I. Tyee

"Tyee" is a word in the Chinook dialect which means "leader" or anything of high quality. At the University of Washington, Tyee's are those who, through their generosity and their commitment, provide leadership as alumni and friends of the UW who wish to support the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The University of Washington's Tyee Club was established in 1976 to create greater interest in and financial support for Washington's varsity athletic program.

Members of the Tyee Club help make possible athletic scholarships for more than 700 athletes representing the entire 23-sport program.

Annual contributions to the Tyee program are the lifeblood of intercollegiate athletics at Washington. The total gifts received from the nearly 7,000 Tyees exceed $5 million annually.

Football-related revenues and Tyee contributions are our primary means of support.

Intercollegiate Sports at Washington


Men                         Women
Baseball                    Basketball
Basketball                  Crew
Crew                        Golf
Football                    Gymnastics
Golf                        Soccer
Soccer                      Softball
Swimming                    Swimming
Tennis                      Tennis
Track (indoor and outdoor)  Track (indoor and outdoor) 
                            Volleyball

II. Gifts to Intercollegiate Athletics

Seat-related gifts are received as discretionary gifts to the athletic department. The first priority for allocating these funds is to support as many athletic scholarships as possible.

A Tyee member may also direct additional gifts to any of the University of Washington's "Olympic" sports, those which are not self-sustaining. Currently, only football and men's basketball generate support sufficient to cover expenses.

Each of the varsity sports and the Husky Marching Band has its own fund-raising program, coordinated through the Husky Tyee Sports Council.

Methods of Contribution

Each year, alumni and friends of the University of Washington make a variety of gifts in support of athletic and academic excellence. Methods of giving can vary. Each contributor can elect to make a gift in a way best suited to his or her preference and personal situation.

Annual Cash Gifts

Cash is the most common form of giving. Contributions provide the yearly financial resources necessary to operate a successful athletic program.

Matching Gifts

This method goes hand in hand with cash gifts. If your company has a matching gift program, check with the personnel office to determine if it includes gifts to athletics. If the answer is yes, enclose the company's matching gift form with your contribution. Matching gifts are considered pledges and are not credited until received by the university.

Endowed Scholarships

An endowed athletic scholarship (which may be named in honor of the donor) may be established with a gift of pledge of $150,000, payable within three to five years. Unlike annual gifts intended for current use, endowment gifts are invested by the university in perpetuity. Income from the endowment is available each year to help pay a student athlete's tuition, books, room, board, and fees. Contact the Tyee Office at (206) 543-2234 for additional information.

Other Types of Gifts

While most donors make cash gifts, contributors also may give stock, real estate, or other property, or may designate the University of Washington as beneficiary of trusts, bequests, and life insurance policies. These gifts can provide present and future support for Washington athletes and can offer you valuable tax advantages and income benefits. For more information, call the Tyee Office at (206) 543-2234, or the UW's Office of Gift Planning at (206) 685-1001, or tool-free at 1-800-284-3679.

III. Tyee Priority Point System

Currently, the Tyee priority seating system applies to 21,000 seats in the Husky Stadium and 1,200 seats each for men's and women's basketball in Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Each contributor has on Tyee "account" to which gifts to all sports are credited, including contributions to Key-100 (men's basketball) and Fast Break (women's basketball).

Tyee football seating areas on Husky Stadium's north and south sides are completely reallocated, based on priority, every three years.

Tyee men's and women's basketball seating areas in Hec Edmundson Pavilion are completely reallocated, based on priority, every three years.

Points determine seating priority for home season tickets and for bowl games and tournaments.

Points are assigned in the following manner:

1 point for every $100 of historical contribution to the athletic department;

1 point for every $100 of campus-wide giving to the university for members of The President's Club (as of July 1, 1994, minimum of $2,000 in annual gifts to qualify for TPC membership);

2 points for each year of Tyee membership;

5 points for each consecutive year of season ticket purchase for the sport in question--if for example, you contribute to both football and women's basketball, the number of years of consecutive ticket purchase factored in for the particular sport is drawn only from that sport, so you could have different point totals for different sports.

Tyee point totals are calculated in the following manner:

Total gift-related points are divided by the number of seats in the Tyee account; then years of Tyee membership and consecutive years of season ticket purchase are added to create a point total.

As is explained more fully below, Tyee membership gives donors access to priority seating areas; season tickets must by purchased separately.

Following is an example of how the point system is applied:

A Tyee member has contributed $500 per year (two purple Tyee football seats) for eight years, has purchased season football tickets for 11 consecutive years, and has made a gift of $2,500 this year to the Department of English.

40 points -- one point for each $100 contributed to Tyee
plus
25 points-- gift to the English Department
equals
65 total points

65 points divided by 2 seats
equals
32.5 points
plus
16 points-2 points for each year of Tyee membership
plus
55 points-- eleven consecutive years of season tickets purchase
equals
81.5 points total

For calculation of football seating priority, all gifts relating to Tyee seating must be received on or before March 1st of each year. President's Club-level gifts to other university programs are entered into Tyee accounts each January to include contributions from the previous calendar year.

