The TCU Frog Club has been around for over 75 years, but after undergoing a recent rebranding, including changes in its structure, program and benefits, TCU athletics has announced the “new Frog Club.”
The Frog Club is a community of donors and contributors to TCU athletics that includes current students, alumni and fans. After working on rebranding the program for two years, Glenda Clausen, assistant director of the Frog Club, said the club decided to announce the new changes when it moved into the new facilities in the Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena.
The goal of rebranding the club is to make it feel more like an elite membership, said Clausen. She said she wants members and donors to feel like the club is inclusive, yet an exclusive group to be a part of.
“There’s pride in being a Frog Club member,” Clausen said.
The Frog Club’s identity is in its support of TCU athletics, said Jennifer Colley, executive director of the Frog Club. Colley added rebranding the program would help put a “splash” out there again, reminding fans what Frog Club and its purpose is.
Colley said another goal in rebranding the program is to take donor rewards levels and cut them from 10 to five.
“[Rebranding is] an opportunity to look at everything we need and restructure some of it,” Colley said. “It’s always a positive to do that.”
In the current setup of the donor reward program, Frog fans can contribute to TCU Frog Club, athletic endowments or athletic related capital projects. Donating money qualifies them for benefits and higher access to TCU athletics.
Clausen said it’s a donor stewardship and incentive program put together.
The amount of money a member donates for capital or scholarships determines what benefits he or she receives.
“We try to provide experiences that can’t be purchased,” Colley said.
The benefits may be special, but they require hefty donations. The top benefit, a private dinner with TCU coaches and athletic officials, rings up at $50,000.
Colley said the competition level in the Big 12 Conference and the accomplishments of TCU athletics have spurred continuous growth in Frog Club. There are about 6,000-7,000 Frog Club accounts in place right now.
Clausen said Frog Club has grown to become more than just student-athlete scholarships.
“It’s about raising funds for the construction and the new facilities,” Clausen said.
Colley said the ultimate goal is for Frog Club to be able to completely fund athletics, but “we are a long way from that,” she said.
Colley said even though they are still a long way off their goal, Frog Club was able to provide 11 million dollars in scholarships for student-athletes in the past. That money can now be used in other places and to help fund other projects, she said.
“We have made unbelievable strides,” Colley said.
For more information about the TCU Frog Club and TCU Athletics, you can read the 2015 Annual Report below.
Correction: an earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the cost of a private dinner with the TCU coaches. That benefit requires $50,000 in donations.
