By Matt Cooke
The executive committee of the UWG Athletic Foundation announced Wednesday a modification of its donor benefit structure to help achieve its mission of support, through fundraising efforts, of the University of West Georgia Athletic program. The goal of the restructuring is to more closely-align its benefits with the Athletics Department goal of creating more experience-based opportunities for fans and raising additional resources to be used for scholarships, recruiting and travel expenses.
“As we seek to grow all our programs to be nationally competitive, we can be leaders or just mere participants,” says University of West Georgia Athletic Director Daryl Dickey. “To lead, we must invest in the most critical needs of our program. The new benefits structure provides us an opportunity to enhance the experience of our supporters, while causing our fans as little disruption as possible.”
The changes to the benefits structure include numbered reserved parking spots, expanded priority seating options, enhanced pre-game hospitality and additional benefits at certain levels. The following changes take effect immediately.
• A minimum $100 per seat donation will be required for all “Wolves Club” seats [with back] in section 202, 203 and 204. Season Tickets in these sections are $100 per seat.
• A minimum of $50 per seat donation will be required for all seating [without backs] in sections 101, 102, 201 or 205. Season Tickets in these sections are $100 each…with a required minimum 2 seat purchase.
• There will be no donation required for seats [without backs] in section 100 and 200. Season Tickets are $100 each in these sections.
• Fans purchasing bench seats may add a Stadium Chair for the season to their seats for $60 per chair.
• A minimum $100 donation will be required to qualify for parking in Lot B. Interior parking space fee is $60 per spot. Perimeter (adjoins grass) tailgate parking space fee is $120 per spot.
• A minimum donation of $500 is required to qualify to purchase a large RV parking spot. The large RV parking fee is $200.
• A minimum donation of $100 per pass is required to enjoy the pre-game hospitality. The cost for each social pass is $75.
• Access to the Wolves Club VIP Suite requires a $2,500 donation. The cost for a pair of Season Tickets in the suite is $500 and includes a reserved parking spot, game day buffet, complimentary Game Day Program, among other benefits.
• Donors may still make financial gifts to support the UWG Athletics program without receiving benefits(the ability to purchase season tickets, parking, hospitality), by checking a small box on their contribution card, or noting that No Benefits on the memo line of their check.
In adopting the new benefits structure, the executive committee took into consideration its many long-term donors and wanted to ensure that there was a price point by which everyone could continue to support Wolves Athletics. The mission of the UWG Athletic Foundation is to provide student-athletes within the Wolves' athletic program the opportunity to excel in academics, community service and athletic competition.
The UWG Athletic Foundation renewal campaign for 2014-15 will start on May 15 and will run until July 15, accommodating various payment options. Wolves Club Annual Fund information will be mailed in mid-May to over 4,500 dedicated Wolves supporters. To receive information on how to join the Wolves Club, contact UWGAF Executive Director Matthew Clay at mclay@westga.edu. For general UWGAF information, contact the main UWGAF office at 678-839-1877 or the UWG Athletic Ticket Office at 678-839-5555.
