Why I said "No" to the Cornell Fund

[RedAR]

Hey, if we wanted to contribute directly to the pep band, to whom and where would we send funds to?

[Lowell '99]

The main issue behind the pep band being "broke" is that for the playoff run last spring, there was no SAFC emergency funding available.  This was quite unusual; usually they're available to help out with the new expenses that pop up.  They simply ran out of money.  Fear not, this will not stop the band from going to each and every playoff game in the future, just as it did not last year.  There are ways.

However, any donations to the pep band would be greatly appreciated by the band and its alumni.  A donation to the band can help to increase the number of games traveled to  (because SAFC funds are usually directed toward one thing, like hotels or copying expenses) and is a way to support Cornell and the hockey program while knowing exactly what your money is being used for.  The pep band doesn't get money from Athletics, either, so your gift would not allow the department to merely divert funds away to other areas of its choosing.  It would actually make a difference.  

The band is entirely student-run, including everything from choosing which pieces to play at a game (and often arranging them) to choosing which road games to attend to making and balancing the budget.  Imagine if a student coached the hockey team, allocated funding, and made travel plans: that's what the conductor and head manager do.  It's not quite as involved, I know, but the analogy fits.  [FYI, I'm writing all this because I'm the Band Alumni Association treasurer, which means I have the whoppingly hard job of looking at the undergraduate treasurer's budget and saying, "Yup.  Looks good."]

More to the point:  You can donate by checking "other" on your Cornell Fund donation card and writing in "Big Red Pep Band."  Alternatively, if you are so motivated by this thought that you have to do it NOW, your dollars can reach the band by sending a check to:

Big Red Pep Band
Teagle Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853

Make the check payable to Cornell University, and write "Big Red Pep Band Gift" in the memo.  Thanks in advance to all those who choose to support the band financially (in addition to what they get at the games).

[mha]

I'm all in favor of donating to the Pep Band if the money doesn't get funneled through the Athletics budget. Looking at the address you gave, Lowell, suggests that it does, though. Can you shed some light?

[Tub(a)]

I'm pretty sure that it is just earmarked for the Pep Band and put into the account, that it is not "funneled" through athletics. In other words, they don't get any of the money. I think (but do not know) that the Teagle Hall address may just be a mailbox. This should not discourage you from supporting the band if you desire to.

Correct me if I am wrong Lowell.  :-)

Grant TUBA

[pat]

I can shed some light, Mark, although I won't go into the complete nuts and bolts here. The pep band (as well as the marching band) receives considerable administrative support from the athletics department, which includes financial accounting and handling receipt of gifts. That I suppose could be called "funneling," but I don't think that's your question. The band receives no cash budget from the department, and gifts go directly to a band account which does not zero at the end of the fiscal year. So the earlier observation (in another thread?) of gifts freeing up a sport's budget dollars to be moved elsewhere does not apply.

E-mail me (or better yet, buy me a beer) if you want a more complete description or if you'd like to give to the Take Away Lowell's Apostrophe Key Fund, which is likewise tax deductible.

[DeltaOne81]

So being a senior (albeit one who may be around for a it longer), I got my first solicitation from the Cornell Fund / Senior Class Campaign today. I'm wondering how to go about this. It's been said on here that someone who stops donating will get more attention than someone who just refuses to all along... should I maybe contribute my $20.03 along with a note saying that future donations will be withheld until Athletics learns how to treat alumni. That's kinda what I'm leaning towards. Any suggestions?

-Fred

[Beeeej]

E-mail me (or better yet, buy me a beer) if you want a more complete description or if you'd like to give to the Take Away Lowell's Apostrophe Key Fund, which is likewise tax deductible.

I'd really like to read the 501(c)(3) documents on that one.

Beeeej

[mha]

I think a note enclosed with a donation would have negligible impact.

Here are some tips that I got from a fundraising professional, along with contact info for who to write to.

http://elf.hockey.cornell.edu/read.php?f=1&i=11308&t=11308

[Adam Friedman]

Madris, you remain an idiot.  But you finally got one right.  Now go listen to some AM radio.

Spock

[DeltaOne81]

[Q]We'll have the biggest impact if a lot of people actually stop donating (whether to Athletics or the University as a whole) or say they're going to. People who've never given saying they're not going to start is far less effective. People who've given and say they'll stop makes development folks take notice.[/Q]
[Q]* Letters have more impact than a phone call. It's hard to ignore a piece of paper.[/Q]
This is what I was talking about. How should a new grad go about this? I've never donated before bc I've never been asked. Is it best to not do it at all, or to do it this time and say I'll resume when they set up a fair internet broadcasting system... I would be sure to send the letter to others too, as recommended... probably separate from the donation as well as along with it.

Just trying to do my part :-).

[Lowell '99]

The apostrophes are now fixed, thank you very much.

That, and what Grant and Pat said.

[ugarte]

[smartass]If the presumption here (not an unreasonable one) is that money talks, I'm not sure that any letter that comes with a donation of $20.03 will rock the foundation of the fundraising department any more than a letter stating that you don't plan on donating will.[/smartass]

If you enjoyed your time at the school, and want to acknowledge your class, I would send in the initial donation with a letter explaining why you won't be donating any more.  Don't think of it in terms of "impact"- you are no Ho, you are not even an Anbinder (yet) -  do it because you think it is right, and both the letter and a parting gift to the school are both right.