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California Boosters

Sexton Hardcastle

Sexton Hardcastle

Club Member
**I'm not trying to call out anyone here. So please don't get butthurt and start trashing me.**

I know our Cali alumni base is really strong in numbers, but I still don't see much action from them as a whole (or Colorado's own boosters) when its coming to supporting the program. Even before everyone soured on Hawkins and the program, we could barely even financially support a bubble. I think they recently paid it off, but isn't that pathetic? We still haven't fully funded the basketball/vball practice facility going up in the spring. I really don't see many people arguing with me on how great our boosters are.

I understand that they are a very, very important factor to Colorado, and they can really turn this program around pretty much single handedly. So where are they at? Am I understanding that only if we move to the Pac10 they'll actually come alive? There are alot of folks out there who are saying this move will be the cure for our programs. Maybe, but I just don't see how all of this money will be a given once we move.

I hope I'm proven wrong.

Go Buffs.
 
The Cali booster situation is pathetic, but to be frank the effort to get anything out of California by CU or the foundation has been equally pathetic.

CU basically sits there and hopes that out of state alumni will pick up the phone one day and decide to give the school a bunch of money. They dont call, they dont have potential donner lists, they dont organize events out here, the alumin association doesnt work with the foundation. There is basically nothing out here, and never has been. You cant jsut sit at home waiting for a hot girl to call and that is basically what the Alumni association and the foundation have done with California.
 
absinthe said:
The Cali booster situation is pathetic, but to be frank the effort to get anything out of California by CU or the foundation has been equally pathetic.

CU basically sits there and hopes that out of state alumni will pick up the phone one day and decide to give the school a bunch of money. They dont call, they dont have potential donner lists, they dont organize events out here, the alumin association doesnt work with the foundation. There is basically nothing out here, and never has been. You cant jsut sit at home waiting for a hot girl to call and that is basically what the Alumni association and the foundation have done with California.
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:wow:

That's a different view I didn't think about. I always thought the ADept was banging down the doors of our Cali Alumni Groups.
 
absinthe said:
The Cali booster situation is pathetic, but to be frank the effort to get anything out of California by CU or the foundation has been equally pathetic.

CU basically sits there and hopes that out of state alumni will pick up the phone one day and decide to give the school a bunch of money. They dont call, they dont have potential donner lists, they dont organize events out here, the alumin association doesnt work with the foundation. There is basically nothing out here, and never has been. You cant jsut sit at home waiting for a hot girl to call and that is basically what the Alumni association and the foundation have done with California.
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This is an enlightening and frightening post. I am not an alumnus and live and CO so I don't have a real good feel for the situation but imagine this is dead on.

From what I heard the head of the Alumni Association does not care about Football and athletics in general. Therefore there is very little engagement and rallying around athletic events. I know the postition is currently being changed and there is an active search for a successor.

CU, particularly the AD, needs to find a way to engage and motivate its alumni base. 67% OF BUFF CLUB MEMBERS ARE NON-ALUMNI.
 
Buttermaker said:
I am not an alumnus and live and CO so I don't have a real good feel for the situation but imagine this is dead on.
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I'm am not an alumnus and that's why I am asking. I know there are a lot of folks 'in the know' on AllBuffs.

In no way is this a shot at anyone. I've been to practices in Boulder and have talked to some people here and there, and the feeling I always came away with is the boosters don't back their talk. In Cali and in Colorado. But it looks like it goes both ways. The AD needs to step up.

Are the relationships broken beyond repair with our current AD and the Cali Boosters?

Buttermaker said:
CU, particularly the AD, needs to find a way to engage and motivate its alumni base. 67% OF BUFF CLUB MEMBERS ARE NON-ALUMNI.
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Wow. 67%?
 
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For what it's worth, as a Colorado (in-state) Alumn....I've had the CU money grubbers calling my phone every night for a week asking for $$$ :smile2:
 
My dad is a cu grad and decided to stop giving any money to Colorado after they pulled my sister's in state status in her final year after she broke her back. She had to drop out of school mid semester and received financial assistance from my parents while she recovered as she obviously could not work as she couldn't move. When she was well enough to return to finish her degree, she had her instate tuition yanked. Pretty ****ing lame if you ask me. Now his money goes to Stanford.

But that's just one story.... I see where you are coming from.
 
Daaah said:
My dad is a cu grad and decided to stop giving any money to Colorado after they pulled my sister's in state status in her final year after she broke her back. She had to drop out of school mid semester and received financial assistance from my parents while she recovered as she obviously could not work as she couldn't move. When she was well enough to return to finish her degree, she had her instate tuition yanked. Pretty ****ing lame if you ask me. Now his money goes to Stanford.

