Aug. 26, 1999
CLEMSON, S.C. – IPTAY, Clemson’s athletic scholarship fund-raising organization, established all-time records for total members and money pledged during the July 1, 1998 to June 30, 1999 fiscal year. Executive Director of IPTAY George Bennett made the announcement Thursday. The organization, founded in 1934, is the oldest of its kind in the United States.
IPTAY had 21,351 members during the year, up from the previous record of 20,887 in 1988, a year when $30 was still the minimum membership contribution. IPTAY 1999 pledges reached $9,459,840, better than the previous high of $9,143,045 set last year.
The pledge total for 1999 does not include $3,315,000 raised between Jan. 1 to June 30 for the Tiger Pride Campaign. IPTAY pledges for 1999 also do not include funds generated from executive suite sales, gifts-in-kind or revenue generated from the sale of its highly successful cookbook “Pawsitively Clemson,” which was edited by the wives of the IPTAY staff and IPTAY Board of Directors.
Bennett also said that IPTAY endowments have now reached 73 in total and that the IPTAY Collegiate Club has 2,894 members, making it the largest collegiate athletic booster club in the nation, and the most visible organization on the Clemson campus.
“The dedication of the IPTAY Board of Directors that include the nine directors and all past presidents, plus the work of 750 IPTAY Representatives that work the grass roots for the organization, and the IPTAY staff, should be given credit for these outstanding results,” said Bennett. “The marketing of Clemson athletics through the highly acclaimed full color Orange & White, which is geared to the entire Clemson family, also had a positive effect.”
Bennett said the organization strives for more and he has set lofty goals for the organization this year. “We hope to reach 25,000 donors, make significant growth in our Tiger Pride Campaign, to identify major donors for naming opportunities in our Tiger Pride renovation program, and to increase our participation in the BiLo Booster Fund-raising program.”
April 16, 2024
