How can an athletic department sustain success without having the monetary resources to keep up with the competition in major college athletics? How can the fundraisers generate donations without sustained success on the field? Those are the questions currently being asked in the offices of the Cougar Athletic Fund.

Washington State’s Athletic Department’s fundraising arm generates the least amount of monetary donations in the Pac-12 Conference. When the final figures for 2013 were released, WSU ranked eighth in the Pac-12 in number of donors (6,006), but the school came in last in the conference in total amount of dollars generated at $4.7 million. At its surface, the issue of fundraising seems obvious: Win more games and more money will be donated. However, WSU men’s basketball Head Coach Ernie Kent does not see it that way.

“Look at what Mississippi State (football) did, because that thing wasn’t built, (then) fans come. You have to do it together,” Kent said. “It will be much more rewarding if you do come with us together, instead of saying ‘get there, and then I’ll come.’ You may do that, you’re going to miss the experience of Josh Hawkinson. He’s on track to do what only one other guy’s done since Blake Griffin, averaging the numbers he’s averaging. He is right here at Washington State.”

It’s a complicated situation, one that has a variety of natural factors, with geographic location being at the top of the list. The CAF does its best to bridge the gap between the University and the population bases of its alumni, by having offices in Seattle, Spokane and Tri-Cities. Athletic Director Bill Moos said there are both positives and negatives to take away from those 2013 final numbers.

“The encouraging thing, and also the depressing thing, is that both those numbers are the highest they’ve ever been in Cougar Athletics, so we’re getting our message across,” Moos said. “Our goal is to cover the cost of scholarships with our annual fund, and we’re about $3 million short of that.”

It is a steep climb to get the CAF to the top of the Pac-12, but it is one that Uri Farkas, assistant athletic director of annual giving, was ready to take on when he was hired in August. He said the solution is not in trying to mirror what the University of Washington or the Los Angeles schools are doing.

He said the solution comes in finding what makes schools with similar demographics as WSU attain success in fundraising. Schools such as Oregon State, Iowa State, Kansas State and Mississippi State are schools being looked at by Farkas. He is confident in the CAF’s ability to grow at an explosive rate. His goal is to lead the Pac-12 in total number of donors.

“We’re putting together an aggressive 36-month plan to grow this organization to the largest it’s ever been, and with that, there is no reason why we can’t have the largest donor base in the Pac-12,” Farkas said. “Arizona currently holds that title. There’s no reason why we can’t have the largest base of donors in the Pac-12, and we’re going to get after it and make that happen.”

Under Farkas’ reasoning, if WSU can rise to the top of the Pac-12 in number of donors, the scholarship bill will be taken care of, and there would be some remaining money to help fund other areas of need. For Farkas, that is why comparing the amount of dollars generated with big city schools such as Washington and UCLA, or private schools such as Stanford and USC, is not the most accurate way to define success for the CAF.

One specific technique that Oregon State uses is to have a third-party vendor assist the department in certain aspects of the operation, such as creating and maintaining a “microsite” for the fundraising department. The third-party vendor can also help with other aspects such as messaging and data analytics. Farkas attributed this as one of the reasons for Oregon State’s recent fundraising success. It is one approach that the CAF is currently looking into for the future.

One hire the WSU Athletic Department made that is making a big splash at CAF events throughout the northwest is former WSU standout quarterback Jason Gesser. Moos said Gesser’s work ethic and name recognition helps the athletic department get its foot in the door for major gifts, which is where Gesser focuses most of his attention. Gesser has also been tasked with helping bring former WSU athletes back and getting them involved again.

It is a long road ahead for the CAF to reach its goals, which to some might be deemed unattainable. Moos believes everything is headed in the right direction, but financial support must come from the Cougar faithful.

“In my opinion, you’re not a Cougar unless you have skin in the game,” Moos said.