Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Foundation To See Changes In 2006
3/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | General
March 1, 2006
FRESNO, Calif.- The Bulldog Foundation (BDF), which for over 50 years has been recognized as the fundraising arm of the Fresno State Athletics Department, is expanding its role. A task force on athletic fundraising, chaired by former BDF President Bill Chaltraw, recommended sweeping organizational and structural changes to establish an integrated approach to fundraising.
The new mission of the BDF fully integrates all athletic fundraising into the University's overall fundraising program under the philosophy of: "One Team, One Plan, One Goal." That means all athletic fundraising groups will for the first time be working together under the same leadership and with similar goals and objectives to achieve a common goal of raising more money for the athletics department.
The BDF is located on campus in the Duncan Building and works in concert with the university. It directs all athletic department fundraising, also known as development. That includes all major gifts, capital projects, booster clubs, personal seat licenses, the endowment fund, the Varsity F Club alumni organization, and the traditional annual volunteer BDF Scholarship Fund Drive.
In the past, the Bulldog Foundation was responsible specifically for the annual fund drive, which generated approximately $7 million in a combination of pledges and season ticket sales. Over the years, the BDF fund drive raised enough in pledges to cover scholarships costs for Fresno State student-athletes plus the recruitment costs for the campus. The BDF annual fund drive earnings will now be devoted specifically to meeting all of the athletic department's scholarship needs for student athletes, including summer school and fifth-year scholarships.
The most significant BDF improvements are:
- The Green V Society, formerly called the Green V Association, has become a major giving level within the Bulldog Foundation. The Green V Association was originally designed as an external 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization to raise money for athletics. The separate non-profit has been dissolved, but the Green V name remains as a prominent part of the Bulldog Foundation in generating unrestricted major gifts to the program.
- To be recognized in the Green V Society, a donor participates in one of four annual philanthropic giving levels (Emerald: $10,000; Sapphire: $25,000; Ruby: $50,000; and Diamond: $100,000). Those funds are unrestricted and support all student-athletes and sports teams.
- The important work of all booster clubs is now coordinated by the Bulldog Foundation.
The new Bulldog Foundation will be governed by a newly created 15-member Board of Directors appointed by Fresno State President John D. Welty and chaired by community member Bill Chaltraw. Fresno State's Associate Athletics Director for Development, Gregory Walaitis, and Peter N. Smits, Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director of the Fresno State Foundation, will provide principal staff support to the BDF.
