BC sends a message about Sports fundraising in BC Magazine

I know it seems like BC Sports is always at a turning point, but I think it is true with regards to fundraising. If you don't believe me, you just need to look at the full page breakdown in the latest issue of BC Magazine. In the graphic BC shows our rank among ACC schools in Annual Athletic Gifts and Total Donors and then shows the corresponding ranking in the Learfield Directors Cups given to the school with the most overall successful Athletic Department (implying there is a strong correlation). This ranking was done before the most recent ACC expansion, so BC is listed as 10th in Annual Gifts and 11th in Total Donors and 11th in the Learfield Cup. North Carolina was first among ACC schools in the Cup ranking but only 9th in Gifts and 4th in Donors. Wake was 12th in all categories.

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.

#IceBucketChallenge wave grows and why I waited

Steve Addazio finally took the #IceBucketChallenge. He's just the latest high-profile member of the BC Community to take part in the viral sensation. BC didn't start the Challenge, but it caught on among Eagles and has raised plenty of awareness and some money in honor of Pete Frates' battle with ALS.

A.J. challenged me a few days ago. I ignored it mostly because I was travelling and there wasn't a good time or location to pull it off. But I also waited because something didn't feel right. I don't know Pete Frates and I haven't given a penny to his struggle. I knew Dick Kelley well and even from afar, was pained to see how he dealt with ALS. I don't considering dumping ice on myself much of a challenge compared to what anyone with ALS faces. And I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Alex Carpenter tweeted it better than I could:

Instead of just participating in the #IceBucketChallenge let's make sure we are donating to help benefit Pete Frates and #StrikeOutALS!!
— Alex Carpenter (@carpy05) August 7, 2014

I try to avoid telling people what to do with their time or money, but my suggestion is don't let the #icebucketchallenge just be about social media. Give. I don't care if it is to Frates or something ALS related. Give to BC. Give to a local school. Give to a church or hospital. There are thousands of worthy charities out there. Find one that means something to you or your family or your friends. That is how Frates started this. He took the viral challenge and made it his own. Good for him. Now remember that his example is not the ice. It is the money and time. Give what you can. It is what this is all about.

To show that I am not a total party pooper, I did finally take the challenge once I was back in Georgia. I am not challenging anyone specifically. Do whatever you can or want to do, but make sure it is about more than ice. Plenty of good organizations could use your time and money.

Donation dilemma: to give or not to give?

May 31 marks the end of Boston College's fiscal year. If you are on BC's email list or follow BC on Facebook, I am sure you've received plenty of reminders that today is the last day to donate for the 2011-2012 school year. I don't know how far off BC is from its goal, but I know anecdotally that gifts to the Flynn Fund are down. There are always multiple factors in the decision to give to a charity, but fans and alumni unhappiness with BC athletics is having a negative affect on the Flynn Fund drive. I hate telling people how to spend their money, but I do have as suggestions for past Flynn Fund donors who are not giving this year.

1. Give to the General Fund.

BC's needs our gifts to continue its mission. The general fund covers a variety of areas. This money could trickle back to sports, but the purpose of the General fund is for BC to use the money as it sees fit. Plus even a small gift to the General fund helps the school's rankings and keeps you on the donor list.

2. Give to a named Athletic Scholarship or endowed position.

This way you can give to BC sports but not support the area of the Athletic Department that has upset you. Like the suggestion 1, this can still indirectly support the Flynn Fund, since the money from your gift rolls into the same budget as the Flynn Fund. But the intent is still there.

3. Give a conditional gift.

If you want Spaz gone or Gene gone or something else done, give BC a conditional gift. Say "I will give $XXX when Spaz steps down..." etc. BC is likely to reject this offer, but your point will be made. If enough former givers promise conditional gifts it swill send a message beyond the Athletic Department.

In full disclosure, my wife and I gave to the BC Fund in December. The size of our gift varies from year to year, but we do feel it is important to give to BC consistently.

A reminder about giving to BC

With 2011 coming to a close, many are making their final charitable donations of the year. Some frustrated BC fans have said they won't give to the school or Flynn Fund as long as Spaz and/or Gene are still around. I understand the logic but strongly recommend an alternative. If you planned on giving to the Flynn Fund but won't this year, please give to the BC Fund.

Even at a nominal amount, it is important to support the school. Your money goes to a variety of projects and needs. Think of all those things you love about BC. Most of those aspects were influenced and helped by a series of small gifts from people like us. Plus it helps the school's rankings.

We all keep close ties to BC in part because of athletics, but sports are not BC. The school and community are ultimately what it is all about. That community and ideal is supported by the BC Fund.

Finally, if you are frustrated, bypassing the Flynn Fund and giving to the BC Fund will give you a voice. You can share your thoughts and frustrations with BC. And if enough money shifts from one fund to another, the school will finally have to address the issues they have with their athletic leadership and their most visible team.

Good interviews and other links

BCI interviewed Mike McLaughlin. He talks about Jags and getting ready for the NFL.

BC Draft interviewed Troy Bell. Bell has some interesting thoughts on European basketball vs the NBA.

Former Eagle Daye Kaba is on the move again. He is leaving Marist early for European basketball.

As expected, Gene promoted from within to fill Paquette's duties.

An evening with Matt and Gene

Tonight the BC Club of Atlanta hosted a cocktail party with Matt Ryan and Gene DeFilippo. Thanks to the Alumni office for coordinating the details and our local chapter president Kyla Perfetuo. Big congrats to BC Mike for being the driving force behind the event and for giving Gene a very nice introduction.

