FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas disclosed revenue of more than $60 million in its annual athletics report released this month to members of the Razorback Foundation and called upon fans to help fundraising efforts.
The report provided a rare glimpse into the Razorback Foundation's fundraising campaigns, which are not subject to Freedom of Information Act requests.
Harold Horton, executive director of the Razorback Foundation, estimated a loss of 900 members but a gain of 1,000 new members over the past year. Amid a struggling economy, Horton credited the excitement surrounding the football program for the jump in members and the annual fund's increase.
"If you don't ask, you don't have the chance to get it," Horton said of the foundation's fundraising. "That's something our people haven't been shy about. They have to ask. There are a lot of people out there with capability of giving more and there are a lot of people who can't give as much. You have people on both sides of the fence."
The Razorback Foundation, the private fundraising arm of the Arkansas athletics department, received $13.2 million in gifts in fiscal year 2010, which ended June 30, according to the report. Total members of the Razorback Foundation jumped by more than 100 to 10,695 and the annual fund increased 4 percent to $12.3 million.
The state's fiscal years begin on July 1 and end on June 30 of the following year, so fiscal year 2010 began on July 1, 2009, and ended June 30 of this year.
Fifty-two percent of the athletic department's $60.3 million in revenue was generated from ticket sales, according to the report. The Razorbacks also received about $16 million from the SEC's revenue sharing program, funded mostly by the conference's strong television contracts with ESPN and CBS.
Thirty-nine percent of the athletic department's revenue comes from football, according to the report.
The Razorback Foundation's endowment, annual fund and total donors, however, remain low when compared to other schools in the SEC, according to the report.
The Razorback Foundation ranked last in endowment among other SEC schools in the 2009 fiscal year, according to the report, and ninth in annual funds. The foundation ranked seventh in total donors, according to a phone survey performed by the foundation.
The final pages of the 32-report shed more light on the Razorbacks' struggles to compete financially with other SEC schools. The booklet also contained an open letter to fans asking for support.
"Although we have always prided ourselves on doing more with less, our competition has improved and continues to improve," reads the letter, which appears on the last page of the report. "The support of the Razorback Nation will be essential to the future success of our program and we're depending on you. Now it's our turn to respond."
The athletic department's total operating budget for the 2011 fiscal year is expected to jump 5 percent to $63.3 million, according to information obtained from a Freedom of Information Act request in June. An increase in ticket prices for football will help with revenue, as football is expected to generate $26.1 million in ticket sales for a 12.1 percent increase from last year.