Your level of support for Mike Bohn

[ICE H2O]

Nice post Mike, err, ICE.

Arvada? Srsly? JeffCo's own little slice of New Joisey?

S'pose you just hated that decision to send the C-Unit to the Pac-12 tourney and the Dance? That alone got CU more rep than any other act since the GB non-scandal, but it was positive!. The FB locker room re-do? The Friday night home game parades? Boyle? (Remember how EVERYONE whined about how cheap that search was...whoever heard of some clown from UNC named Boyle?) Lappe as WBB coach? The Bubble? The BB practice facility? The CEC upgrades? The huge academic upticks? Mostly-positive Denver Media? (I've been around along time and seen some pretty shi#*y coverage in the past, notwithstanding scandals and idiots like the Kizla-midget)

So what would you do in MB's place? And w/o a Knight or Jamail ($250 million to UTejas) or that guy that wrote a $100 million check to Stanford for refurb of their pit of a stadium?

 

[Buffnik]

Arvada? Srsly? JeffCo's own little slice of New Joisey?

S'pose you just hated that decision to send the C-Unit to the Pac-12 tourney and the Dance? That alone got CU more rep than any other act since the GB non-scandal, but it was positive!. The FB locker room re-do? The Friday night home game parades? Boyle? (Remember how EVERYONE whined about how cheap that search was...whoever heard of some clown from UNC named Boyle?) Lappe as WBB coach? The Bubble? The BB practice facility? The CEC upgrades? The huge academic upticks? Mostly-positive Denver Media? (I've been around along time and seen some pretty shi#*y coverage in the past, notwithstanding scandals and idiots like the Kizla-midget)

So what would you do in MB's place? And w/o a Knight or Jamail ($250 million to UTejas) or that guy that wrote a $100 million check to Stanford for refurb of their pit of a stadium?

I'd lay out a detailed vision for the Athletic Department focused on winning. I'd set big goals. I'd lay out specifics on how to achieve those goals. I'd lay out priorities and what's needed to hit each milestone. I'd make it transparent to the entire CU community. I'd involve small donors in feeling part of getting there. Give people something to rally behind. Right now, if I gave the AD $100 or $1,000 or $10,000 or $100,000 or $1,000,000 I'd have no idea why I gave that money.

 

[ICE H2O]

One of my biggest frustrations with Bohn is that I haven't seen much progress toward creating a donor culture. The folks with million dollar donor potential are absolutely where Bohn has rightly tried to develop relationships. But I haven't seen any significant outreach to the folks who would gladly agree to handing over a credit card that the AD could hit for $10-$100 a month. You want a young alum to be get used to donating money, you have to set it up so that he/she has a level to donate at that is within his/her means. And you have to make sure that they feel that their giving is appreciated and they're receiving value for their money.

I would love the opportunity to implement that type of program. I know a few people on this message board who also have experience in this area and there's no doubt that we could make a huge impact in a short time. It's actually not that hard.

So what is stopping them and you? The lack of a "pat on the head?" Chicken or egg problem there: You won't give dough unless you're preened, but then, you're entitled to be preened BEFORE you give the dough? And even assuming you had a thousand folks willing to give a C-note a month, it still takes a year to build up even $1 miilion, yet you want improvement NOW while the Regents won't approve anything that isn't pre-funded (Remember Tharp's fiasco with the Club seats? Only reason he sold them was he forced sub-contractors to buy seats as a condition of getting the job! Ahhhh, the Chicago Way doesn't work well in Boulder!)

 

[DBT]

Arvada? Srsly? JeffCo's own little slice of New Joisey?

S'pose you just hated that decision to send the C-Unit to the Pac-12 tourney and the Dance? That alone got CU more rep than any other act since the GB non-scandal, but it was positive!. The FB locker room re-do? The Friday night home game parades? Boyle? (Remember how EVERYONE whined about how cheap that search was...whoever heard of some clown from UNC named Boyle?) Lappe as WBB coach? The Bubble? The BB practice facility? The CEC upgrades? The huge academic upticks? Mostly-positive Denver Media? (I've been around along time and seen some pretty shi#*y coverage in the past, notwithstanding scandals and idiots like the Kizla-midget)

So what would you do in MB's place? And w/o a Knight or Jamail ($250 million to UTejas) or that guy that wrote a $100 million check to Stanford for refurb of their pit of a stadium?

