May 20, 2009

Bob Madden has been at Boise State University for 29 years as the Executive Director for the Bronco Athletic Association. He has had a very extensive and successful career in college sports, including being a recent Past President of NAADD.

1. Number of years in your current position? 

This month begins my thirtieth year in this position at Boise State University and my thirty-eighth year in higher education.

2. Why/when did you decide to pursue a career in intercollegiate athletics?

 In 1975, I decided to leave my position as financial aid director at the College of Idaho to pursue a career in intercollegiate athletics.

I structured an academic program which would allow me to build upon my previous experiences in collegiate student services administration and my educational business background, i.e., BA and MBA.  I enrolled at two universities, attending one during the summer and the other one during the academic year.  I attended year-round for two full years and also worked twenty hours a week as a graduate assistant during the normal academic year.

3. What was your path to working in athletics development?

 As a part of my class work at Oregon State University (OSU) I spent 10 weeks with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in Mission, Kansas.  This internship was self financed and provided me invaluable insight into the world of intercollegiate athletics.  I also visited the national offices of the NAIA and the NJCAA.  My mentor for this internship was Tom Hansen who recently retired as Commissioner of the Pac-10 Conference.  This opportunity along with my education/work experiences helped me advance my career.

While continuing my studies at Oregon State University I applied and was selected to serve as a student representative on the women's intercollegiate athletic board.  A member of our board was later appointed director of the Women's intercollegiate athletic department and she hired me as the first development director for women's athletics.  After my first year in the position the men's and women's athletic departments were merged together and I became the Assistant Director of the Beaver Club.  The OSU experience was a good one and helped me move on to my current position at Boise State University.

4. In your mind, who in this industry can serve as a good role model?

 We are blessed with several outstanding professionals in athletic fund development today.  People like Pat Ogle at Fresno State, Bobby Purcell at North Carolina State and Lu Merritt at Virginia Tech.  They are seasoned veterans that first come to mind.  They have all met the test of time.  Not only do they manage superior programs at their respective institutions but they also give back so much to our profession.  At the same time we are very fortunate to have several young professionals ready to take us to the next level.  Our profession is in good hands.

5. How has your involvement with NAADD influenced your career?

 NAADD provides a variety of opportunities for those of us in this business.  Probably the most valuable ones for me personally have been the educational training available through our national conference and the networking contacts that result from these meetings and the opportunity to communicate by various methods with our fellow professionals.

6. What is the most important trait to possess for young professionals in athletics development?

 A strong work ethic and the patience to accept that good things take time.

7. What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

 Treat everyone with respect.

8. What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the field of intercollegiate athletics development?

 Join NAADD, and attend the Fundamentals of Athletics Development workshop that is provided annually through our National Conference.  Learn as much as you can about fund development by reading books and visiting with successful people in the profession.  Start networking immediately to enhance your learning experience and make contacts that can assist you once you begin your career.  A must requirement is to build a strong resume with athletic related experiences that are unique enough to get you interviews as you pursue employment opportunities.

11. What is the best example of great stewardship that you have witnessed at your institution?

 As we all know stewardship is a very important part of the development process.  I think we do a decent job in this area but there is always room for improvement.  We make sure that gift(s) are acknowledged and receipted in a timely manner and depending on the level and reason for the gift(s) we notify the proper people who need to know.  In some cases we follow up with a phone call, and we thank them when we see them at sporting events/activities.  Our scholarship endowment program has a more formal structure which involves a donor photo in our Hall of Fame Gallery, an annual banquet with selected student-athletes and update mailings twice per year.

12. What percentage of your work-week is spent in your office?

 I spend about 75% of my time in the office during the work week.  I have numerous evening and weekend events which provide opportunities to socialize with boosters and others in the community.  Since I have been in this position for 30 year I can accomplish a lot over the telephone.  Approximately 95% of our members/donors live within a 50 mile radius of the campus, therefore, we get heavy walk in traffic.  As are many other schools we are developing a program to attract the fans that are not season ticket holders, however, consider themselves a part of Bronco Nation.  This program will require more travel and time out of the office.

13. How do you maintain balance between your professional and personal life?

 We have, over the years, closely aligned these two areas by making the various sporting events, socials and away game football trips a family affair.  A great example is our trip to Hawaii every other year.  We schedule extra time to enjoy the islands.

14. In your opinion, where is collegiate athletic development headed in the future?

 Each year our work in athletic fund development is becoming even more important to the survival of intercollegiate athletics as we know it today.  The monies needed to maintain sports, scholarships, coaching staffs and other expenditures at most schools is costing more than the financial resources available to fund their respective budgets. Currently, with the economy downturn this funding issue is escalating at an alarming rate for colleges and universities at all levels of competition.

In my opinion, this funding issue must be approached through cost cutting measure implemented at the national level, and by colleges and universities generating additional revenues.  Increased fund raising and new revenue sources alone will not solve this problem.  It is going to take work on both sides of this issue.

As far as the future of athletic fund development we must continue to increase our number of gifts and the average value of these gifts.  Most of our development programs are heavily weighted towards gifts/membership tied to football and/or men's basketball season tickets.  However, we all have more fans that do not have season tickets than those that do have them.  It should be our mission to approach these fans and educate them on why our student-athletes and the athletics program needs their financial support.  We all need to grow our respective nations.  These gifts will be small at first, however, as we get to know and cultivate these fans support will increase.  We should continue to build our athletic endowments, however, we must understand the pros and cons of our investment strategies, and that this source of financial support fluctuates with the global economy. 

Planned giving is an area that we should increase our emphasis.  The amount of transferable wealth over the next several years is huge and success in this area could be a major source of new funds for our programs.

15. What are you most looking forward to at the upcoming Convention in Orlando?

 I always look forward to visiting with good friends and meeting our new people entering the profession.  It is a great opportunity to talk about common issues and learn how different approaches are working.