Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

University of Arkansas officials estimated their ticket priority plan would generate approximately $5 million in additional revenue for the athletic department. That was a conservative estimate.

Arkansas confirmed Monday that $6.5 million had been raised through the Razorback Seat Value Plan (R.S.V.P.).  Money raised through football ticket sales will go to support all 19 sports at Arkansas.

R.S.V.P. is the first part of a decade-long fundraising plan launched last year. Arkansas credits R.S.V.P. for generating a 20-percent increase in Razorback Foundation membership.

Here’s more from the UA:

“The overwhelming response and generosity of Razorback fans made R.S.V.P. a resounding success for the future of our program and the more than 460 student-athletes who compete for the University of Arkansas,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long said. “In August, we outlined a customized plan specifically tailored to the Razorback program to help us close the financial gap between ourselves and our on-field competitors. While we still have more progress to make, R.S.V.P. was an important first step in the process. We are grateful for the many supporters who stepped up and helped us meet the challenge. ”

A total of 2,687 new members joined the Razorback Foundation as part of R.S.V.P. During the process, the R.S.V.P. staff, led by Executive Director Chris Wyrick, fielded more than 18,000 phone calls and accommodated more than 3,900 seat selection appointments. In addition, members of the Razorback Foundation and the ticket office worked with foundation members to provide additional information, answer questions and assist with updating and customizing donor accounts.

“While most programs see a substantial drop in their number of donors when implementing similar plans, the Razorback Foundation saw a significant increase in its overall membership during R.S.V.P.,” Long said. “To our knowledge, the addition of more than 2,680 new members was the largest membership growth of any program in the country that did not expand their stadium as part of the process. That is a credit to the tremendous support of our Razorback fans and the entire Razorback Foundation team.”

Arkansas says the additional ticket money will not change the school’s position among its SEC peers in total revenue. Currently, the Razorbacks are No. 9, but rank among the top three in salaries paid to head coaches in basketball, baseball and football.

A roundup of last August’s coverage of the R.S.V.P. launch can be found here.