I give him a lot of credit for all of that. I don't know what it is for me. He just kind of wears thin on me. You know what? If he's bringing donors and donations into the program, and I know nothing about that, then fine. I have no facts, just perception. Is he doing as good or better than someone with more charisma could? I'm not sure. I do know he's a huge upgrade from our previous AD. However, sometimes change brings renewed energy. But you make good points ICE.

Oh, and West Arvada to you, pal! :finger2:

 

[Buffnik]

So what is stopping them and you? The lack of a "pat on the head?" Chicken or egg problem there: You won't give dough unless you're preened, but then, you're entitled to be preened BEFORE you give the dough? And even assuming you had a thousand folks willing to give a C-note a month, it still takes a year to build up even $1 miilion, yet you want improvement NOW while the Regents won't approve anything that isn't pre-funded (Remember Tharp's fiasco with the Club seats? Only reason he sold them was he forced sub-contractors to buy seats as a condition of getting the job! Ahhhh, the Chicago Way doesn't work well in Boulder!)

There have been 7 years to work on these things.

What's stopping me is that I don't know what is supposed to be built and haven't even been asked to contribute. Mid-level donors haven't even been contacted. It's not chicken and the egg. It's chicken. The chickens at CU are afraid to lay out a plan and make it public. The chickens at CU have to ask for our money.

Your post underlined the entire problem. You are coming from the wrong place. We're supposed to take the initiative and call up CU AD to ask them to take our money? Why? What are we buying? We don't know what the plan is. We don't know how our money is going to be used. The CU AD may be a non-profit organization, but it needs to approach things like a for-profit business. That means treating us like customers. If you haven't communicated a value proposition to your customers, you can't expect them to buy your product.

 

[Darian3Hagan]

Town smack!

Allsome!

 

[MtnBuff]

Fatty and Sacky hit on where the problem is.

It wouldn't matter who the AD is as long as Benson and Phil are calling the shots. The people at the top are not willing to do what is neccessary for this athletic program to grow to a level of competitiveness. From the outside it almost appears that they would prefer a lower profile athletic program. If Bohn were to leave these are the individuals who would drive the selection of his replacement, they are the ones who would set the direction and priorities in the future.

Would Bohn be the guy if we had an administration that supported and expected excellence, I have my doubts. He has had some successes. The choice of Tad was certainly the right one. He has run a program that runs in the black and outside of the totally crappy performance on the field the athletic program is in a better place that it has been for a long time in terms of community image.

Hiring Hawkins was a huge mistake but one that a lot of ADs would have made at the time, keeping him was a decision made by Benson and Phil. The Embree hire is still pending results before making a judgement but I don't have a problem with it in the context of where we were at the time.

In the context of the situation the biggest dissapointments are as Sacky mentioned the failure of a guy who is supposed to be a marketing and business guy to build the connections and results in terms of fans and donors. You can't tell me that he hasn't failed in terms of generating funding for facilities improvements. We are sitting by as other schools are upgrading stadiums, building practice facilities, building or improving athletic support facilities, and other highly visible advances.

I don't sense an enthusiasm from donors, I don't sense a sense on excitement or anticipation from any but the most rabid fans.

The future of this program lies directly on who replaces Benson and Phil in the near future. At that point we will know if we have an administration that is willing to be a participant in big time athletics and I would expect that if we have that Bohn's time may be limited in Boulder.

 

[Del]

@ICE - I think part of the frustration a lot of people have here is the fact that the upgrades we are currently looking at without a big donor won't do anything to improve the product on the field. Count me in as one of the people that think we should just get everything done at once and be done with it...i.e. stadium upgrade and indoor facility. If we don't have the funding for all of it, THAT'S OKAY, BUT if you have to choose between one or the other, build the damn practice facility and weight room. Recruits don't care about a new press box or expanded stadium. They want upgrades on stuff that they use, that will get them to the NFL. Better recruits => More Wins => Butts in seats => More revenue. Hell, Rice has a 70k football stadium but they can't even get the thing halfway full because the product on the field sucks. It doesn't do us anygood if we put 10k more seats in if we are selling $5 tickets on groupon.

