Will this loosen up the donors

[BelgradeBobcat]

First of all-I do what I can, but all my money is tied up in food and heat...so far be it for me to say-"come on guys-get out your checkbooks!"

A three game winning streak against the griz!! After washy griz stadium was built I never thought I'd ever see that again. And frankly, right now, despite our mini-streak, they have a huge advantage in the facilities arms race. I believe that history has shown that the school with the better facilities usually wins in this rivalry.

These are interesting times. MSU has become far bigger than um. And MSU, for years, has attracted the best and brightest in Montana. When those grads go out and make their fortune will they remember their alma mater?

We got a $25 million business school donated. We're about to open a $50 million engineering building that was donated. We are set to start construction on a $20 million native american center. Bozeman is booming. There's slated to be $1 Billion in construction up at Big Sky! But all of that is out-of-state dollars that don't give a rip about MSU athletics.

As I see it, if we don't make a splash on the facilities scene very soon, we're gonna lose this momentum really quick. Will this win help MSU get it done???

[gtapp]

I hope so but I am not optomostic. It is hard to raise money at MSU and the money needed is not just for football. It seems like such a large amount to overcome. MSU is a great academic school and therefore receives a lot of academic $$. That is wonderful but raising money for MSU Athletics is not as easy!

[AFCAT]

I donate money every month to the facilities plan and I intend on making a larger donation at the end of the year. You don't have to give millions to make a difference.

[CatsNoMatterWhat]

I donate money every month to the facilities plan and I intend on making a larger donation at the end of the year. You don't have to give millions to make a difference.

I think this is very intelligent. If everybody does a little it adds up to a lot. Cat stadium can hold 22,000. If each of those people, over the course of a year, donated $100 that's 2.2 million. A year. That equates to $8.30 a month. While going after whales, this is the kind of fund raising drive Leon needs to engage in.

[91catAlum]

It certainly will help. Winning seasons help. Beating the griz always helps. And going to the playoffs will help too. (Not to mention MSU makes additional cash from hosting a playoff game).

[Catfanatic84]

Hope this pushes the schedule up on Phase 1....I'd like to see construction cranes over the north end zone next summer. Anyone know the timeline for ground breaking?

[bobcatbob]

Hope this pushes the schedule up on Phase 1....I'd like to see construction cranes over the north end zone next summer. Anyone know the timeline for ground breaking?

Yes, we need to get construction started. Not having this will eventually be a detriment to our recruiting. I would like to start seeing a pr campaign to get small donors on board. It frustrates me that we continue not to hear anything about where we are with this project. It's time to start generating some excitement!!

[Hawks86]

Speaking of supporting MSU Athletics, in October we publicly announced a $2 million anonymous gift towards Phase One of our Athletics Facilities Master Plan. I want to thank everyone who has supported the vision of helping to develop MSU student-athletes athletically and academically by donating to the project. A very special thank you goes out to the anonymous donors for pushing us closer to our goal of $16 million to complete Phase One. This remains a top priority for Bobcat Athletics and the work to secure more funds continues. To donate today or find out more information about Phase One, click here https://msubobcats.com/sb_output.aspx?form=119.

https://msubobcats.com/news/2018/11/15/ ... ition.aspx

[AFCAT]

Hope this pushes the schedule up on Phase 1....I'd like to see construction cranes over the north end zone next summer. Anyone know the timeline for ground breaking?

Yes, we need to get construction started. Not having this will eventually be a detriment to our recruiting. I would like to start seeing a pr campaign to get small donors on board. It frustrates me that we continue not to hear anything about where we are with this project. It's time to start generating some excitement!!

You can donate by calling or emailing the Alumni Foundation. Check my signature block for more information.

[bobcatbob]

Hope this pushes the schedule up on Phase 1....I'd like to see construction cranes over the north end zone next summer. Anyone know the timeline for ground breaking?

Yes, we need to get construction started. Not having this will eventually be a detriment to our recruiting. I would like to start seeing a pr campaign to get small donors on board. It frustrates me that we continue not to hear anything about where we are with this project. It's time to start generating some excitement!!

You can donate by calling or emailing the Alumni Foundation. Check my signature block for more information.

AFCAT, you have been great in trying to get people on board. But, MSU Athletics should be out soliciting people on social media and thru emails on an ongoing basis. Also, they should be working with the media doing interviews about this project. Also, there should be constant updates on where we are in relation to the goal for all to see. They need to create excitement!!

[Catfanatic84]

I give every year at bonus time...I wish I could write a check for a few million to get this thing moving!

[ilovethecats]

I think it’s moving along better than most think...

[AFCAT]

Hope this pushes the schedule up on Phase 1....I'd like to see construction cranes over the north end zone next summer. Anyone know the timeline for ground breaking?

Yes, we need to get construction started. Not having this will eventually be a detriment to our recruiting. I would like to start seeing a pr campaign to get small donors on board. It frustrates me that we continue not to hear anything about where we are with this project. It's time to start generating some excitement!!

