get back but simply because I love and want to support App State. Being on the mountain is magical for me and I truly believe there is no other place like it. My hope is that other folks that feel the same will find a way to give something, not for what they will receive for the money but for what their money can do for the university they love. Also, I am a big fan of the “Donate the Score” initiative and hope others are taking advantage of this opportunity to give.

[goapps93]

Does anyone have any information about what other program's athletics funds provide to donors that App does not?

[pop5app]

Just one old guys opinion…. I give to the YC (in addition to the other funds) not because of what I get back but simply because I love and want to support App State. Being on the mountain is magical for me and I truly believe there is no other place like it. My hope is that other folks that feel the same will find a way to give something, not for what they will receive for the money but for what their money can do for the university they love. Also, I am a big fan of the “Donate the Score” initiative and hope others are taking advantage of this opportunity to give.

I think this is fantastic! There have been many great answers and suggestions but this one hits home for me. I do think about what my degree means to me and the doors it has opened for me. Perhaps we need to pony up the money and get a real manager to push the YC along. I do not mean to disparage anyone but I do not know who runs the YC. I’ve found, in my life, 70 years old, that in order for anything to get done you gotta have someone to wants the endeavor to succeed; some one who is passionate about it and is almost “married” to it. It’s One of the reasons businesses put a person in charge of any special project. Going back to the original point: we need some BIG changes because the status quo ain’t working!

[VNova]

Does anyone have any information about what other program's athletics funds provide to donors that App does not?

This is ECU's: https://ecupirateclub.com/documents/202 ... _Chart.pdf

This is ours: https://mountaineersathleticfund.com/yo ... index.html (ctrl+f Yosef Club Membership Levels & Benefits)

They are pretty similar at the sub-$750 mark. At the higher levels, they offer a bit more than we do. App and ECU also have similar rates of membership and average donations per member, so these don't make a difference.

I think Yosef Club should create a sub-$50 tier that knocks out the donor packet and newsletter. Benefits would be the Welcome Letter and some cool stickers/decals. For folks that donate the score, they'll become members immediately and that could encourage more donors.

Additionally, I think the website should have a page with a membership map and a list that recognizes every donor, by name (donors opt-in). Make everyone feel appreciated and recognized, regardless if it's $5 a month or $10000.

[appgrad95&97]

Does anyone have any information about what other program's athletics funds provide to donors that App does not?

This is ECU's: https://ecupirateclub.com/documents/202 ... _Chart.pdf

This is ours: https://mountaineersathleticfund.com/yo ... index.html (ctrl+f Yosef Club Membership Levels & Benefits)

They are pretty similar at the sub-$750 mark. At the higher levels, they offer a bit more than we do. App and ECU also have similar rates of membership and average donations per member, so these don't make a difference.

I think Yosef Club should create a sub-$50 tier that knocks out the donor packet and newsletter. Benefits would be the Welcome Letter and some cool stickers/decals. For folks that donate the score, they'll become members immediately and that could encourage more donors.

Additionally, I think the website should have a page with a membership map and a list that recognizes every donor, by name (donors opt-in). Make everyone feel appreciated and recognized, regardless if it's $5 a month or $10000.

I have to ask this: what's the point of going after $50 doners? There are fixed costs associated with accepting a gift. I get that every bit helps, but why not make a real push to get new $500-1000 members?

[VNova]

Does anyone have any information about what other program's athletics funds provide to donors that App does not?

This is ECU's: https://ecupirateclub.com/documents/202 ... _Chart.pdf

This is ours: https://mountaineersathleticfund.com/yo ... index.html (ctrl+f Yosef Club Membership Levels & Benefits)

They are pretty similar at the sub-$750 mark. At the higher levels, they offer a bit more than we do. App and ECU also have similar rates of membership and average donations per member, so these don't make a difference.

I think Yosef Club should create a sub-$50 tier that knocks out the donor packet and newsletter. Benefits would be the Welcome Letter and some cool stickers/decals. For folks that donate the score, they'll become members immediately and that could encourage more donors.

