Cornell Men;s Soccer Alumni Association Board members,
Thanksgiving is a fantastic holiday to spend time with family, eat heartily and be thankful. For this, I am thankful for being part of the Cornell’s Mens Soccer Alumni Association, Cornell Soccer family and the teams successes, so far, this year.
At our October Board meeting, we discussed potentially recognizing the coaching staff with a "Special Achievement Award" and this season clearly merits that. A 13-3-1 regular season (8-1-1 road record), an NCAA bid with a first round bye, and a second round win with a spot in the Sweet 16! This is certainly an historic and special year and this is all taking place during the 50th Anniversary of our Final Four Team!
A subcommittee was set up to research this process and make a recommendation to the Cornell Men’s Soccer Alumni Association board. John Bayne, Eric Thornburg and I have worked with Cornell's NCAA Compliance Officer, Amy Foster and consulted with Andy Noel, Cornell University's Athletic Director. We have also reviewed the operative NCAA By-Law (13.3.2.3) and considered the option of donating directly to Cornell and stating our wishes for the Coaching staff to be recognized.
Based on our research and consultations, it is our recommendation that the Cornell Men's Soccer Alumni Association recognize the Coaching staff with a direct "Special Achievement Award." A direct payment is not a tax deductible gift, it is purely a gift. We chose this option because the coaches would have received 60% of the gift and Cornell would have kept 40% if the tax deductible gift option.
Our Special Achievement Award is based upon the team receiving an NCAA bid, a second round win and a birth into the Sweet 16. We hope to raise money from you and disseminate as follows:
Head Coach John Smith $25,000
Associate Head Coach Drew Hutchins $10,000
Assistant Coach Luke Staats $5,000
The three of us have pledged $15,000 towards this award. We are now turning to the rest of the Board for your support. We are recommending giving levels of either $5,000, $3,000 or $1,000. That said, don’t be discourages to give if you cannot commit to these levels, any dollar value gift is greatly appreciated! (Note: It is our understanding that this direct payment would not be tax deductible but you should consult your financial advisor for any final determination).
I have set up a Spotfundsite for your convenience. I have done this in order to keep everything visible and above board. It is a great way to track progress and, in a best case scenario, if we achieve above our goals, we can have a resource for future gifts to the coaching staff. We ask that if you use this approach, you cover the administrative fee of [x%] or transfer directly from your bank account. (A check is of course welcome also - just connect with me directly so we can arrange for that to be mailed to my home).
Please let me know as soon as possible what level of giving you are able to support. I would like to meet with Coach Smith in early to mid-December!
If you have any questions, please let me know!
For the good of the team!
Stef Greenberg