Before I get into the details of the evening, I strongly encourage all chapters to organize and push for events like these. We are very fortunate that the ACC Championship is taking place here in our city and that Matt just happened to be drafted by the Falcons, but there are always opportunities like this in major cities. Try to capitalize on any occasion locally and then work with BC to bring some names to your town. I don't know if Spaz expressed any willingness to do these sorts of things, but his recruiting will take him to the big markets of the Midwest, Texas and California. It doesn't hurt to see if he and/or Gene will come and speak with you. And as BC continues to push the "Light of the World" campaign they will need to hold more events like this. So be aggressive, organized and continue to give to BC. Pep talk over.

As for the evening, it was a simple cocktail party for the first hour. Matt and Gene both worked the room while alumni mingled. Then we moved into a seated area. The alumni office showed a short Light the World video, then BC Mike introduced Gene. Gene spoke for a few minutes and then handed things over to Matt. Matt was the star of the show. Gene does this sort of thing for a living. Matt does it even better. Working off the cuff, he gave a short speech with the right amount of humor, modesty, and poise. He understood his audience and what they wanted to hear. I don't want to make it sound like the Gettysburg Address, but I've sat through a lot of canned speeches. And to see Matt handle himself in this way was very impressive. If he didn't have an NFL arm, you could see that he'd be very comfortable in front of a classroom, court room or board room.

After the speeches Matt and Gene both stood for a short Q&A. This was probably the best part of the evening. Like and old comedy team they finished each others sentences and balanced things out. Gene did an impression of Jared Dudley. They told a story together about Matt going to Gene and asking that the football team live somewhere other than Upper during the summer practices. Matt fielded most of the questions. He talked about the difference between college and pros. Admitted that the Virginia Tech touchdown is still his favorite moment and told stories about the NFL. I couldn't help myself and asked a question to Gene. I didn't want to rehash any of the topics where we already knew his answer or try to show him up with any of the things I've criticized him for on the blog, so I hit on the subject that I get emailed about often: ESPN U. I said I get ESPN U but many BC fans don't and I wanted to know what the ACC is doing about it. Gene got into the history of ESPN and how they've always leveraged special events and live games to force the cable companies to carry them. First with the original ESPN and then with ESPN 2. He even said that that the 1995 Duke-UNC game was a critical piece of programing in getting ESPN 2 onto more systems. He then explained that some of the top ESPN folks just met with the ACC about this issue. They are going to continue to push and also hope fan interest puts pressure on the cable companies. In summary, there was no timeline or specifics given, but the powers that be do think getting ESPN U into more homes is important.

After the Q&A wrapped, people mingled and Matt stood patiently for more pictures and autographs. The guy is a saint. He was kissing babies, shaking hands, listening to everyone's stories and fawning questions...and he's and NFL superstar. How many of us would be that patient with nothing to gain?

It was a short, fun night and certainly made me proud to be a BC fan. Despite my differences with how Gene handled the Jags situation, I thank him for speaking to the BC fans tonight. Obvious thanks to Matt. And one more thanks to Kyla and Mike for pulling it off.

[Here are my amateur pictures. Sorry, but the lighting was screwing up my auto focus.]

BC announces new capital campaign and other links

What do you do when faced with the most economic uncertainty in decades? Start a huge capital campaign! Sarcasm aside, I applaud BC for using new efforts to fund the campus expansion and improvements. I will certainly contribute.

Northwestern football faces many of the same issues BC deals with when trying to generate interest in a crowded urban market. You could argue BC does a better job marketing our program since we are consistently a better TV draw than the Wildcats. (Thanks to Jim for the link.)

The AP voters ignored BC. A few coaches voted for BC.

Around the ACC...Georgia Tech's struggles were mostly about having to use their third-string QB. Look for them to bounce back against Clemson.

FAQs from Atlanta

I enjoyed meeting or reconnecting with many of you on Saturday. A couple of questions came up and I just want to clarify a few things.

Do I hate Eagle Action and the posters there?

I don’t hate the Eagle Action posters. On the contrary, I like and know many of them. I haven’t been frequenting the EA boards much, but it has little to do with the posters. As for the Eagle Action writers, it is a mixed bag. Mike Shalin was always nice to me when I was a student and did a good job for the Herald. Steve Conroy does a good job with the Herald and is a very good writer. The other guys I don’t read enough to have a strong opinion on. I do not care for Mike Farrell and I’ve explained myself repeatedly here. I also don’t care for Eagle Action’s founder Mike Rutstein. Eagle Action hit its lowpoint with me during the coaching search when they threw out tons of rumors under fake bylines and outright plagiarized a few other papers. Because that shoddy work was done under pennames, you’ll never really get to the bottom of things (but I don’t blame Conroy or Shalin). Maybe things will get better with Yahoo’s acquisition of Rivals. Until then, I’ll keep my distance from certain parts of EA.

Am I going to start a Amazon wish list, take donations, etc?

While I appreciate the comments, I don’t do this for the money. This is a hobby and AOL and my fulltime job keep me comfortable. If you feel the need to “pay” for this content please give to the BC fund in your own name or click on my google ads every once in a while.

Where did I get the pants?

The pants are catching on. I saw four others wearing them Saturday. You can get your own at Pennington & Bailes.