The Office of Advancement will sell seats and bricks to raise money for the new football and soccer stadiums.
So far, donors have committed $19.7 million, $10.3 million short of the $30 million goal, advancement officials said.
“The fundraising campaign related to the athletic stadia is designed to create awareness of opportunities and needs surrounding the track, soccer and football facilities, seek support from the university’s alumni, students and friends, and, ultimately, raise money to be used for building the facilities,” said Jim Orr, vice president for advancement.
Last summer, the office sent letters to alumni and friends of the university describing the science and stadium projects, said Rendi Hahn, advancement campaign coordinator.
“The stadium piece offered the opportunity to sponsor stadium seats, with prices ranging from $500 a seat on the east side of the stadium to $5,000 a seat for premium club seating on the west side,” Hahn said.
Hahn is in charge of carrying out the fundraising project.
“All campaigns happen in phases, especially large capital projects, and typically the fundraising is done in phases as well,” she said. “The initial focus is to solicit major gifts to the project, followed by broader appeals.”
Hahn said the office wants to reach and include as many people as possible.
“Using a phased approach gives everyone a chance to participate in the project,” Hahn said.
In the past, fundraising projects have been organized to raise money for building projects on campus in addition to donations.
“When the Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center was being built, we did major gift fundraising first, then did a give-by-text campaign toward the end that gave students and alumni the chance to participate,” Hahn said.
The idea to sell stadium seats is similar to the fundraiser that was conducted for Moody Coliseum.
“Another example would be when Moody Coliseum was being renovated in the late ’70s,” Hahn said. “Donors sponsored seats and sections in Moody; you can still see seat plaques on the arms of some of the lower seats, and the section names are visible from the floor, mostly around the entrances.”
Hahn said they plan to move into the second phase this summer.
“We are currently in the planning process for the next phase in late summer/early fall of 2015,” she said. “It will be a robust, comprehensive solicitation for the stadium using mail, email, video and social media, and it will include significant and varied opportunities for donor recognition.”
All funds will go toward the construction of the football, soccer and track stadiums as part of the Vision in Action initiative.
