The TD Club Is Alive!

[Tango Two]

YOU’RE
INVITED
TO THE TD CLUB MEMBERSHIP MEETING!
WHEN:

Thursday, Oct. 8th
WHERE:

Rutgers Visitor's Center
Busch Campus
DETAILS:

6:00 PM
Membership Meeting

6:30 PM
Julie Hermann, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics

Annual membership gift will be distributed to each active member at this meeting. Doors open at 5:15 pm.

 

[Piscataway]

Meh.

 

[PiscatawayMike]

Nice! Not much time given to alert members of the upcoming meeting, though. Regardless, I'll be there.

https://vr2.verticalresponse.com/em...MTY0OTI2Nzk5Nzc5ODY=/irRUE-xmmLZFfI_Y4Qp03Q==

 

[RUgrad75]

What could she possibly have to say??

 

[ruready4somefootball]

I thought no more annual gifts? I guess looking back, they saw the error of their ways.

 

[TRU2RU]

I thought no more annual gifts? I guess looking back, they saw the error of their ways.

The TD Club never stopped giving the members the yearly gifts.

 

[ruready4somefootball]

The TD Club never stopped giving the members the yearly gifts.

That's what I thought, but I seem to remember a thread that said it was no longer the case, and the fact how the game day raffles were being used now meant there wasn't any money for the annual gifts. I also remember a thread saying the court club also wasn't giving anything out anymore. The thread stated that for the TD Club to stay relevant and donate enough money to the football program, the gifts had to be cut out. Does anybody else remember that thread? Also, you have to admit, the gifts used to be really nice, and have gone down pretty much every year, and so has the food. Just saying!

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

Cant go, not enough time in advance

 

[KeithK7624]

It would be nice if a schedule was posted or I learned about meetings more than a day before.

 

[ruready4somefootball]

The TD Club never stopped giving the members the yearly gifts.

Here's the link in which BKin118 explains what's suppose to go down. It does seem that the giveaways were on the table to discontinued. As I said, must have been a change of heart.http://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/threads/rutgers-touchdown-club-meeting-august-4.19206/#post-413874

 

[KingHigh]

Someone with some time and leadership needs to take over the td club and develop it into a better organization. I'm sorry for criticising anyone while I'm unable to step up myself, but our fanbase needs to control what we can control. And driving a powerful and vibrant booster club is just about the only thing we can directly control. Some day, when my small childrens' activities require less of me, I will dedicate time to that endeavor. Until then, the TD club needs you to join and bring your treasure, vision and talents. It's so important to the health of the program.

 

[TRU2RU]

Here's the link in which BKin118 explains what's suppose to go down. It does seem that the giveaways were on the table to discontinued. As I said, must have been a change of heart.http://rutgers.forums.rivals.com/threads/rutgers-touchdown-club-meeting-august-4.19206/#post-413874

It amazes me that people don't realize the the boosters clubs main mission is to support the team & raise money for the team, not to provide free gifts & dinner to members. For someone who has not been a paid member for many years, you seem to enjoy putting down the TD Club every chance you get.

 

[KingHigh]

It amazes me that people don't realize the the boosters clubs main mission is to support the team & raise money for the team, not to provide free gifts & dinner to members. For someone who has not been a paid member for many years, you seem to enjoy putting down the TD Club every chance you get.

You're both right. The boosters clubs mission is to raise money. The more people you have in the fold, the more money you raise generally speaking. Showing people they are appreciated is an easy way to attract repeat donations. Simply holding out your hand is not the way to engender the highest generosity from people. The booster club members should be treated like big shots and should have meaningful benefits that are exclusive to them. It does not sound like that experience is being delivered.

Like I said in my earlier post, it's easy for me to sit behind a keyboard and say this, but sometimes an outside observation can be more objective. I want to see a thriving booster club that is highly rewarding for both the members and the team, as I am sure you do as well. If that is not being delivered, then what changes can be made to change that?

 

[ruready4somefootball]

I'm far from the only person that has seen the Club change since Greg was coach and the excitement was at an all time high. I'd bet the current membership numbers would show I'm hardly the only one that feels this way. You said the Club never stopped giving away gifts, but this old thread does show it was close, and your right,there is no reason to give food out of the quality of the past. I stopped going when it stopped being mostly about hearing inside info, and became more about a money grab. That's the 100% truth. You just admitted as much. In the old thread,there a few good examples of former members feeling the same way. I feel the TD CLUB must raise money to help the football program, and keep the Club relevant,that's fine, but I think it's also became about how the Club leaders can stay in the loop around all things football, and feel just a little bit more a part of the program than the common fan. I think I will copy and paste what one fan and former Club member posted that says it better than I can.From Mr. Twister "TD Club members are probably the football program's best ambassadors. Many supporters who showed up at the meetings for years have stopped showing up. Who knows ... they may be still paying dues. Lots of the little "thank you for supporting the team" freebies (license plate holders, coffee mugs, free tickets for ho-hum games to bring friends, etc) have disappeared, the food & drink (sandwich/salad/pizza/soft drink) isn't what it once was, and the speakers/guests are routinely late, keeping the audience waiting, and frankly don't have much to say."

