Ok Hokies now is the time to join the Hokie Club. This is the end of an era, one rarely if ever seen in College Football. Frank Beamer is retiring after a legendary career. A new era is now upon us, the Justin Fuente era. I would ask every Hokie to join the Hokie Club, either to honor Frank and everything he has done at VT and for the future to continue his legacy or to support Whit Babcock and Justin Fuente in the future. If you wanted a change now is the time to support the school with a monetary donation now that the change is here.
You may donate here http://hokieclub.com/give-now/
Let's start off the Fuente era the right way and grow the Hokie Club.
Forums:
DISCLAIMER: Forum topics may not have been written or edited by The Key Play staff.
Comments
I went 200% Hokie today.
I just went from six to midnight
Boner jokes always get a leg up from me.
now I get it...
Would if I had the dolla dolla bills y'all.
This is the truth, there are (at last estimate) 244,000 Hokie alumni and there are less than 10,000 Hokie Club members, that is less than 5 percent of graduates! I think that number should be closer to 10% to get the athletic department competitive on a national level. I like my current standing in the HC, but would not be upset to drop about 5,000 spots due to new arrivals.
Doubling this year, we can do better than 110%!
If everyone that said they would not donate until a coaching change was made was serious, then hokie club membership should at least double.
Maybe you're a recent grad like I was when I joined the Hokie Club (c/o 2013). Money isn't just laying around when you have student loans (trust me I know) but seriously consider the recent grad program. 2 years of membership for the price of 1! Whit is doing big things here in Hokie Nation!
http://hokieclub.com/student-hokie-club/recent-graduates/
Great attitude! Start where you can and then work your way up over time, as your individual situation allows. I was c/o 2002 and while we obviously didn't have the recent grad program back then, I could only afford to start at the base level. That year my season tickets were Row PPPPP. I didn't even know the East Stands went that high until I got my tickets! But hey, I was supporting the program and in the stadium! After 1 year, I bumped to O&M level, where I stayed a few years, then to Bronze for a few years, then to Silver for a few years, then to Golden for a few years, and as of today I went Platinum. If we all do our part at whatever level we can, we'll make a big impact together.
...you hiring?
Look at how many Starbucks/Chipotle/Steam purchases you make in a year and tell me you don't have $100 for the Hokie Club.
**From a grad student who routinely purchases all of those things and then wonders why he has no money.
Good point. Hokie Club is equivalent to cooking at home once a month instead of going out to eat...
student loans are nothing, wait till you have a wife, kids and a mortgage...
Then wait until those kids start driving, and want really expensive stuff, and THEY start looking at college.
I joined 3 months ago, and have yet to receive any acknowledgement or thanks for joining. I've received a letter asking for more money, but not a word about the money I've already given.
You should check they have your info right. You should have recieved an entire welcome package and a magazine by now.
I've gotten the magazine and a letter asking for money, so they obviously have my info correct
I would recommend getting in contact with them. They are great to respond to questions or issues. Don't let this deter you from keep being a supporter.
Yeah, I'll contact them eventually. It doesn't deter me, but it's annoying. Things like this shouldn't happen at a major college.
I'm sort of surprised you didn't get an acknowledgement of your contribution. They usually do send that.
All I really want is a sticker for my car and some info about my local chapter. A thank you would be nice too.
Where do you live?
You can find out the local club info on line.
Make sure your info is correct, I received a very nice car magnet and several window stickers when I joined last year and received another package this year with another magnet and some more stickers and a thank you letter.
I'm getting the magazine, and I got a letter asking for more money, so they have my address
I had the same issue you're having when I first joined. It took forever to receive "confirmation" that I was in Hokie Club. I think I received the gift pack of stickers that others have been speaking about 3-5 months after joining. The member list (link) looks like it should be updated next month so keep an eye out to see if you're added. I wish the athletic department operated more quickly but I'm sure you'll receive your gift pack soon.
Hokie Club is separate from Athletic dept.
That's strange. I got window stickers and a hand written post card when I joined...
Same here
Hand written?
I never got one of those.
At the bottom of my welcome letter was a two sentence hand written note. Not sure what he got.