 

[Buffnik]

[redacted]
In the context of the situation the biggest dissapointments are as Sacky mentioned the failure of a guy who is supposed to be a marketing and business guy to build the connections and results in terms of fans and donors. You can't tell me that he hasn't failed in terms of generating funding for facilities improvements. We are sitting by as other schools are upgrading stadiums, building practice facilities, building or improving athletic support facilities, and other highly visible advances.

[redacted]

The part I kept in is what I wanted to address.

ICE H2O has mentioned that we need a Pickens or Knight to make these things happen. If that was the case, the schools making major facilities improvements or with many more sports than the NCAA minimum would be few and far between. Except that isn't the case. CU is at the bottom of BCS conference ADs when it comes to our facilities and sports participation. And that's with higher than average annual revenues.

But the fault lies with the fans and with the fact that we haven't gotten pennies from heaven from a sugar daddy? Give me a ****ing break.

 

[CUFan]

There have been 7 years to work on these things.

What's stopping me is that I don't know what is supposed to be built and haven't even been asked to contribute. Mid-level donors haven't even been contacted. It's not chicken and the egg. It's chicken. The chickens at CU are afraid to lay out a plan and make it public. The chickens at CU have to ask for our money.

Your post underlined the entire problem. You are coming from the wrong place. We're supposed to take the initiative and call up CU AD to ask them to take our money? Why? What are we buying? We don't know what the plan is. We don't know how our money is going to be used. The CU AD may be a non-profit organization, but it needs to approach things like a for-profit business. That means treating us like customers. If you haven't communicated a value proposition to your customers, you can't expect them to buy your product.

Rep. It is actually not easy to donate to the football program. Furthermore, at this point you would have no idea where your money is going.

Every good company/organization has a road-map/vision for the future. You have to be proactive not reactive.

You have to give CSU some credit. They are telling everyone exactly what they want and how they plan to get there. Success or failure.

If you want people to rally and donate, then show them where their money will go. No one invests in a company/organization without some understanding of the future and growth plan (I guess unless you are buying FaceBook Stock).

P.S. Must spread rep Nik.

 

[Darth Snow]

I'm a two time CU graduate with a job. I have season tickets to 2 different sports. I've registered and attended multiple away events in the last few years. Yet I have not been contacted about funding anything other than the general fund. The CU AD knows where I live and what I do. I've contacted Mike Bohn multiple times and had some significant discussions with him (over email) about issues with the AD.

If we are talking about a transformational facilities deal, wouldn't it make sense to be contacting people like me to back up the big donors? Although I never will be rich, I'm the demographic from which the next Solich (or big level donors in general) are pretty likely to arise from.

yet... nothing. It's on me to find the CU AD.

 

[leftybuff]

'nik and CU Fan are right, as are fatty, sacky and Mtn. Dr. Phil and BB call the shots, MB is their yes man. They keep serving up the same half-assed commitment to athletics and expect people to pony up for fliet mignon money for a hamburger. I suspect I will be catching most games on the tube. I am adjusting my commitment level to the admins. Maybe that is a ****** attitude, but it is where I am at right now.

 

[Deleted member 807]

One of my biggest frustrations with Bohn is that I haven't seen much progress toward creating a donor culture. The folks with million dollar donor potential are absolutely where Bohn has rightly tried to develop relationships. But I haven't seen any significant outreach to the folks who would gladly agree to handing over a credit card that the AD could hit for $10-$100 a month. You want a young alum to be get used to donating money, you have to set it up so that he/she has a level to donate at that is within his/her means. And you have to make sure that they feel that their giving is appreciated and they're receiving value for their money.

I would love the opportunity to implement that type of program. I know a few people on this message board who also have experience in this area and there's no doubt that we could make a huge impact in a short time. It's actually not that hard.

The only people who really know who gives money and how much is given is the CU AD.

Can anyone venture an estimate of how much money is donated by the Allbuffs community?

Let's assume there are a dozen incestuous 35-year old posters who say the same opinions over and over.

Lets make a Plati-math inspired assumption that half of those are season ticket holders and average $200 seat donations. So as far as the CU AD is concerned, we at allbuffs have a value of $1200.

It would be cool to know how to quantify how much the Allbuffs community puts their money where there mouth is.

