Fresno State Athletics
Bulldog Athletics Reveals Results from Fan Survey
4/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | General
April 28, 2015
By Jason Clay
jaclay@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
FRESNO, Calif. - Back in February Fresno State Director of Athletics Jim Bartko sent out a survey to the Red Wave the day after unveiling his new five-point vision for Bulldog Athletics and Tuesday Barkto made public the findings of that survey.
"Since my arrival I have met with hundreds of people across the Valley and with the results from this survey, it will help us chart the future and address the issues to make changes," Bartko said. "I love the fact that we have a passionate fan base who want to see the Bulldogs succeed. We'll need the Red Wave's friendship, support and input to help us build our Bulldog Athletics program and allow all of our teams to have the resources they need to compete at the highest level."
One important emphasis in Bartko's five-point plan calls to hear from the Red Wave and there was over 2,500 responses to this survey.
Results of the survey include:
• 56 percent who participated were not Bulldog Foundation members, 44 percent were.
• 59 percent of participants were season ticket holders.
• Of the responses gathered only nine percent had been following the Bulldogs for 1-5 years, but 62 percent of participants have been for more than 20 years.
• Asked to rank their loyalty to Fresno State, 50 percent who took the survey said extremely high while only one percent of participants said extremely low.
As part of the survey, Fresno State asked fans to rank their experiences on numerous topics surrounding Bulldog Athletics on a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being fantastic and 1 being unenjoyable. Some of those topics and takeaways include:
Game Day Experiences
Tailgating: Ranged fairly even across the scale with 74 percent of responses falling in the 2-4 range in between fantastic and unenjoyable.
In-game experience: 90 percent of responders marked a 3 or higher, including 63 percent who ranked this category as a 4 or 5.
"We'll be looking for new ways of expanding the tailgating and in-game experience to make game days more enjoyable at Bulldog Stadium," Bartko said. "We are moving forward with architects, working on stadium renderings of how we can improve accessibility, add new scoreboards, bring in premium seating and enhance the overall image of all of our facilities."
The Public Image of Fresno State Athletics
70 percent said good or excellent while 30 percent said average or poor.
Question on if the Fresno State Athletics leadership provides appropriate management of the image and legacy of the program.
71 percent believes it does, 29 percent believes it does not.
Face to Face Contact Between the Fans and Athletic Department
41 percent of responses marked down too little of this takes place.
"After evaluation of the survey, we have made changes in the Bulldog Foundation by adding two Assistant Directors of Development for our Bulldog Scholarship Fund," Bartko said. "It is going to be our goal to get out in the community and region more to make sure that we touch all of our fans and donors. This is the first in many steps in how we will redefine our external side."
Fresno State has moved James Sewell, who has been on the BDF staff for five years, into one of these two new development roles. The Bulldogs also hired Taylor Tedford, who was raised in Fresno and is a graduate of Cal.
Tedford will team up with associate director of major gifts Adam Brooks in covering Fresno and the south Valley while Sewell will work with director of major gifts Jared Coy in covering Fresno and the north Valley. All four will divide coverage of the east and west counties moving forward.
The emphasis there will be on getting out in the community, engaging donors and cultivating relationships.
"There is going to be a lot of need for us to engage the community and by restructuring the Bulldog Foundation and getting people out in the community more, we'll be able to connect with our fans and thank all of those that have supported us over many generations," Bartko said.
What Motivates You to Give to Fresno State Athletics?
Different categories were presented with this question, broken down as follows:
• I want to help the program win - 78 percent of responders to this marked a 4 or 5 as extremely high.
• I want to support the student-athletes and their education - 22 percent marked a 3, 34 percent responded with a 4 on the scale and 37 percent marked down a 5 as extremely high.
• I enjoy the tickets and/or parking associated with my scholarship fund membership - 80 percent of responders marked a 3 or higher, as average to extremely important in what motivates them.
As a donor, would you consider supporting Fresno State Athletics above and beyond your current requirement if a need arose?
63 percent of those surveyed answered yes, 37 percent answered no.
Would you consider supporting Fresno State Athletics philanthropically?
52 percent of responders said yes, 48 percent said no.
Moving forward, it will be the goal of Fresno State Athletics to swell the Red Wave. This means engaging the fan base, enhancing their experiences when attending games and events and providing superior customer service.
At the top of the page you will find the link to the full content of the survey.
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