I'll see if I can dig it up...not sure if I kept it or not. It seems everyone got something a little different..
I had some trouble last year when I first signed up, and I didn't receive anything either. Turns out they sent everything to my parents address because that's what Tech had in their records, even though I signed up for the Hokie Club using my current address. I went back in the old hokie spa and changed my address in there so now most things go to the address.
I graduate next weekend (from not VT) and plan to make my first donation after I start my new job in December!
Been meaning to join, just did, thank you for the push.
Also if you join now AND buy bowl tickets through the school they might even count them towards priority points towards season tickets next year.
Just made my first contribution and it felt good! Go Hokies!
Now's the time...
...for the Hokie Club update their website & back-end financial system to allow for online enrollment into the recurring monthly plan.
They are breaking a cardinal rule of fundraising by not making it as easy as possible for people to give them money.
That being said I'm still joining via lump sum donation.
The Hokie Club website just went through a massive redesign within the last 12 months and changed many things to make it more intuitive and up-to-date with modern web design. With regards to doing monthly recurring deductions via online, nothing through VT Giving for monthly donations is done online from my experience. Information must be mailed in because of security reasons. I'd rather know that my personal bank account number is secure in those situations personally.
no problems with the Hokie Club website...
the "security reasons" excuse is weak. This is 2015. There are dozens if not hundreds out of the box online payment systems that can handle setting up a monthly recurring charge securely.
But most of them cost money, often yearly subscriptions, and for a non-profit to spend money they don't have to, why not know that more of your money is going to the source just by using a stamp and an envelope.
You'd think that in 2015, even a site like TKP would be set up to accept recurring donations... /plug
Unfortunately, it's out of the Hokie Club's hands. The Banner system that the entire university uses is outdated and a gigantic PITA to use, and hopefully will be phased out in the next few years. However, until that happens, online recurring payments are just too much for the system to handle, for whatever reason. Believe me, HC officials are aware of it and just as pissed about its existence as the rest of us. The instant a change is possible, it will be done.
TL,DR: University politics and outdated systems suck. When the HC can change it, they will.
THIS.
Banner is simply terrible at everything. Not only is it terrible at everything, it is everywhere. It permeates nearly every aspect of the administrative apparatus at VT. Its like a fungus that is made of incompetence.
I need to find any reason possible to use this phrase.
I really have to wonder why, with our CS and Engineering prowess, VT cannot come up with a first-class software platform that can integrate apps, financial stuff, scheduling, etc. Maybe we're moving this way, but it seems we're still very behind the times.
Based on my experience with the software and its users, its more of an administrative problem than a technical problem. Software that you describe already exists and is used all over the place, but the reason we don't use it is the reason that one of my friends who works for Met Life still has Windows 98 computers in his office. Hardcore administrative resistance to change.
I was talking to a GE buddy of mine and asked him about the whole 'industrial company that is also a digital company' ad blitz. Specifically, I asked him which IE they were using. He said some people were on 8, some people were on 9. I shed a tear for the future of that company.
see my post below about excuses
You can say that all you want, but again, that's something the HC has zero control over. You might as well tell them how angry you are that it's raining outside, they can't do a darn thing about it. All of that stuff is handled on the other side of campus, and it's infuriating for everyone involved. I think it's something Sands is getting around to fixing, but there's been significant pushback. Again, university politics suck. They suck mucho.
Thanks for the background about the obstacles facing a modernization effort, but it doesn't change my opinion on the matter. Whether it's the Hokie Club or Virginia Tech itself, it needs to get it done. Sounds like Sands might understand the macro need to upgrade the financial / management system, but the bottom line is that custom development would fix this issue with the current system. Either way, until it happens I'm not interested in hearing excuses.
Brah...hokiematic
http://hokieclub.com/give-now/
But completely Agree, It was a little too hard for me to give them money, to give them credit, I'm sure they are in the process of making Hokiematic sign-up available digitally (at least, I certainly hope they are).
Thanks, I'm aware of Hokiematic... and aware that it requires you to fill out a form and mail it in.. this is 2015 not 1995, there should be an online form to take care of that task.