You can donate by calling or emailing the Alumni Foundation. Check my signature block for more information.

AFCAT, you have been great in trying to get people on board. But, MSU Athletics should be out soliciting people on social media and thru emails on an ongoing basis. Also, they should be working with the media doing interviews about this project. Also, there should be constant updates on where we are in relation to the goal for all to see. They need to create excitement!!

I totally agree with you. MSU and the alumni foundation are absolutely horrible at soliciting smaller donations for this plan from fans and alumni. I actually called MSU and e-mailed them twice this week with an offer to pay for and donate ten free playoff game tickets to students. I wasn't at all surprised when I didn't hear back from them. I continue to donate to the facilities program despite the universities failure to be proactive on this fundraising effort. I want to see this plan come to fruition and I'm not willing to wait for them to get off their butts to make it happen.

[Catsrgrood]

I think it’s moving along better than most think...

I hope so, but I think that’s where most of the frustration is coming from, the general public just doesn’t know. People just want updates and to know just how close (or far) they are from starting phase 1.

Generally speaking, I think the average fan is going to be more apt to throw $100, $500, $1000 at the project if they know that the fundraising is already 75-80% there.
If the fundraising is only something like 20% there, it’s more of a daunting number to hit, and I would imagine people aren’t going to be lining up to give $100 when the number to hit is still $10 million away. Although it all counts the same, it just seems like that small donation didn’t do anything.

I don’t think that this is anything new, and maybe I’m reading into it too much, but the fact that we aren’t hearing much makes me think we’re further away than one would hope.

[ElbowCat]

I think it’s moving along better than most think...

I hope so, but I think that’s where most of the frustration is coming from, the general public just doesn’t know. People just want updates and to know just how close (or far) they are from starting phase 1.

Generally speaking, I think the average fan is going to be more apt to throw $100, $500, $1000 at the project if they know that the fundraising is already 75-80% there.
If the fundraising is only something like 20% there, it’s more of a daunting number to hit, and I would imagine people aren’t going to be lining up to give $100 when the number to hit is still $10 million away. Although it all counts the same, it just seems like that small donation didn’t do anything.

I don’t think that this is anything new, and maybe I’m reading into it too much, but the fact that we aren’t hearing much makes me think we’re further away than one would hope.

My understanding is that we still have a ways to go, as in we're not yet half way there but closing in on that. That was from someone involved with the fundraising.

[Cataholic]

We have to get away from todays instant gratification mentality. It will take time to reach our goal. My recollection is that we still haven’t paid off the new end zone structure. When that happens, we will have additional bonding ability for financing. That all takes time. In the meantime, MSU slowly chips away at the amont needed to finance.

Some of you are disappointed with the fundraising effort, but I get an email at least every two weeks about happenings at MSU. They definitely encourage contributions, but quite honestly, any more solicitation (such as phone calls) could be perceived negatively. How many of you honestly want another phone solicitation?

Also, a number of MSU related organizations are soliciting money from the same people. The Alumni foundation, the school of business, the Quarterback Club, Bobcat Club, etc. It has to be a careful balance where you don’t solicit so much for the new construction that donations to the Bobcat Club go down. This is especially relevant to the smaller donors who might have less disposable income.

I am confident in our leadership at the athletic department. Very well thought out with a long term plan.

Somebody pointed out to me the other day that U of M’s enrollment is actually closer to Tech’s enrollment than MSU’s enrollment. Not sure if that is completely accurate, but how crazy is that perception! We are headed in the right direction. Let’s stay the road and more great things are in store. Just look at the Improvements on the MSU campus and compare to Missoula. It is truly a major success story!

[bobcatbob]

We have to get away from todays instant gratification mentality. It will take time to reach our goal. My recollection is that we still haven’t paid off the new end zone structure. When that happens, we will have additional bonding ability for financing. That all takes time. In the meantime, MSU slowly chips away at the amont needed to finance.

Some of you are disappointed with the fundraising effort, but I get an email at least every two weeks about happenings at MSU. They definitely encourage contributions, but quite honestly, any more solicitation (such as phone calls) could be perceived negatively. How many of you honestly want another phone solicitation?

Also, a number of MSU related organizations are soliciting money from the same people. The Alumni foundation, the school of business, the Quarterback Club, Bobcat Club, etc. It has to be a careful balance where you don’t solicit so much for the new construction that donations to the Bobcat Club go down. This is especially relevant to the smaller donors who might have less disposable income.

I am confident in our leadership at the athletic department. Very well thought out with a long term plan.

Somebody pointed out to me the other day that U of M’s enrollment is actually closer to Tech’s enrollment than MSU’s enrollment. Not sure if that is completely accurate, but how crazy is that perception! We are headed in the right direction. Let’s stay the road and more great things are in store. Just look at the Improvements on the MSU campus and compare to Missoula. It is truly a major success story!