 

[tante]

is there any poster here who would not kick in a few bucks for a new sound system for Folsom? Hell I like nik's idea about a monthly amount automatically deducted. I'm sure a lot of poster here would kick in a minimum of $20 a month for a sound system. Get the general fan base to do the same and we get a new sound system in no time. Then we move on to the next project, say bigger and better tv's for the concourses. Reach out to the fan base with the specific goal and total amount needed. Yes there are some major renovations needed that extend beyond the means of a vast majority of the fan base but there are hundreds of smaller projects that can easily be completed with some help from our fans.

 

[Buffalo Brad]

So what is stopping them and you? The lack of a "pat on the head?" Chicken or egg problem there: You won't give dough unless you're preened, but then, you're entitled to be preened BEFORE you give the dough? And even assuming you had a thousand folks willing to give a C-note a month, it still takes a year to build up even $1 miilion, yet you want improvement NOW while the Regents won't approve anything that isn't pre-funded (Remember Tharp's fiasco with the Club seats? Only reason he sold them was he forced sub-contractors to buy seats as a condition of getting the job! Ahhhh, the Chicago Way doesn't work well in Boulder!)

Have you tried to become involved or provide input to the AD? What is your background for offering such "Sage" advice. You are coming off as a complete dick and I am not sure what your motive is. This board has a significant number os involved and dedicated fans that have done a lot of good PR and outreach for CU. You might want to try and get to know them a little more than calling them out and asking if they are waiting for a pat on the head. Quit being a dick and maybe take another tact.

 

[Buffnik]

is there any poster here who would not kick in a few bucks for a new sound system for Folsom? Hell I like nik's idea about a monthly amount automatically deducted. I'm sure a lot of poster here would kick in a minimum of $20 a month for a sound system. Get the general fan base to do the same and we get a new sound system in no time. Then we move on to the next project, say bigger and better tv's for the concourses. Reach out to the fan base with the specific goal and total amount needed. Yes there are some major renovations needed that extend beyond the means of a vast majority of the fan base but there are hundreds of smaller projects that can easily be completed with some help from our fans.

Great example. Low-level donors could easily knock out the sound system. It could have been done for this season. We could have paid for the rock art w/ the motivational messages by the practice field. We could have bought the new band uniforms. We could have paid for the student section to travel to LA and ABQ - in fact, we took it upon ourselves to send extra donations in order to support the effort and the AD had trouble figuring out how to take our money. We could buy flat screen TVs for Folsom in the concession areas. Etc., etc. But there's never a goal, never a plan, never something to get people enthusiastic about becoming involved.

 

[Buffalo Brad]

I'm a two time CU graduate with a job. I have season tickets to 2 different sports. I've registered and attended multiple away events in the last few years. Yet I have not been contacted about funding anything other than the general fund. The CU AD knows where I live and what I do. I've contacted Mike Bohn multiple times and had some significant discussions with him (over email) about issues with the AD.

If we are talking about a transformational facilities deal, wouldn't it make sense to be contacting people like me to back up the big donors? Although I never will be rich, I'm the demographic from which the next Solich (or big level donors in general) are pretty likely to arise from.

yet... nothing. It's on me to find the CU AD.

Exactly. I have had Season football tickets for more than 20 straight years after graduating. I added basketball season tickets. I attend at least 1 road game and attend the CU events at the away games (pre register with account number so they know), was on the board of the Denver Buff Club for more than 10 years, attend most of the Denver and Boulder based CU booster events, and have sent many emails and letters to MB, PD and Benson. I have never been called by anyone (except students from the business school) and asked for a contribution, invited to a donor meeting, provided and overview document of any kind showing the vision for the future of the program.

The CU AD does not even act like they have an interest in engaging with donors at all. It really is amazing the lack of effort put into this area. It would not take much money or effort to pull off and if done right, would pay huge dividends.

 

[tante]

Well said there. Who would we replace Bohn with?!? No one on this board has suggested names as far as I know. It's not like there is a Bill Moos waiting to take a job.

why is it up to us to find a candidate? It is not like they are going to start a poll here when it comes time to find a candidate. How about the AD from TCU or Boise State?

