UMass Sets Records for Fundraising in Fiscal Year 2012
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Sam the Minuteman and Charley Molnar w ill be happy to know that UMass broke a fundraising record in fiscal year 2012. http://w w w .masslive.com/umass/index.ssf/2012/07/umass_sets_records_for_fundrai.html July 4, 2012 UMass sets records for fundraising in fiscal year 2012 AP file AMHERST — The University of Masachusetts has reversed an ugly six-year trend in record-breaking fashion. UMass announced its fundraising numbers from the 2012 fiscal year on Monday, reporting that the school took in $3.2 million in gifts, including $1.7 million in monetary gifts, a record amount of actual cash for the department. “We are starting back upward,” said Rocko DeLuca, UMass associate athletic director for development. “We had been in a bit of a decline since 2005.” The $1.7 million in monetary gifts was a 112 percent increase over fiscal year 2011 (indicating the department received just under $802,000 last year). The remaining $1.5 million in gifts “was earmarked in pledges and commitments for capital projects,” according to the school’s release . DeLuca said the huge increase in giving had a lot to do with the school’s move up to FBS in football, but that a rebranding strategy in fundraising also was a major factor. In February, the school rebranded its fundraising arm, formerly known as the UMass Athletic Association, into “The Minutemen Club,” to help simplify the giving process and give the organization a more recognizable name. “We had a bit of an identity crisis for the general public,” DeLuca said. “When it was just UMAA, it wasn’t complicated, but the message wasn’t clear that it was directly tied to athletics. When you say Minutemen Club, you know that.” Another strategy The Minutemen Club has used is increasing its emphasis on individual sport donations. Money donated to groups like Court Club for basketball and the 100 Yard Club for football is used for expenses within those individual sports, whereas general donations to The Minutemen Club are used to help pay for scholarships across the athletic department. “We’re really set up so people can support what they care about,” DeLuca said. “At the end of the day, people will donate to what they care about.” Donations came in from 946 new members, a 58 percent increase, according to UMass, and The Minutemen Club spent a lot of its energy this past year trying to reignite energy from previous donors who hadn’t contributed over the past few years, according to DeLuca. Those who hadn’t donated under The Minutemen Club’s new benefit structure were considered new members. The work is not over, however. The Minutemen Club expects to launch a new online giving program at the end of the fall, where donors can also manage their accounts. In addition, new programs aimed at current students are in the works. “We want to be engaging students, one way or another, so that when they leave here they feel good about being a part of a whole,” DeLuca said. “The beauty of this business is that on July 1, the clock hits zero and you just start again.”
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Another strategy The Minutemen Club has used is increasing its emphasis on individual sport donations. Money donated to groups like Court Club for basketball and the 100 Yard Club for football is used for expenses within those individual sports, whereas general donations to The Minutemen Club are used to help pay for scholarships across the athletic department. http://www.masslive.com/umass/index.ssf/2012/07/umass_sets_records_for_fundrai.html July 4, 2012
Transcript of UMass Sets Records for Fundraising in Fiscal Year 2012
Sam the Minuteman and Charley Molnar w ill be happy to know that UMass broke a fundraising record in f iscal year 2012.
http://w w w .masslive.com/umass/index.ssf/2012/07/umass_sets_records_for_fundrai.html July 4, 2012
UMass sets records for fundraising in fiscal year 2012AP fileAMHERST — The University of Masachusetts hasreversed an ugly six-year trend in record-breakingfashion.
UMass announced its fundraising numbers from the2012 fiscal year on Monday, reporting that the schooltook in $3.2 million in gifts, including $1.7 million inmonetary gifts, a record amount of actual cash for thedepartment.
“We are starting back upward,” said Rocko DeLuca,UMass associate athletic director for development.“We had been in a bit of a decline since 2005.”
The $1.7 million in monetary gifts was a 112 percentincrease over fiscal year 2011 (indicating thedepartment received just under $802,000 last year).The remaining $1.5 million in gifts “was earmarked inpledges and commitments for capital projects,”according to the school’s release.
DeLuca said thehuge increase ingiving had a lotto do with the school’s move up to FBS in football, but that a rebranding strategy in fundraising also was a major factor.
In February, the school rebranded its fundraising arm, formerly known as the UMass Athletic Association, into “TheMinutemen Club,” to help simplify the giving process and give the organization a more recognizable name.
“We had a bit of an identity crisis for the general public,” DeLuca said. “When it was just UMAA, it wasn’t complicated, butthe message wasn’t clear that it was directly tied to athletics. When you say Minutemen Club, you know that.”
Another strategy The Minutemen Club has used is increasing its emphasis on individual sport donations. Money donatedto groups like Court Club for basketball and the 100 Yard Club for football is used for expenses within those individualsports, whereas general donations to The Minutemen Club are used to help pay for scholarships across the athleticdepartment.
“We’re really set up so people can support what they care about,” DeLuca said. “At the end of the day, people will donateto what they care about.”
Donations came in from 946 new members, a 58 percent increase, according to UMass, and The Minutemen Club spent alot of its energy this past year trying to reignite energy from previous donors who hadn’t contributed over the past fewyears, according to DeLuca. Those who hadn’t donated under The Minutemen Club’s new benefit structure wereconsidered new members.
The work is not over, however. The Minutemen Club expects to launch a new online giving program at the end of the fall,where donors can also manage their accounts.
In addition, new programs aimed at current students are in the works.
“We want to be engaging students, one way or another, so that when they leave here they feel good about being a part of awhole,” DeLuca said. “The beauty of this business is that on July 1, the clock hits zero and you just start again.”