Additionally, I think the website should have a page with a membership map and a list that recognizes every donor, by name (donors opt-in). Make everyone feel appreciated and recognized, regardless if it's $5 a month or $10000.

I have to ask this: what's the point of going after $50 doners? There are fixed costs associated with accepting a gift. I get that every bit helps, but why not make a real push to get new $500-1000 members?

This is my line of thinking, at least from an alumni perspective:
That depends on who you're after. If you're trying to cultivate new, long-term members of Yosef, you need to catch people early in their careers at a lower rate. It gets them used to donating and they see the benefits early on. As they grow in their career, so too could their donations. The average recent graduate isn't going to pay $500-$1000 a year of a post-tax salary to donate to Yosef Club. They're already deep in student loan debt and annoyed the school is asking for more already. You're not going to build something long-term without a good foundation. Smaller donations early on can build a foundation where we get far more $500 donations per year when people are hitting their strides in their careers.

As people retire and they can't give like they used to, we'll need to have some way to replace them. Focusing on the $500 crowd misses a lot of potential for future growth/stability.

[BambooRdApp]

Does anyone have any information about what other program's athletics funds provide to donors that App does not?

This is ECU's: https://ecupirateclub.com/documents/202 ... _Chart.pdf

This is ours: https://mountaineersathleticfund.com/yo ... index.html (ctrl+f Yosef Club Membership Levels & Benefits)

They are pretty similar at the sub-$750 mark. At the higher levels, they offer a bit more than we do. App and ECU also have similar rates of membership and average donations per member, so these don't make a difference.

I think Yosef Club should create a sub-$50 tier that knocks out the donor packet and newsletter. Benefits would be the Welcome Letter and some cool stickers/decals. For folks that donate the score, they'll become members immediately and that could encourage more donors.

Additionally, I think the website should have a page with a membership map and a list that recognizes every donor, by name (donors opt-in). Make everyone feel appreciated and recognized, regardless if it's $5 a month or $10000.

I have to ask this: what's the point of going after $50 doners? There are fixed costs associated with accepting a gift. I get that every bit helps, but why not make a real push to get new $500-1000 members?

That depends on who you're after. If you're trying to cultivate new, long-term members of Yosef, you need to catch people early in their careers at a lower rate. It gets them used to donating and they see the benefits early on. As they grow in their career, so too could their donations. The average recent graduate isn't going to pay $500-$1000 a year of a post-tax salary to donate to Yosef Club. They're already deep in student loan debt and annoyed the school is asking for more already. You're not going to build something long-term without a good foundation. Smaller donations early on can build a foundation where we get far more $500 donations per year when people are hitting their strides in their careers.

Agreed. No different than a country club offering a membership to under age 35s a different membership as compared to an over 35 member. Get them in early, they get used to the membership...then when more mature, they contribute more. If you do not try to get them young when App. St. was part of their daily life, the less percentage you get them later due to life and life changes.

Also, if the athletic department is not doing an ad on the scoreboard at least once a quarter, that is opportunity lost as well.

[appgrad95&97]

Does anyone have any information about what other program's athletics funds provide to donors that App does not?

This is ECU's: https://ecupirateclub.com/documents/202 ... _Chart.pdf

This is ours: https://mountaineersathleticfund.com/yo ... index.html (ctrl+f Yosef Club Membership Levels & Benefits)

They are pretty similar at the sub-$750 mark. At the higher levels, they offer a bit more than we do. App and ECU also have similar rates of membership and average donations per member, so these don't make a difference.

I think Yosef Club should create a sub-$50 tier that knocks out the donor packet and newsletter. Benefits would be the Welcome Letter and some cool stickers/decals. For folks that donate the score, they'll become members immediately and that could encourage more donors.

Additionally, I think the website should have a page with a membership map and a list that recognizes every donor, by name (donors opt-in). Make everyone feel appreciated and recognized, regardless if it's $5 a month or $10000.