Football contributors also receive a copy of each year's University of Washington Football Media Guide, a parking pass for home football games, and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics' newsletter, Husky Newswire, in addition to the opportunity to attend several events throughout the year.

Men's Basketball Key-100 contributors of $100 (purple) or $50 (gold) per seat receive priority seating for men's basketball home games. Season tickets are purchased separately through the ticket office. Donor seats are located on the floor level of Hec Edmundson Pavilion's south side (opposite the student section and team benches), and in the east and west end court areas. Membership applications should be made during July through September each year. Benefits include Tyee membership, a parking pass, media guide, Husky Newswire newsletter and opportunities to attend social functions.

Women's Basketball Fast Break seating priority is achieved by contributing $75 for the first two seats and $25 for each additional seat (i.e., two seats = $15, three seats $175, etc.), and through years of season ticket purchase. Again, season tickets mush be purchased separately through the ticket office. Donor seats re located behind the team benches in the upper and lower levels of Hec Edmundson Pavilion's south side, and across from the team benches on the upper level of the north side. Membership applications should be made during July through September each year. Benefits include a parking pass, media guide opportunities to attend social events, Tyee membership and Husky Newswire newsletter.

Please Note:

All contributors to the Tyee program are considered gifts to the University of Washington and are credited at full value for purposes of the donor's gift record at the university. These gifts are not refundable.

Annual, per-seat contributions which are necessary to participate in the Tyee program and which entitle donors to priority seating in Husky Stadium and Hec Edmundson Pavilion are 80 percent deductible as charitable contributions for income tax purposes, according to section 170(m) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Gifts over and above the annual Tyee per-seat contribution, in support of the athletic department of other programs at the University of Washington, are fully deductible as permitted by law.

The IRS has ruled that the deductible portion of you gift cannot include the value of Tyee benefits--media guides, Huskies! newsletter, parking pass--that you receive. We have determined the value of these benefits to be $35.00 (1994).

Amounts paid to purchase tickets are not tax deductible as they are not gifts to the University of Washington.

Why a Priority System?

The Tyee priority seating program was developed with three primary objectives:

-to be as fair as possible to our donors;
-to provide a consistent home field advantage in Husky Stadium; and
-to provide the necessary scholarship funding for as many student athletes as possible.

The policies outlined in the brochure have been designed to recognize Tyees for their loyalty and their generosity to the university and to the athletic program, and to seat them fairly according to priority point totals.

In addition, we believe this system will allow us to continue to provide funding for educational opportunities for the talented women and men who choose to represent Washington on and off the field.

The priority system described here is effective January 1, 1994.

IV. Tyee Seating Distribution in Husky Stadium (chart)

Tyee Seating Distribution in Hec Edmundson Pavilion (chart, 2)

V. Questions & Answers

Q: How do I get into the Tyee Program?
A: Tyee seating areas in Husky Stadium and in Hec Edmundson Pavilion are in high demand and have been sold out during recent years. You may place your name on a waiting list or receive general information by calling the Tyee Office at (206)543-2234.

Q: Will I have the same seats year after year?
A: No, none of the Tyee seats in the stadium or pavilion is assigned indefinitely. Each of the Tyee areas is completely reallocated--based on priority--every third year.

Q: Based on my priority, where will I sit?
A: Although frequently asked, this question is impossible to answer. Your seat assignment is based on the priority points you have accumulated, and where you points stand relative to other Tyees.

Q: What about parking?
A: Parking passes are provided as a benefit to Tyee members (see previous item regarding value and deductibility of the benefit) and are assigned based on priority. Tyee parking areas are lots E-1, E-5. E-8, E-11, and E-12 near the stadium and pavilion.

Q: How do I get tickets if I'm not a Tyee member?
A: Public season tickets are available through the Husky Ticket Office. Priority for public tickets is based solely upon consecutive years of ticket purchase. If few tickets are available, a lottery will be held each year to determine who receives them.

Q: How much do I have to give to keep the same seats from year to year?
A: Again, this is difficult to answer, because your priority is determined by the points in you account in relation to points in other Tyee accounts. You do need to make the basic per-seat contribution each year to remain in the Tyee program.

VI. Giving Levels for Gifts to Intercollegiate Athletics (in 1994)

Football
Tyee Purple                      $250 per seat annually
Tyee Gold                        $150 per seat annually
Tyee White                        $75 per seat annually

Men's Basketball
Coaches' Corner                   $500 minimum annual gift
                                       (including seat related gifts)
Tyee Key-100 Purple               $100 per seat annually
Tyee Key 100 Gold                  $50 per seat annually

Women's Basketball
Tyee Fast Break                    $75 annually for first two seats
                                   $25 annually for each additional seat

Annual Scholarship Program
Director's Circle Scholarship   $7,500 annually
Coaches' Circle Scholarship     $4,000 annually
Purple and Gold Scholarship     $2,000 annually

Endowments
UW endowment minimum           $25,000 gift or pledge
Endowed athletic scholarship  $150,000 gift or pledge