PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
By Colin Rajala
Trove: Continuing on the topic of fundraising, donor fatigue remains an issue for higher education institutions – how do you view Seton Hall’s NIL and fundraising efforts currently? How is the school looking to combat any semblance of donor fatigue that it is experiencing?
Felt: No doubt about it, it's a concern. It's something we're incredibly cognizant of in how we go about raising money, not only on the NIL side, but the Pirate Blue side so on and so forth. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have some tremendous alumni support, donor support.
I said it earlier, education is so critical. Educating the donors on the importance of NIL or any need is critical. I've been involved with fundraising for our athletic department and university for over 20 years, so I've been fortunate to have built some strong relationships where I am able to have candid conversations with folks. A lot of direct conversations explaining why we need to have support for a specific project or at the same time I am able to get a sense if we are possibly asking too often or too much of a person.
The last thing I want a donor to say is “please stop asking me.” We have to be dialed in on those who have been generous to us, and a lot of times we have conversations with donors and say, “can we ask for your help in a way that doesn't involve a donation?" How can you help us get to other contacts? How can you help us make connections?” Maybe it's corporate, maybe it's private, whatever it might be, but any leads or connections to cultivate tomorrow's donor, tomorrow's supporter is just as important. We’re looking to grow so we're not just going to the same person or the same four or five people all the time. “We can't keep going to this person, we're going to wear that person out.” We have to be concerned about that. Then there are some people that are just energized by giving and supporting us and have been incredibly loyal and generous and it can feel at times that their support is endless. God Bless those people and we are of course always mindful of what they do for us.
As we talk more about increasing support. I didn't mention when we were just talking about it, but I think one of the biggest things is us telling our story and building our brand and how do we strategize with that? I think that plays a big role in engagement with donors and supporters.
I know that might not make a ton of sense to some people, but that's a really big part of it. I think right now we have a men's basketball coach who will roll up his sleeves and will work harder than anybody else in this country and he has built a reputation that has been showcased on the largest stage in college basketball. He's going to put together a team that is going to mirror that mindset and people know what you are getting from a Shaheen Holloway team. Our fanbase gets behind that, that's who we are. We are Seton Hall. We are that lunch pail mentality, whatever you want to call it, but that's who we are. So that's part of our brand and that's part of our story. We must build off that type of passion and sell that mentality as it relates to tickets and fundraising and engaging with new supporters. I'm not saying it means somebody wants to give a million dollars every year, but it's something that's a big part of the puzzle and I think the more we do that, the better we do that, we will not only be less concerned with donor fatigue, but also build the supporter base. You’re starting to see donor fatigue stories with NIL like, “I don't want to give any more because team hasn’t performed or whatever.” Nobody wants those kinds of problems. We're cognizant of it and were combatting it by keeping people engaged and making sure our brand and our story are being told properly.
