Florida A&M has assembled a steering committee of its Direct Support Organizations to work in concert on various university projects.
On Thursday evening, April 16, the committee featuring representatives from the FAMU Foundation, National Alumni Association, Rattler Boosters, and University Advancement met for a two-hour discussion on how they can work together to increase alumni giving.
“FAMU has always been its strongest when Rattlers strike together,” FAMU trustee John Crossman told the group. “That is the spirit of the work. We’re building something worthy of the university we all love.”
One of those subjects was how to improve the athletic program’s support.
Brandi Tatum-Fedrick, Vice President of University Advancement and the FAMU Foundation’s Executive Director, laid out a five-pillar plan that included strengthening the advancement team and donor stewardship, modernizing university technology, and empowering the National Alumni Association with “modern tools” and a “partnership model.”
The fifth and final pillar was creating “One Alliance” to bolster the Rattler Boosters with the resources needed to fulfill the needs of FAMU’s NCAA Division I athletic program.
“Pillar five is to ensure that our Rattler Boosters have everything they need to help our athletic programs be successful,” Tatum-Fedrick explained.
“We want to ensure that we’re doing everything in our power to bring them the right and proper type of resources to ensure that we’re growing our booster program as well.”
Tatum-Fedrick shared that FAMU’s alumni giving rate is approximately 5% to 8%, lower than the 10% percent average across other Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Rick Kinsey, a Hall of Fame FAMU donor and the President of the Rattlers in Arms, suggested it could be a case of “donor fatigue” because the same groups of people are being asked for contributions.
FAMU Vice President and Director of Athletics John Davis echoed those sentiments. He added that FAMU may need to expand its alumni outreach to secure donations for the school.
“Diversification of identifying individuals that typically have not given to this institution is where that great growth and opportunity is going to come from,” Davis said.
FAMU DSOs discuss athletic facility hopes in first steering committee meeting
One ask from the athletics standpoint is improvements to the facilities.
Rattler Boosters President Zachary Ansley hopes that FAMU football’s Bragg Memorial Stadium is at the top of mind.
“One of the things that I’ve been focused on is our fan experience. Of course, that is huge in finance,” he said. “But it really would make at least in one sport, a world of difference. And that is our facilities in the stadium.”
Ansley specifically wants Bragg’s restrooms renovated. The outdated infrastructure has been a consistent topic for many who attend Rattler football games on Saturdays.
Encouraging alumni to give would include posting mock pictures of how the updated restrooms would look by the project’s end.
“I think that the fan experience that our females experience when they go downstairs to those restrooms ― it is less than pleasurable,” Ansley detailed.
“Of course, that’s going to take a massive fundraising effort. The project being presented, I hope, will help us. But as we talk about fan experience, in the football arena, home games ― we’ve got to get that water off those floors. And the sooner we can do that, the better.”
Davis crossed his 100-day mark as FAMU’s athletic director on April 15.
And he has plans that are on par with Ansley’s wish to upgrade the Rattlers’ on-campus sports facilities, including Bragg, and basketball’s Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center.
But it will take support.
“It’s going to take hundreds of millions of dollars to do the work that needs to get done to the various facilities,” Davis said.
“If we’re talking about doing work at the stadium, doing work at the fieldhouse, doing the things we want to at the Lawson Center, and many other places for our non-revenue generating sports ― this is the start of what we’re going to be able to do.”
FAMU’s Direct Support Organization’s next steering committee meeting is set for May 21.
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How FAMU athletics can benefit from the ‘OneFAMU’ DSO project
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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