| RedHawk Fans will have another chance to ask question about the recent enhancements to the Red & White on Wednesday when staff members Jude Killy, Leslie Macedo and Brenda Bertsch stop by RedHawk Chatter. General questions about membership, the modified benefits structure and the creation of a Loyalty Points Program will be discussed. Submit your questions early to have a better chance of getting them answered |
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 |  | Red & White Club Staff: Welcome to today's online chat with our Red & White Club Staff. We looking forward to chatting with you... |
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| Jae (Harrison): How do the enhanced benefits and loyalty points program compare to other MAC and area schools? |
 | | Red & White Club Staff: Good question. We are now more comparable with our conference counterparts and peers. Most MAC institutions have already implemented such programs. That being said, we wanted to implement something specific to Miami and for the benefit of our student-athletes that will help us generate additional annual fund scholarship dollars. |
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| Wendy (St. Louis): When will I get recieve an accounting of my points? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: We are in the process of gathering appropriate data to distribute to donors and fans. We anticipate that we will distribute a version of Loyalty Points to these individuals during this fall/winter and will be operational and utilizing those points in 2010-2011. |
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| Bill (Cincinnati): Why is the Red & White Club changing from previous years? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: The Red & White Club is implementing a variety of new benefits and programs in an effort to increase annual scholarship funding to benefit Miami student-athletes. Miami fans have proven to be a loyal group. The changes are being implemented to encourage other like-minded fans to step forward and make a difference in the lives of Miami student-athletes. |
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| Dan (Walled Lake): How does money given to Miami get specifically divided up between the programs? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: Gifts made generally to the Red & White Club go directly into the Red & White Club Scholarship Fund - this means they are applicable to the greatest areas of annual scholarship need that particular year. If you have an interest in supporting a specific sport through the Red & White Club (annual giving for scholarship), you may still earmark that gift for the RWC and a particular sport or sports to ensure the provided resources then support that or those sports' annual scholarshp needs. |
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| Bill (Cincinnati): If I was to give a $1,000 gift, what are my tax benefits? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: All gifts are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please be sure to consult your tax advisor on this one. That being said, in the past, gifts made to the RWC for annual scholarship support - so long as they are not required as a per seat gift, etc. - have been 100% tax deductible. |
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| Heidi (Oxford): I'm a faculty member at Miami. Can I make a donation through payroll deduction? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: First off, we appreciate the campus support! Yes! You can donate to the RWC via payroll deduction. This is easy to do. Please contact the RWC office for appropriate paperwork for this hassle-free option at 513-529-8097. |
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| Kate (Columbus): Why is the focus of the RWC now on scholarships? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: Currently, the Miami University Athletic scholarship bill is more than $5 million, annually, and rising. Helping cover scholarship costs is one of the Athletic Departments' greatest areas of need. Actually, Red & White Club funding has been earmarked for scholarship for the last several years. This just clarifies the focus on supporting, annually, student-athlete development via scholarship funding. |
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| Mark (Fairfield): Why do larger schools (BCS Conferences) have much higher annual giving numbers than the MAC when some of their enrollment numbers are similar to schools in the MAC? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: There are variety of answers to the question, which include greater opportunities for preferred seating as part of the answer. Part of it, too, is creating a habit of giving and building on it each year...some of these institutions have had annual giving programs that have been formalized for years, providing a solid foundation from which to grow. |
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| Wendy (St. Louis): Since announcing the new program have you seen any changes +/- in giving? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: We have seen a little spike in giving since the announcement - and that is not counting the attention and support related to and from the Frozen Four. |
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| MURedHawks.com: Thanks for joining us. We have time for one more question. |
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| Bill (Cincinnati): You got me hooked... How can I make a gift today? |
| | Red & White Club Staff: The easiest way to make a gift today is to visit us online (at this site!) and to click on the "Make A Gift" button. You may also call us at 513-529-8097 or mail a check payable to Miami University (note RWC membership in the memo portion) to 725 E. Chestnut Street, Oxford OH 45056. Thanks for asking - and welcome to the Red & White Club. |
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| | Red & White Club Staff: We appreciate you visiting today and participating in our online chat. Thank you for your interest and time. For further questions or more information, feel free to visit the RWC pages under "Get Involved" or contact us via phone (513-529-8097) or e-mail (RWClub@muohio.edu). |
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| MURedHawks.com: Again, thanks for joining us. Check back next week when we have a member of the football staff with us to talk about the season opener against Kentucky. |
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