I have to ask this: what's the point of going after $50 doners? There are fixed costs associated with accepting a gift. I get that every bit helps, but why not make a real push to get new $500-1000 members?

This is my line of thinking, at least from an alumni perspective:
That depends on who you're after. If you're trying to cultivate new, long-term members of Yosef, you need to catch people early in their careers at a lower rate. It gets them used to donating and they see the benefits early on. As they grow in their career, so too could their donations. The average recent graduate isn't going to pay $500-$1000 a year of a post-tax salary to donate to Yosef Club. They're already deep in student loan debt and annoyed the school is asking for more already. You're not going to build something long-term without a good foundation. Smaller donations early on can build a foundation where we get far more $500 donations per year when people are hitting their strides in their careers.

As people retire and they can't give like they used to, we'll need to have some way to replace them. Focusing on the $500 crowd misses a lot of potential for future growth/stability.

See, that's what the student YC is for. I think our current membership is almost completely tied to football season ticket sales.

[appgrad95&97]

If I'm reading the membership map from the 2021 guide correctly, we don't have 500 members in Mecklenburg County?

[appdaze]

Would love to see perks like sports streaming for lower mid-upper level tiers. I think that sort of thing would work for a lot of our distance donors. The ability to watch games of all sports would attract a wider non football audience. Many former players might pony up some to watch their respective sport. It would take some packaging work with ESPN+ more than likely, but as long as they are getting their proper cut, I doubt they would mind an initiative that put more eyes on the screen.

Here is our upcoming streaming:
https://appstatesports.com/coverage


I honestly don't care about the newsletter. Twitter and message boards pretty much cover anything that exists. I think we are in a spot where we need to spend some to make some. Give App clothing out for donors. At $50 you get a shirt that cost the school $5 and a hat that might cost the school $5-10. Program still makes money from people who would have otherwise not given a dime. The younger generations, think 1985-now, really don't buy into the whole give money for the loyalty thing. They will give, but you've got to give back.....and a newsletter+sticker isn't going to cut it.

[97grad]

I agree the numbers are pathetic. Unfortunately, I put the blame for this on YC itself; the marketing has always been terrible. They need to put some real money and effort into growing the membership, even if it means there is less to go to their core mission in the short term. They can't keep going back to the same well over and over. For the record, I've been a member for almost 15 years.

[smokeshow]

I think an easy simple fix is to force a 100 dollar donation to members if they want the opportunity to buy season tickets. If you want season tickets you have to donate at least 100 dollars. That's not much and a lot would do it. I know that doesn't solve the entire issue but a simple easy fix if you ask me.

[Bootsy]

Would love to see perks like sports streaming for lower mid-upper level tiers. I think that sort of thing would work for a lot of our distance donors. The ability to watch games of all sports would attract a wider non football audience. Many former players might pony up some to watch their respective sport. It would take some packaging work with ESPN+ more than likely, but as long as they are getting their proper cut, I doubt they would mind an initiative that put more eyes on the screen.

Here is our upcoming streaming:
https://appstatesports.com/coverage


I honestly don't care about the newsletter. Twitter and message boards pretty much cover anything that exists. I think we are in a spot where we need to spend some to make some. Give App clothing out for donors. At $50 you get a shirt that cost the school $5 and a hat that might cost the school $5-10. Program still makes money from people who would have otherwise not given a dime. The younger generations, think 1985-now, really don't buy into the whole give money for the loyalty thing. They will give, but you've got to give back.....and a newsletter+sticker isn't going to cut it.

Other teams in our conference have held membership campaigns where special swag like this is given to new donors. I think it's a great idea and would be simple to implement.

Something else I've often wondered about- does YC/MAF do market research to better understand what appeals to potential donors (especially younger alums)? While some may appreciate all the good YC donations do to help athletes, others who worked to pay their way through App might bristle at the idea of helping athletes "get a free ride." That isn't saying they won't donate; it's saying there may be other perks from YC that appeal to them more than hearing about grateful athletes. Market research would be simple and inexpensive to conduct. The feedback would be priceless.