 

[Buffnik]

why is it up to us to find a candidate? It is not like they are going to start a poll here when it comes time to find a candidate. How about the AD from TCU or Boise State?

Worst case is that they just promote Ceal. I know she can run an organization successfully, I know she can deal with the media, I know she can interact well with boosters, and I know she's a winner who is competitive as hell. Probably the greatest AD CU has ever had, Bill Marolt, had been a coach. Maybe Ceal wouldn't be my first choice, but I certainly wouldn't see that as a disaster.

 

[fatbuff]

why is it up to us to find a candidate? It is not like they are going to start a poll here when it comes time to find a candidate. How about the AD from TCU or Boise State?

People seem to think that Bohn answers to the fans, instead of his real bosses. He is only able to carry out the direction of his superiors. He does not operate independently.

 

[Darian3Hagan]

Just because his bosses suck doesnt mean you cant be critical of Bohn.

 

[J.R. Ewing]

I'm a two time CU graduate with a job. I have season tickets to 2 different sports. I've registered and attended multiple away events in the last few years. Yet I have not been contacted about funding anything other than the general fund. The CU AD knows where I live and what I do. I've contacted Mike Bohn multiple times and had some significant discussions with him (over email) about issues with the AD.

If we are talking about a transformational facilities deal, wouldn't it make sense to be contacting people like me to back up the big donors? Although I never will be rich, I'm the demographic from which the next Solich (or big level donors in general) are pretty likely to arise from.

yet... nothing. It's on me to find the CU AD.

Being a non-resident, I don't follow CU politics like you guys do. Is it possible that the CU AD has been instructed not to contact potential donors like Snow because it might divert donations aware from the General Fund?

 

[leftybuff]

Worst case is that they just promote Ceal. I know she can run an organization successfully, I know she can deal with the media, I know she can interact well with boosters, and I know she's a winner who is competitive as hell. Probably the greatest AD CU has ever had, Bill Marolt, had been a coach. Maybe Ceal wouldn't be my first choice, but I certainly wouldn't see that as a disaster.

Didn't she rat out the training table violation?

 

[Buffnik]

Didn't she rat out the training table violation?

She did. I don't see that as a negative. It speaks to her integrity. If the NCAA had discovered it without the self-report, penalties would have been infinitely worse.

 

[MtnBuff]

The situation regarding building support with the donors is frustrating and the Allbuffs community is just a very good example of it.

I know as a fact that there are a number of posters here who are season ticket holders in the premium seating areas. We aren't talking about the $120 a season seats, we are talking about the seats that by the time you add in the donation are $120 a game. Truth is though that for a long-term successful athletic program relationships need to be fostered from the long-time season ticket holder in the premium seating to the 26 year old (I realize everyone here is 35 except DBT and I but go with me on this one) who gets to one or two games a year.

We can talk about sugar daddies, giant donors, but those people are few and far between. We will take all the million dollar donations we can get but there is a bigger likelyhood each year of generating five donors of $100,000 and another ten who give $50,000. I don't know how many people we have on Allbuffs who would fall into one of these catagories but I would be willing to be we have one or two. We do have a group of people who are very dedicated to the Buffs and this would be a logical source of donors.

As importantly this is a community of people who are for the most part above average in terms of education and future income potentials. We have people with professional degrees, we have people who are entreprenuers, and all have a demonstrated interest in the program.

If the AD made a serious outreach to the people in this community I would be shocked if they didn't find a number of new donations of at least $1,000 and some of much more. Beyond that even to develop donations of say $100 from some of the younger people here would be significant. We aren't in a position as an AD to turn down any potential funds but more importantly your major donors 10 years from now or 20 years from now are likely to be the people who you developed now with those $100 or $50 donations. You make them feel like they are a part of something and appreciated and as their resources grow the donations grow as well.

The impression I get from this thread and many others over time here is that the AD is definitely not doing this work which is not only bad for now but bodes worse for the future. To the contrary I almost sense that the attitude of the AD at times is that they are doing us a favor by putting up with us peon fans, not just Allbuffs but in general.

 

[CUFan]

I am not trying to pile on here, but fundraising is all about contact with alumni and other interested parties. My high school contacts me as much as every week or so (via email and phone) to give updates on the school and athletics, in addition to asking for donations. They make sure that when I am writing checks it is difficult for me not to think about them.

