Bulldog Club Announces New Point Structure

6/25/2024 12:00:00 AM

For the last 50 years, Bulldog Club members have provided life-changing opportunities for thousands of young people through scholarship support. Over the years, we have built on that foundation and continue to provide the necessary resources to push Mississippi State Athletics forward. With this in mind, we are excited to announce an update to our processes and policies that will allow us to continue to reward and recognize our membership.
 
Below you will find important information on our newly updated Bulldog Club priority point structure. After extensive research, discussion with numerous supporters, and thorough consideration we will be implementing a new priority point structure beginning on July 9, 2024. The new point structure is explained in detail below, including a comparison between the current structure and the new one. This new point structure is designed to be straight-forward and easier to navigate. The most notable change is the new structure rewards points based on payment only, not pledges. The most exciting change is it rewards more points than ever before to philanthropic gifts beyond seating requirements. Under the new structure, points will not expire, they will continue to accrue overtime. The account does have to be active with a current pledge on file for points to have affect, but the points do not expire. We are also continuing to honor season ticket purchases and consecutive years of giving with points in the new structure as well.

We know priority points play a significant role in your membership and have been accrued over many years of tremendous support of our athletics programs. In recognition of this, we are honoring any points that have been earned on your account via Legacy Points. Legacy Points will be how we maintain your current point status and will be the foundation on which a member is able to build upon in our new system. Legacy Points will lock on all accounts on July 8, 2024.

As mentioned above, our process to implement this new structure will begin on July 8th, 2024. Any active memberships in the Bulldog Club on July 8th will have their points through drive year 2024 frozen under the current Legacy structure and saved on file. Any gifts (pledged or paid) already applied to dive year 2025+ and any gift (pledged or paid) made on/after July 9th, 2024 regardless of designation will be considered under the new structure. After July 8th the Legacy point system will no longer be in affect and Legacy points will not be rewarded retroactively. Points in the new structure will be added in addition to the frozen Legacy points saved on Bulldog Club accounts.

Please note that paying off future pledges in advance before July 8^th will not give you a point advantage. This is because the new structure offers the same number of points for required seat donations and actually increases the points for philanthropic giving. While making advance payments under the Legacy structure will not enhance your ranking, it could benefit you to ensure any missed consecutive years have a minimum payment of $50 by July 8th. As noted above, drive year 2024 pledge points will be honored at the time Legacy points are frozen. Any points associated with unpaid pledges not related to seating on the account in drive year 2024 will be removed on July 9^th before Legacy points are frozen.

We cannot thank you enough your support to Mississippi State Athletics. Through your passion and commitment to the Bulldog Club, we look forward to building a bright future together.  Again, if you have questions or concerns, please call our office at 662-325-3074 or email at bulldog-club@athletics.msstate.edu as our staff will be happy to provide additional assistance.
 
 
 

FAQs

Are gifts to support student-athletes NIL opportunities calculated and awarded?
Effective August 26, 2024 gifts to the Bulldog Initiative will be rewarded with 4 priority points per $100 contributed.

What do I need to do by July 8th to ensure my Legacy points are considered?
Anyone wishing to have their Legacy points frozen must make sure their account is active with a pledge and payment in drive year 2024 by July 8th, 2024. Members interested in getting the most benefit from the Legacy points structure, should consider paying off any missed consecutive years in their donation history. 

Why change the point structure?
The current Legacy structure has many layers and can be difficult to understand and anticipate. After extensive research we found new, practical and uncomplicated ways to apply points to our membership. The new structure is payment focused and rewards philanthropic giving at a higher rate than ever before. This focus is due to scholarship costs and other operational costs ultimately being budgeted and satisfied for by the cash we receive in the current year, making payments in the current year and unrestricted philanthropic giving paramount. 

Where can I find information about the Legacy Point Structure?
Legacy point information has always been available on our site. Please click here to review

Why is there no benefit to paying off future pledges before the Legacy points are frozen?
Legacy points will only be considered through drive year 2024. Payments or pledges in future drive years will not be considered in the Legacy point freeze even if they are already applied. Furthermore, unpaid pledges outside of seating requirements in drive year 2024 will be removed before the Legacy points are frozen to ensure fairness across the accounts. It is best to make full payment on balance dues for drive years through 2024 by July 8th to receive the most benefit under the legacy point structure.

Why will unrestricted & capital payments be rewarded at a higher rate than restricted payments in the new structure?
It is important to note, the new structure does not honor any donation at a lower rate than the Legacy structure. However, the new structure does increase the points rewarded to donations made to philanthropic initiatives such as unrestricted funds and facility projects. The reason for this, is because those philanthropic payments are how we satisfy the greatest and most immediate needs of the department each year. 

Why will pledges not receive points in the new structure?
Pledge points will no longer be in effect as accounts under the Legacy structure could receive points and priority throughout the year based on a pledge that ultimately may not have gotten paid. While we understand the majority of pledges to the Bulldog Club are made in good faith and do get paid, it has the potential to create unfair priority. We wanted to ensure fairness across all our accounts. Furthermore, pledge points expired each year creating confusion among our members when their points would be affected by a change in their pledges. Rewarding payments is more straightforward and simple. Lastly, our scholarship costs and other operational costs are budgeted for and ultimately satisfied by the cash we receive in the current year, making payments in the current year paramount. 

While pledges will not receive points under the new structure, they will keep the account active and keep your accrued points effective. If an account does not have a pledge for the current drive year the points are not in effect. They are not lost, they are just not effective in our rankings. It will be important to ensure your account has a pledge on file at the start of each year to stay active. The Bulldog Club does roll over seating pledges and annual philanthropic pledges from the previous year at the start of each new drive year to help maintain the active status of our donor's accounts. 

Why do we no longer receive a point per season ticket?
Under the Legacy structure the points an account for season tickets expired each year. Under the new structure they receive less points per year but they accumulate.
    LEGACY EXAMPLE: John & Jane Doe had 4 points for 4 football season tickets in 2023 those points expired at the end of that drive year and came off the account to be replaced by the points for     the season tickets in 2024. If they maintained the 4 tickets in 2024 then 4 points came back on the account but they never accrued.
    NEW EXAMPLE: John & Jane Doe receive 1 point for purchasing 4 football season tickets in 2025. They receive another 1 point for purchasing 4 season tickets in 2026 giving them 2 points     under the new structure. As long as they continue to pay for at least 1 season ticket each year, they will get their 1 point/season of tickets purchased. By 2029 they will have accumulated 5 points     in this category which would not have been possible in the Legacy structure unless they bought an additional ticket. This new structure honors longevity of season ticket support at a more     significant rate than the Legacy structure.

Why remove the multiplier in the consecutive years of giving category?
The multiplier in the consecutive years of giving category was removed to simplify the point structure. The multiplier was factored into the Legacy structure as some of the point categories did not accrue and expired each year. With the new structure allowing all points to accrue overtime, we felt the multiplier was no longer necessary in this category. By honoring each consecutive year of giving across any and all accounts with 1 point/year we believe we honor longevity of support fairly.