But that's just one story.... I see where you are coming from.
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That's really lame. I doubt anyone can blame your pops for pulling his cash.
 
fwiw, CU's donation levels, across the board and regardless of location, are not where they should be. there are lots of reasons for that, but let's all agree that a better job of fund-raising needs to be done and a bigger commitment from everyone needs to be made.

with that said, it is my understanding that a handful of our very biggest boosters reside in california (and i do mean at or near the top). roughly every year, there is a special event in palm desert called "CU in the Desert"... bohn, benson, and hawk are usually there. it is a big deal. it is my understanding that this event (which i've been invited to the last few years) is held out there because that's where a couple really big boosters live.

there are tens of thousands of CU alums in california and they are typically giving at modest levels. they are also, as a whole, highly educated and highly compensated (relative to the national averages). what this means is that there is potential here, to go along with the fact that several big, big time guys already are here and donating.

no one ever said potential = certainty of success. the point is, and always has been, that you work with a set of facts and you try to act in a way that puts you in the best position for long term success. our largest alum base BY FAR outside of colorado is in california. if you add up the p10 territory alums, you get a very large number. i would wager that it is larger, by far, than the alums in the b12 footprint.

this means there is potential, not a guarantee.

we've debated, ad nauseum, the pros and cons of a move. but, i have a very hard time understanding how CU's current ineffectiveness to completely tap a huge base of potential donors somehow indicates that, if the situation is made easier for said base, there will be little or no improvement. that's an odd argument. if CU plays games here, and is televised here, and is covered by the press here, etc., it will help. it is a lot easier to do fundraising events around games that are being played in the market than it is to fly the CUAD leadership and coaches out to palm desert in february, once a year.
 
Rraalph 3000 said:
For what it's worth, as a Colorado (in-state) Alumn....I've had the CU money grubbers calling my phone every night for a week asking for $$$ :smile2:
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Huge common misconception the money grubbers calling you are from the School of CU NOT the AD and not one dime of that cash goes to help make CU athletics one iota more competitive. What is even worse is that the people at the Alumni association and the School, as well as the graduate schools absolutely refuse to share their names and donner lists with the AD. So while you may think you have some say in athetics because you donate to CU chances are they have no idea who you are and never will.
 
Liver said:
with that said, it is my understanding that a handful of our very biggest boosters reside in california (and i do mean at or near the top). roughly every year, there is a special event in palm desert called "CU in the Desert"... bohn, benson, and hawk are usually there. it is a big deal. it is my understanding that this event (which i've been invited to the last few years) is held out there because that's where a couple really big boosters live. .

we've debated, ad nauseum, the pros and cons of a move. but, i have a very hard time understanding how CU's current ineffectiveness to completely tap a huge base of potential donors somehow indicates that, if the situation is made easier for said base, there will be little or no improvement. that's an odd argument. if CU plays games here, and is televised here, and is covered by the press here, etc., it will help. it is a lot easier to do fundraising events around games that are being played in the market than it is to fly the CUAD leadership and coaches out to palm desert in february, once a year.
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Is the relationship with the current AD and CA Boosters totally gone? I can't imagine why CU wouldn't be in constant contact with boosters like yourself.
 
Liver - I believe you are correct. It is very much the "out of sight, out of mind" principle for California/West Coast alumni. If games are played there, media coverage dedicated, etc., alumni will feel a connection and there is a greater probability they will open their checkbooks.

I really believe this is the biggest issue when CU considers the move. I think that the Big 12, threatened with the departure of CU, MU, UT, will scramble to put a some kind of deal together that will rival a Pac 12 TV deal. So with the conference money being relatively equal (theoretically), the financial benefits will need to come from better contact with the alumni base, better admin. and faculty buy in because of the association with schools like Cal, Stanford, etc.
 
valdezj said:
Is the relationship with the current AD and CA Boosters totally gone? I can't imagine why CU wouldn't be in constant contact with boosters like yourself.
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to be completely forthright, valdez, i am not a big booster, especially compared to the guys in the desert and some of the guys who post here. i think i am probably just at the level where i get invited to that thing. i can't speak for the big boys.

i think there is untapped potential here. being in the p10 would put the program in the minds of the alums more regularly. and, winning would help tons too, of course.
 
absinthe said:
You want a scarier number? under 200 Buffclub members in SoCal, near100% of which came to CU to give, almost none were recruited.
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yes, i can speak to this point personally. when i joined the buffclub a few years ago, i sent in my money (no one asked--- i just did it) and i heard nothing. nothing. they cashed the check and then total silence. no thank you or anything. so, i got a little pissed and i emailed some folks and then i got a few personal calls and some shirts in the mail as an apology. i didn't really want an apology. all i wanted was some kind of a written response acknowledging receipt. things have improved since then, but this illustrates how things can go wrong, i think. i think bohn has improved things a lot on this front.
 