Catabolic, people would just like to know where we stand so we can help. Yes, the plan is good. Yes, we get solicited by other MSU entities. But, I for one would like to see we are with this effort so as to gauge my contributions.

[AFCAT]

Hope this pushes the schedule up on Phase 1....I'd like to see construction cranes over the north end zone next summer. Anyone know the timeline for ground breaking?

Yes, we need to get construction started. Not having this will eventually be a detriment to our recruiting. I would like to start seeing a pr campaign to get small donors on board. It frustrates me that we continue not to hear anything about where we are with this project. It's time to start generating some excitement!!

You can donate by calling or emailing the Alumni Foundation. Check my signature block for more information.

AFCAT, you have been great in trying to get people on board. But, MSU Athletics should be out soliciting people on social media and thru emails on an ongoing basis. Also, they should be working with the media doing interviews about this project. Also, there should be constant updates on where we are in relation to the goal for all to see. They need to create excitement!!

I totally agree with you. MSU and the alumni foundation are absolutely horrible at soliciting smaller donations for this plan from fans and alumni. I actually called MSU and e-mailed them twice this week with an offer to pay for and donate ten free playoff game tickets to students. I wasn't at all surprised when I didn't hear back from them. I continue to donate to the facilities program despite the universities failure to be proactive on this fundraising effort. I want to see this plan come to fruition and I'm not willing to wait for them to get off their butts to make it happen.

One other thing I want to mention. It's actually easier to donate to the Spirit Squad, the Golf Team, or any other athletic fundraising effort on campus than it currently is to donate to the facilities plan. All you have to do to donate to other athletic fundraising endeavors is to go to the MSU Donations page and specify where you want your money to go. However, if you want to donate specifically to the facilities plan, you must contact the Alumni Foundation, wait for them to return your call or e-mail, and ask them for a fund number for the facilities plan. Then, you go to the donations page, click on the other box, on the next page you have add in the remarks section the facilities plan fund number you got from the Alumni foundation. Finally, you put down the amount of money you want to donate. I started asking the Alumni foundation last January to streamline the process by adding a Facilities plan check box to the donations page, just like the Spirit Squad or Golf team, but they have yet to do that. If you go to UM donations page, they have all their fundraising projects listed for donations.

[60's Cat]

Hope this pushes the schedule up on Phase 1....I'd like to see construction cranes over the north end zone next summer. Anyone know the timeline for ground breaking?

Yes, we need to get construction started. Not having this will eventually be a detriment to our recruiting. I would like to start seeing a pr campaign to get small donors on board. It frustrates me that we continue not to hear anything about where we are with this project. It's time to start generating some excitement!!

I wonder if Waded is aware of this snafu?

You can donate by calling or emailing the Alumni Foundation. Check my signature block for more information.

AFCAT, you have been great in trying to get people on board. But, MSU Athletics should be out soliciting people on social media and thru emails on an ongoing basis. Also, they should be working with the media doing interviews about this project. Also, there should be constant updates on where we are in relation to the goal for all to see. They need to create excitement!!

I totally agree with you. MSU and the alumni foundation are absolutely horrible at soliciting smaller donations for this plan from fans and alumni. I actually called MSU and e-mailed them twice this week with an offer to pay for and donate ten free playoff game tickets to students. I wasn't at all surprised when I didn't hear back from them. I continue to donate to the facilities program despite the universities failure to be proactive on this fundraising effort. I want to see this plan come to fruition and I'm not willing to wait for them to get off their butts to make it happen.

One other thing I want to mention. It's actually easier to donate to the Spirit Squad, the Golf Team, or any other athletic fundraising effort on campus than it currently is to donate to the facilities plan. All you have to do to donate to other athletic fundraising endeavors is to go to the MSU Donations page and specify where you want your money to go. However, if you want to donate specifically to the facilities plan, you must contact the Alumni Foundation, wait for them to return your call or e-mail, and ask them for a fund number for the facilities plan. Then, you go to the donations page, click on the other box, on the next page you have add in the remarks section the facilities plan fund number you got from the Alumni foundation. Finally, you put down the amount of money you want to donate. I started asking the Alumni foundation last January to streamline the process by adding a Facilities plan check box to the donations page, just like the Spirit Squad or Golf team, but they have yet to do that. If you go to UM donations page, they have all their fundraising projects listed for donations.

[gtapp]

I donate money every month to the facilities plan and I intend on making a larger donation at the end of the year. You don't have to give millions to make a difference.

I think this is very intelligent. If everybody does a little it adds up to a lot. Cat stadium can hold 22,000. If each of those people, over the course of a year, donated $100 that's 2.2 million. A year. That equates to $8.30 a month. While going after whales, this is the kind of fund raising drive Leon needs to engage in.

First you have to look at attendance not capacity. So 17K not 22K. Then you subtract students so you are down to about 10K. Then you subtract the people there for the event and not the game and maybe you are left with 8K. Maybe. You really need the big donors to make this work.