When it comes to fundraising, no donation is too small. A significant portion of the athletic department budget should be devoted to fundraising, both for projects and ongoing operations. This type of constant contact with alumni and interested parties works.

This last paragraph leads into HouBuffs comment. I have no direct knowledge but you may be on to something.

 

[tante]

I am not trying to pile on here, but fundraising is all about contact with alumni and other interested parties. My high school contacts me as much as every week or so (via email and phone) to give updates on the school and athletics, in addition to asking for donations. They make sure that when I am writing checks it is difficult for me not to think about them.

When it comes to fundraising, no donation is too small. A significant portion of the athletic department budget should be devoted to fundraising, both for projects and ongoing operations. This type of constant contact with alumni and interested parties works.

This last paragraph leads into HouBuffs comment. I have no direct knowledge but you may be on to something.

to me that is way too much. I don't want a call every week. I wouldn't mind an email that says. Thanks to your donations we now have a new PA system in the coors event center. We have three projects we think will increase the game day experience for our fans.

1 - flat screen tv's in the concourses at Folsom field. Currently we have fifteen 21 inch tube tv's in the concourse. We want to replace these with forty-five 60 inch tvs. The tv's cost $1500 each for a tv, weatherproof case, and mounting hardware. We are looking at a total cost of $67,500 to donate please click here http:.....

2 - beer garden at Folsom Field. We are looking to build a beer garden on the west side of franklin field. We will need to build a permanant fence and some waterproof flooring to cover the grass. Operational expenses will be covered through revenue. We need a total of $125,000 to build a beer garden and get the associated permits. to donate please click here http:...

3 - new computer room for the student athletes. CU currently has 25 computer to support X student athletes. The computers are 4 years old and in dire need of upgrade. We are looking to purchase 100 computers at a cost of $850 each for a total cost of $85,000. to donate please click here http:....


I don't see how doing something like this can't be successful. Also they can even do cool stuff based on your donation level. They can do cool project announcements at halftime during football games. donate $500 and get your name announced. donate $2500 and you can get on the field. donate $10,000 and get field passes for the entire game.

 

[CUFan]

I didn't mean they call every week. I just mean some point of contact is made, usually email, very often. Plus a lot of the communication is just about what is going on and results on the field. Most communications would not be about fundraising, just keeping people interested/engaged in the institution.

Your ideas are very good. It is depressing to know that seemingly nothing like this is done within in the CU AD.

 

[tante]

I didn't mean they call every week. I just mean some point of contact is made, usually email, very often. Plus a lot of the communication is just about what is going on and results on the field. Most communications would not be about fundraising, just keeping people interested/engaged in the institution.

Your ideas are very good. It is depressing to know that seemingly nothing like this is done within in the CU AD.

the crazy part is I don't think it would be even too difficult to implement. It is crazy to me that CU is so far behind on this.

 

[dio]

to me that is way too much. I don't want a call every week. I wouldn't mind an email that says. Thanks to your donations we now have a new PA system in the coors event center. We have three projects we think will increase the game day experience for our fans.

1 - flat screen tv's in the concourses at Folsom field. Currently we have fifteen 21 inch tube tv's in the concourse. We want to replace these with forty-five 60 inch tvs. The tv's cost $1500 each for a tv, weatherproof case, and mounting hardware. We are looking at a total cost of $67,500 to donate please click here http:.....

2 - beer garden at Folsom Field. We are looking to build a beer garden on the west side of franklin field. We will need to build a permanant fence and some waterproof flooring to cover the grass. Operational expenses will be covered through revenue. We need a total of $125,000 to build a beer garden and get the associated permits. to donate please click here http:...

3 - new computer room for the student athletes. CU currently has 25 computer to support X student athletes. The computers are 4 years old and in dire need of upgrade. We are looking to purchase 100 computers at a cost of $850 each for a total cost of $85,000. to donate please click here http:....


I don't see how doing something like this can't be successful. Also they can even do cool stuff based on your donation level. They can do cool project announcements at halftime during football games. donate $500 and get your name announced. donate $2500 and you can get on the field. donate $10,000 and get field passes for the entire game.

Bingo. I don't have a ton of cash - but if I could toss $20 a month to a specific project, I would in a heartbeat