 

[ruready4somefootball]

"For someone who has not been a paid member for many years, you seem to enjoy putting down the TD Club every chance you get." I don't enjoy stating the Clubs downward spiral,it's just I remember how it was, and how I was a member for I'm guessing about 8 years. You did feel like you were an important part of a special Club building a great tradition. I remember like it was yesterday Coach Schiano saying there was like 800 members when he got here, and now the TD Club has grown to over 1600 members. He said he could see the day when the meetings would have to be moved to a much bigger place. I stopped going for reasons I've already stated. Those that put in the extra time to make the Club better is fine, I just feel somewhere along the way, it became more about if we can raise this much more money, we will be able to watch closed practices and have access to stuff the average Rutgers fan will never have. That is a major turn off to me if true, and if I'm wrong, I stand corrected.

 

[TRU2RU]

"For someone who has not been a paid member for many years, you seem to enjoy putting down the TD Club every chance you get." I don't enjoy stating the Clubs downward spiral,it's just I remember how it was, and how I was a member for I'm guessing about 8 years. You did feel like you were an important part of a special Club building a great tradition. I remember like it was yesterday Coach Schiano saying there was like 800 members when he got here, and now the TD Club has grown to over 1600 members. He said he could see the day when the meetings would have to be moved to a much bigger place. I stopped going for reasons I've already stated. Those that put in the extra time to make the Club better is fine, I just feel somewhere along the way, it became more about if we can raise this much more money, we will be able to watch closed practices and have access to stuff the average Rutgers fan will never have. That is a major turn off to me if true, and if I'm wrong, I stand corrected.

You are wrong in so many ways that it is not worth trying to explain to you, the Club had less than 200 members when Schiano took over not 800, & when the Club got close to 1600 members the vast majority of those were "family" members who did not pay full membership, but were entitled to the same benefits as full members, when we looked closely at the membership list we found that nearly 1,100 of the membership was family members but most had different names & mailing addresses than the full paying member, turns out many "family" members were members of tailgate crews that joined for reduced rates, for the $10 "family" members got 6 meals, 6 meeting with the Coach, the gift, two free tickets to a football game & discounts at some local stores. When RU stopped giving free football tickets to the Club to give to all members & the Club raised membership fees & limited "family" members, the numbers dropped.
The bolded part is your imagination, Schiano made it clear from the very beginning that either the Club become a booster club that raised major money for the team or the Club would cease to exist, which is exactly what happened to the Fanees who could not raise money for the team. All TD Club members had access to closed practices every year until a member posted on the boards about Schiano screaming at Jourdan Brooks about fumbling the ball & that was the end of something the Club worked very hard to get for its members.

 

[ruready4somefootball]

The part in bold is not my imagination, it's a copy and paste of what Mr. Twister said in the older thread which I feel captures how a lot of former members feel. . I also remember that all members got access to one closed practice and I remember as you said correctly why that stopped. Like you just stated,6 meals, 6 meetings and a gift, forget the 2 tickets to bring in maybe some new fans, the TD Club didn't get them anymore,fine. Yet, 6 meals, and a gift to loyal fans who spread the word that is Rutgers Football, and you were making money. When you cut the numbers by looking to close at membership, it bit you guys in the butt. Less people, less 50-50 sales, you didn't think it through. Like Mr. Twister said in bold print, not me," Thank You freebies for supporting the team" and the food went on the cheap and people felt it wasn't worth it. I may be wrong on so many levels,and then again I might not be. I hope the photo op with Coach Flood and access to team functions continues for all the hard work Club leaders put in. KingHigh seems to agree with some of what I say also, but you choose to ignore it. Thank God for the ability of archives or else many posts that were stated as fact have been proven to be wrong, like the post about Coach Flood NEVER saying what injury was sustained by PJ. Someone pulled up exactly what Flood said about PJ's ACL injury and there never was a rebuttal about being wrong.Go Rutgers beat MSU. Still a big time fan of the team and it's players, as are both my alumni sons.We never miss an opportunity to talk up Rutgers sports, the Club, sorry, not so much.

 

[Wolv RU]

Anyone go? Report on the meeting?

 

[RUJMM78]

It was one of the shortest TD meetings since I have been a member.Hermann spoke for approximately 15-20 minutes .Food from a grease truck outside of Visitors Center.New President of club seeking new ideas for soliciting funds for the football program now that 50/50 run internally by Rutgers.Short and sweet September was a bad month for Rutgers but things will improve in the future.Keep the faith.