You can argue over the correlation between giving and on field success, but it doesn't matter what we think or what the statistics prove. What matters is that the people in the Athletic Department and the Development Office think there is a strong correlation. And BC's ability to raise funds for sports is going to determine what sort of facilities we have and how many sports we support.
The Master Plan was supposed to have been released last year. It is done but not being widely shared. The reason is fund raising. BC and Bates need to raise enough money for certain aspects of the Plan to make the whole campaign viable. They cannot announce "here is our plan" and then raise a fraction of its cost. Not only would the projects fail, but BC would be crushed by our competitors on the recruiting trail. But the fact that it has taken this long to raise enough money during a quiet period is not a good sign. Bates and his team need to get this project further along.
The type of funds you need to support a Master Plan are not going to come from a one-page ad in BC Magazine. Big gifts (six and seven figures) are solicited over months and in face-to-face meetings. But the magazine does set the narrative to the wider community. BC wants to step up its sports giving and if we don't we will suffer on the field.
I don't give to the Flynn Fund and no one from BC has shared the Master Plan with me directly. I support the project but will continue to direct my small gift to the BC Fund and let the school decide how to use the money. I have faith that BC Sports will come through and ultimately build the Master Plan. That will save football, but I wonder about all the other non-revenue sports. If we want baseball or want to relaunch Lacrosse, many donors will have to step up in a significant way. BC knows this and that is why they are using valuable communication space to send that message.
UPDATE: Of course BC doesn't have the graphic online at the Magazine site. Here is a picture I took with my phone.
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