I can sign up for TSL or 247 or Rivals with an auto-renew / auto-pay every month option, I can set up periodic bank transfers from one institution to another online, there's no excuse for Hokie Club (or the VT Foundation) not having the same option. And for the folks in charge who would try and explain it away with excuses...
I agree. Seems like they could put some of the money towards modernization of collections.
you gave me an idea.. going to request 50% of my donation be spent on upgrading the monthly payment system :P
(other 50% split between basketball & football coaching salaries)
Hokie Club money is NOT spent on coaching salaries. That's a big point of Whit's. Hokie Club money is primarily for scholarships and other investments to the teams and student athletes.
Thanks, but that's not going to stop me from putting my preference in the comment box. If nothing else they'll know that the main reason I'm donating is to help with the additional financial burdens of hiring top-tier coaches.
Whit said at the presser this morning that none of the Hokie Club money goes to salaries. It does go to facilities and scholarships, though.
It's kind of pointless to say "X revenue stream only funds Y expenses" unless you're trying to ramp up donations using a marketing pitch featuring the 'honorable student athletes' rather than the "overpaid coaches". It's also a way to try and negate donor leverage when a high roller wants a coaching change.
But don't kid yourself, revenue is revenue, the bills get paid out of the same account, and overages from one pile of money make up for shortages in another pile.
Sort of, the Hokie Club is a separate entity to the athletic dept. they don't share accounts and don't share money. Now if you say well the Hokie Club money frees up athletic dept revenue to be spent on salaries that would be true but your dollar bills will never be in a coaches hands.
I agree it is a poor excuse, but the Hokie Club folks have zero control over the situation.
Also, comparing TSL to VT is like complaining that a cruise liner can't change direction as quickly as your speed boat. It is simply not comparable. The administrative inertia that must be overcome to change this system is massive. Banner controls payroll, taxes, student data, staff data, class signup, health information, health benefits, charitable donations, staff scheduling, room scheduling, and a stupid amount of other topics. There isn't a university approved method to handle financial transactions apart from this, so basically, until the entire system changes, there isn't much we can do.
Is there a Cyber Monday discount so I can donate at a higher level?
I'm back in! This morning's press conference reminded me I needed to renew (and buy back my consecutive years that I had missed). Yes, you heard that right, for those who may have dropped out for various reasons, you CAN buy back your missed years rather than starting all over. Give your rep or the club a call to discuss, but it was very easy, and I'm glad to be back in!
Go Hokies!
How do people become say a Platinum Club member?
1. have a lot of money
2. give a large portion of it it to VT annually
3. profit (in priority points)
Since it's a write-off, $5000 a year is doable for a lot of folks who forego the standard deduction.
1st you start a company, maybe a Tech company, sell it High after you go public, this is where a lot of people make the mistake, it's a common misconception that you should buy high and sell low, but the insider secret is, you buy low and sell high.
2nd you get an unrealistic view of your importance to the program and start trying to make decisions about the direction of said program - see LSU.
Or you could just go the athlete route, play in the NFL and give back to your alma mater.
And by this sarcasm, I mean zero disrespect to Hokie Club Platinum members, thank you for your contributions,
Im just jealous because my millions happen to be stuck in my savings account, because you see the way my banking account is setup I have a checking AND a savings...
VT and almost every other school is still waiting for their NFL players to give money. It doesn't really happen.
Thanks, I happen to know someone who is Platinum and 30 years a member. Just wondering how much they were giving.
In the range of $5000 - $9,999 per year.
there's a good summary chart on this page:
http://hokieclub.com/giving/annual-giving/
Thanks
Wanted to bump this with some "new" information I got yesterday from talking to the Hokie Club and my Hokie Club rep.
The Hokie Club is seeing a small uptick in new members but a noticeable uptick in renewals and upgrades. Something else the Hokie Club would like to see is new chapters opening. If you are a
JokieHokie Club member or want to be one and live in an area without your own Hokie Club chapter would you consider being a Hokie Club rep? You get priority points for it and help the athletic dept grow. Contact the Hokie Club to get more information about how to start a new chapter.Good call on the info, Fireman. We already have one in GSO but I'm sure there are plenty of places that need them!