jwe#12 and others not attending the JOL luncheon requested details on the grassroots campaign to benefit football. Here goes. Sorry, apt to be long.
Nearly two years ago I began meeting with people snd having lunches to advance the notion of members of JOL, The Hive and StingTalk entering into a 90 day contest. Three year pledges to A-T, assigned to football operations/personnel staffing. The whole purpose would be to help CPJ obtain staffing resources he sorely lacks to keep up in the talent wars.
To stimulate competition we'd have recognition for the site with highest average $ pledge as well as most $ pledged total. KQ and RamblingReck agreed that JOL and The Hive would be supportive. BeeStorm at StingTalk declined to participate.
So from the git-go, the hope was to:
1) raise funds enabling GT football to hire sorely needed staff;
2) have a grassroots campaign, asking "average Joe" GT fans who had never been asked before to get skin in the game,
3) target a specific area of need, (football staffing), not giving to "unrestricted";
4) having a short term 90 day contest to incent action.
Members from A-T met with me over the months, voicing approval of the concept and our intentions but stating inability to give us active administrative support. This seemed puzzling at the time but made better sense later.
Realizing that I needed more ideas and energy to get better lift, I connected with whiskeychef and Hossman. Both were all in. Whiskey's connections with a myriad of GT folks, his creative ideas and willingness to host luncheon meetings at L3 gave us more credibility.
At this point. I must be deliberately vague. Lots of meetings. Lots of lunches. Some A-T employees who love GT and supported us met with us, but were constrained by job description limits. We also ran into accounting structures (of Mbob's) making it impossible for outside donors to contribute directly to football only. And were told we couldn't contribute to staffing needs but only to capital improvement projects like upgrading the locker room. We marched on anyway.
The three of us had a great hour and a half meeting with PJ in which he was gracious and candid. It's inappropriate to be replaying quotes expressed in that meeting. But I offer my personal reaction of concern that CPJ seemed very discouraged.
Then Mbob disappeared, this time officially. Which leaves us in limbo until the new AD rides into town. Whiskey hopes to gain an audience perhaps even before Stansbury officially signs on.
At various times we've been told we'd get administrative support. At this point in time, we're back to being on our own. At various times we've been told we could gather pledges to benefit football staffing but at this point in time, we're confined to targeting capital improvements only. I am not overly concerned about being alone and unarmed, or authorized only to raise funds for the locker room. Everything's in limbo until the new sheriff arrives. Folks are uncertain what's OK to do and given the toxic environment of the past three years, they aren't venturing into anything new.
Long answer, jwe. But whiskey, Hossman and I feel certain that a grassroots campaign makes too much sense not to happen so we are hovering, ready to re-engage very soon when new management brings a new, enabling style. Until then, we're in a holding pattern.
hmj
Nearly two years ago I began meeting with people snd having lunches to advance the notion of members of JOL, The Hive and StingTalk entering into a 90 day contest. Three year pledges to A-T, assigned to football operations/personnel staffing. The whole purpose would be to help CPJ obtain staffing resources he sorely lacks to keep up in the talent wars.
To stimulate competition we'd have recognition for the site with highest average $ pledge as well as most $ pledged total. KQ and RamblingReck agreed that JOL and The Hive would be supportive. BeeStorm at StingTalk declined to participate.
So from the git-go, the hope was to:
1) raise funds enabling GT football to hire sorely needed staff;
2) have a grassroots campaign, asking "average Joe" GT fans who had never been asked before to get skin in the game,
3) target a specific area of need, (football staffing), not giving to "unrestricted";
4) having a short term 90 day contest to incent action.
Members from A-T met with me over the months, voicing approval of the concept and our intentions but stating inability to give us active administrative support. This seemed puzzling at the time but made better sense later.
Realizing that I needed more ideas and energy to get better lift, I connected with whiskeychef and Hossman. Both were all in. Whiskey's connections with a myriad of GT folks, his creative ideas and willingness to host luncheon meetings at L3 gave us more credibility.
At this point. I must be deliberately vague. Lots of meetings. Lots of lunches. Some A-T employees who love GT and supported us met with us, but were constrained by job description limits. We also ran into accounting structures (of Mbob's) making it impossible for outside donors to contribute directly to football only. And were told we couldn't contribute to staffing needs but only to capital improvement projects like upgrading the locker room. We marched on anyway.
The three of us had a great hour and a half meeting with PJ in which he was gracious and candid. It's inappropriate to be replaying quotes expressed in that meeting. But I offer my personal reaction of concern that CPJ seemed very discouraged.
Then Mbob disappeared, this time officially. Which leaves us in limbo until the new AD rides into town. Whiskey hopes to gain an audience perhaps even before Stansbury officially signs on.
At various times we've been told we'd get administrative support. At this point in time, we're back to being on our own. At various times we've been told we could gather pledges to benefit football staffing but at this point in time, we're confined to targeting capital improvements only. I am not overly concerned about being alone and unarmed, or authorized only to raise funds for the locker room. Everything's in limbo until the new sheriff arrives. Folks are uncertain what's OK to do and given the toxic environment of the past three years, they aren't venturing into anything new.
Long answer, jwe. But whiskey, Hossman and I feel certain that a grassroots campaign makes too much sense not to happen so we are hovering, ready to re-engage very soon when new management brings a new, enabling style. Until then, we're in a holding pattern.
hmj