Liver said:
yes, i can speak to this point personally. when i joined the buffclub a few years ago, i sent in my money (no one asked--- i just did it) and i heard nothing. nothing. they cashed the check and then total silence. no thank you or anything. so, i got a little pissed and i emailed some folks and then i got a few personal calls and some shirts in the mail as an apology. i didn't really want an apology. all i wanted was some kind of a written response acknowledging receipt. things have improved since then, but this illustrates how things can go wrong, i think. i think bohn has improved things a lot on this front.
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This is markedly similar to my experience, but i will say say that recently (past 3 months) things have really improved. I am likely in no where near the donner group you are in, but over the past three months I have received a several contacts and meeting with the foundation about ways in which i could help them out beyond pure financial contributions. THings at the foundation are really improving or at least they are trying to improve them finally.
 
Liver said:
yes, i can speak to this point personally. when i joined the buffclub a few years ago, i sent in my money (no one asked--- i just did it) and i heard nothing. nothing. they cashed the check and then total silence. no thank you or anything. so, i got a little pissed and i emailed some folks and then i got a few personal calls and some shirts in the mail as an apology. i didn't really want an apology. all i wanted was some kind of a written response acknowledging receipt. things have improved since then, but this illustrates how things can go wrong, i think. i think bohn has improved things a lot on this front.
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CU is awful in this respect. I don't know if it that they don't have the money, don't have the people, don't have the infrastructure / database capability but this is an all too representative example. Here are two examples I know of first hand:

1) Asked the AD for a copy of the different benefits for different donor levels IN ADDITION to the one online, which is incomplete. I was told that they were in the process of creating the new one and it would be ready in a MONTH. I said I can't wait that long, can you e-mail me an electronic version of last years so I have something to work with. 3 WEEKS go by, I get an e-mail apologizing for the lack of response but it took time to find the electronic copy. I was e-mailed exactly what was online. Apparently the AD does not have access to a scanner.

2) Know of a donor that gave a good amount to CU, wife's alma mater and MBA alma mater. Gave CU quadruple the amount of money and received nothing but a puzzle piece in the mail signed by Barney and an envelope asking for more $$$. No call, no acknowlegement and then was told could not get Big 12 championship game tickets. Meanwhile, wife's alma mater called, sent T-shirts and offered complimentary ticks to multiple events. MBA alma mater, invited on private facilities tour and season tickets to sport of choice.

CU has a long way to go.
 
It was actually UCLA. This was around 8 years ago and a lot could have changed with the two depts. However, I have been very underwhelmed with CU's attitude towards people that give them money, lots of money in some cases. I feel that some their people should take some basic sales training or something.
 
good lord. I just went to look and their website has Colorado misspelled on the first line. I know it is a nit but really? come on guys.
 
Perhaps a list could be made up of the AD's / Schools shortcomings in the areas that have been mentioned here. Then sent to Bohn. If he's as serious about trying to improve things as he says he is, then he needs to be hearing and listening to people like us. Not that he will, but just a thought.
 
superdeluxe said:
I am assuming that if you are getting on California Boosters for not paying enough $$$$ that you are donating a nice amount?
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Based on my income, I believe I give a decent amount to the AD. Not including season tix. It's probably not enough to warrant a phone call from anyone important from the AD. But donating what I can makes me feel like I do my part. I am mainly talking about our big time boosters.

I know there are some Cali Boosters who do donate there time and cash to the U. I just wish we had more of them. Sorry if I offended you.
 
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Let's be honest, for some reason the University of Colorado has to be one of the least intra-collaborative institutions in the world. No one talks to each other, no one cooperates. When they do, they do a ****ty job of communicating and cooperating. Everyone is segmented and divided and off in their own little bunker. I'm talking cooperation between campuses, cooperation between departments, and cooperation between units. It's not just an academics v. athletics divide either; I mean it seems like even departments on campus that should get along really well don't work together. Unfortunately, I don't know what the solution is, but I think that this really deep seeded issue is the problem. Worrying about address lists or whether the head of a department is pro- or anti- athletics is ignoring the root of it all. There needs to be a system wide commitment to cooperation and collaboration before a lot of the things we hate are going to be fixed or even addressed.
 
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