[AppSt94]

I think an easy simple fix is to force a 100 dollar donation to members if they want the opportunity to buy season tickets. If you want season tickets you have to donate at least 100 dollars. That's not much and a lot would do it. I know that doesn't solve the entire issue but a simple easy fix if you ask me.

How many season ticket holders are not YC members? How many of those won’t renew for the additional cost? The other issue is that parking is allocated to YC season ticket holders. Do we have enough spaces available to accommodate season ticket/YC if we made that a condition of purchase?

[proasu89]

Seems like almost all of the season tickets already require a minimum donation. Isn’t it just the outer sections on each end that doesn’t?

[smokeshow]

I have been told to get season tickets you don't have to donate a dime to YCi if you sit outside the 20s. Also yes certain levels of YC per donation get parking 100 ain't getting ppl anything that I know of. I thought you have to drop a minimum for a spot maybe I'm wrong.

[goapps93]

There is too much reference to the Yosef Club as "they." If you are a member then the Yosef Club is "us." Get involved in leadership and help make changes.

[1ASU78]

I’d say marketing needs to improve and find better ways to get students/grads signed up. No one calls me or emails me to join Yosef Club... $50 isn’t much and I can do that. Someone get YC to identify all people associated with App via LinkedIn and FB and start pumping

I had a conversation with an athletic department member today about this. There seems to be no sense of urgency to grow the athletic fund from the bottom of the pyramid. They’re only so many whales in the App family but there’s about 110,000 regular fish who could possibly give 50 to a 100 annually.

I understand why we’re having this discussion. Seems most of us are YC at some level and realistically need more. But what’s the point of our conversation if the YC club itself goes top down recruiting/donations. Evidently they are satisfied with the current model of the inverted pyramid. How long can that work?

[pop5app]

I’d say marketing needs to improve and find better ways to get students/grads signed up. No one calls me or emails me to join Yosef Club... $50 isn’t much and I can do that. Someone get YC to identify all people associated with App via LinkedIn and FB and start pumping

I had a conversation with an athletic department member today about this. There seems to be no sense of urgency to grow the athletic fund from the bottom of the pyramid. They’re only so many whales in the App family but there’s about 110,000 regular fish who could possibly give 50 to a 100 annually.

I understand why we’re having this discussion. Seems most of us are YC at some level and realistically need more. But what’s the point of our conversation if the YC club itself goes top down recruiting/donations. Evidently they are satisfied with the current model of the inverted pyramid. How long can that work?

Great point! It has “worked” for 50 years. But it hasn’t worked well!! You are correct to question the whole operation. The real question is: are we happy with 50-60 member growth per year?

[AppSt94]

I’d say marketing needs to improve and find better ways to get students/grads signed up. No one calls me or emails me to join Yosef Club... $50 isn’t much and I can do that. Someone get YC to identify all people associated with App via LinkedIn and FB and start pumping

I had a conversation with an athletic department member today about this. There seems to be no sense of urgency to grow the athletic fund from the bottom of the pyramid. They’re only so many whales in the App family but there’s about 110,000 regular fish who could possibly give 50 to a 100 annually.

I understand why we’re having this discussion. Seems most of us are YC at some level and realistically need more. But what’s the point of our conversation if the YC club itself goes top down recruiting/donations. Evidently they are satisfied with the current model of the inverted pyramid. How long can that work?

Great point! It has “worked” for 50 years. But it hasn’t worked well!! You are correct to question the whole operation. The real question is: are we happy with 50-60 member growth per year?

Fair points all the way around. To me, it seems like we should be growing by around 250 per year, so we need to find out why we are only growing by 50 or so. We have some marketing problems and some capacity problems (staff and financial) within the AD. The first question I would ask is if we have tried to farm out a marketing plan to our esteemed College of Business as a project. Cheap labor, a learning experience for the resume and potential new members.