Tulane Launches 2004 Spring Fundraising Campaign
 |  "It's Wave Time" at Tulane as the Tulane Athletics Fund kicks off the annual spring fundraising drive. |
March 8, 2004
NEW ORLEANS - With specific goals for increasing membership and annual donations, Tulane Athletics, through its fundraising arm, the Tulane Athletics Fund (TAF), has embarked on its 2004 Spring Fundraising Drive, "It's Wave Time."
By challenging supporters, alumni and members of the community to help Tulane build the wave of the future, the Tulane Athletics Fund hopes to finish 2004 with 3,000 members and $2.3 million. Both numbers would set record marks for Tulane Athletics, which last year finished with 1,880 members and $1.5 million.
"The spring drive is really the meat and potatoes of our fundraising menu," said Athletics Director Rick Dickson. "Raising our base levels, for both membership numbers and donations to TAF, is a key component of the overall success of our long-term Perpetual Wave Campaign. We're off to a good start this year, but are taking it up a notch this spring with the start of Wave Time."
There are several components of the Wave Time effort, including "Two for Tulane," a program in which current TAF members are asked to refer or recruit one new member for the Tulane Athletics Fund, an outreach program to connect with former student-athletes, and an expanded Spring Tour with stops in Monroe, Shreveport, Alexandria, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Houston and Baton Rouge among others. In addition, TAF has begun the renewal process for all 2003 donors, including those who pledged support during last spring's "Think Green" campaign.
The "Two for Tulane" initiative asks all current members of the Tulane Athletics Fund to register or refer one or more new members to TAF this year. In return, the current donor will receive a TAF pin and admission to a special tailgate party at the Tulane-LSU baseball game in the Superdome April 27 as well as an invitation to another event this summer. Through this effort, Tulane hopes to reach its goal of 3,000 members. Already in 2003-2004, Tulane has added 450 new TAF members with membership up 49 percent from a year ago.
For the first time in many years, Tulane Athletics is reaching out to its former student-athletes on a department-wide basis. Already this spring, TAF has held reunions for former men's and women's basketball and baseball student-athletes, and a tennis alumni reunion is scheduled for March 26-27. In addition, former Green Wave student-athletes will be receiving letters from the current coaches of their sports updating them on the programs they helped build. Through their responses, Tulane hopes to build an accurate database of its former student-athletes and open an important line of communication.
The Annual Spring Tour of Louisiana has been expanded to include a stop in Houston, Texas, while Tulane Athletics administrators and coaches are also teaming up with the Alumni Association to speak at events around the country this spring. At TAF events around Louisiana in April, all Tulane Alumni will be invited to attend local spring tour stops as part of Tulane Athletics' outreach efforts. Tulane head coaches Chris Scelfo, Shawn Finney, Lisa Stockton, Betsy Becker and more will take part in parties and visit with supporters throughout the state and region beginning tonight on the Northshore with a 6 p.m. reception at PamLab, L.L.C. in Covington. A complete schedule of the "Wave Time Spring Tour" will be announced next week.
The "It's Wave Time" drive will conclude on June 30, 2004 at the end of the university's fiscal year. During the month of June, the drive will take on a New Orleans focus with Tulane coaches speaking at events and meetings around the city, a phone-a-thon featuring Green Wave coaches and administrators and a final push for 100 percent renewal on all 2003 donations.
Already in 2004, donations to the Tulane Athletics Fund total nearly $1 million and are 34 percent ahead of the pace set last year.
"We want the people of the state, the city and Tulane Alumni across the country to know that 'It's Wave Time,' " said Tulane Associate Athletic Director Scott Sidwell. "We believe our goals of raising $2.3 million from 3,000 donors is attainable with the help of our friends and fans around New Orleans and across the state, region and country."
Information on the Wave Time drive is available on-line at www.TulaneGreenWave.com or by calling the Tulane Athletics Fund Office at 504-865-5356 or the Green Wave Athletics Ticket Office at 504-861-WAVE.
-- Roll Wave! --
