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basketballfan22
12-20-2008, 11:53 AM
I'm thinking about joining this organization. How do I ensure I get Duke Basketball Season tickets? Also when do I have to donate to get 2009-2010 tickets?

Also when I do join, how many season tickets can I purchase?

bjornolf
12-20-2008, 12:28 PM
According to this website, you have to give at least $7,000 to be able to purchase season tickets:

http://www.irondukes.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5100&KEY=&ATCLID=178277

Devil in the Blue Dress
12-20-2008, 01:03 PM
According to this website, you have to give at least $7,000 to be able to purchase season tickets:

http://www.irondukes.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5100&KEY=&ATCLID=178277
In addition, there must be seats available to purchase.... someone who's not renewed season ticket order.

The fiscal year runs July 1 - June 30. If you pledge and pay during the current fiscal year, you then place yourself on a list of folks ranked for amount of giving and waiting for the opportunity to buy season tickets..... and begin building equity.

Iron Dukes I've known who have had more than two tickets have been pressured in recent years to reduce their request to two season's tickets.

basketballfan22
12-20-2008, 03:03 PM
In addition, there must be seats available to purchase.... someone who's not renewed season ticket order.

The fiscal year runs July 1 - June 30. If you pledge and pay during the current fiscal year, you then place yourself on a list of folks ranked for amount of giving and waiting for the opportunity to buy season tickets..... and begin building equity.

Iron Dukes I've known who have had more than two tickets have been pressured in recent years to reduce their request to two season's tickets.


so given this fiscal year.... if I donate $7000 right now, do I have to then give another $7000 after June 30th, 2009 to have the right to buy tickets for the 2009-2010 season? Also how much do season tickets cost.

Also I thought the whole point of giving above a certain amount is to ensure you can get tickets. For example, if there is a person who gets season tickets now, but only donates $5000 a year, yet I then donate $7000... don't I trump that person?

Devil in the Blue Dress
12-20-2008, 03:12 PM
so given this fiscal year.... if I donate $7000 right now, do I have to then give another $7000 after June 30th, 2009 to have the right to buy tickets for the 2009-2010 season? Also how much do season tickets cost.

Also I thought the whole point of giving above a certain amount is to ensure you can get tickets. For example, if there is a person who gets season tickets now, but only donates $5000 a year, yet I then donate $7000... don't I trump that person?

There is no right to buy tickets. You apply to buy season's tickets. Once you start giving, you have to maintain that level or higher to have any possibility of buying tickets. Cumulative giving matters. And no, you don't bump somebody else off priority list like that.

Ticket prices depend on where the seats are located. Season's tickets are in the neighborhood of $1500 - $1,700 for two.

You might find it useful to talk with someone in the Iron Dukes office who can answer your specific questions.

Stray Gator
12-20-2008, 03:25 PM
so given this fiscal year.... if I donate $7000 right now, do I have to then give another $7000 after June 30th, 2009 to have the right to buy tickets for the 2009-2010 season? Also how much do season tickets cost. ...

Iron Duke priority levels are based on the contributions for the same fiscal year; so if you want to qualify for season tickets next season, you would make your pledge for the 2009-10 fiscal year--i.e., to contribute the money between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Donating this year will increase your priority "points," but will not be counted towards your required donation to qualify for season tickets next year.

basketballfan22
12-20-2008, 03:49 PM
There is no right to buy tickets. You apply to buy season's tickets. Once you start giving, you have to maintain that level or higher to have any possibility of buying tickets. Cumulative giving matters. And no, you don't bump somebody else off priority list like that.

you say cumulative point matter but that I also have to give the same amount or higher. Don't see the point of cumulative points then.

Has anyone ever donated $7000+ and not been able to buy Basketball season tickets?

Stray Gator
12-20-2008, 04:06 PM
you say cumulative point matter but that I also have to give the same amount or higher. Don't see the point of cumulative points then.

Has anyone ever donated $7000+ and not been able to buy Basketball season tickets?

I don't know that anyone who doesn't work in the Iron Dukes Office can answer that. (The best way to get reliable answers to all of your questions is to call the Iron Dukes Office at (919) 613-7575 during normal business hours.) FWIW, I believe that cumulative points matter when determining priority within certain giving levels. For example, if Duke doesn't have enough ACC Tourney tickets to fill all of the requests from the $10,000/year-level contributors, they would start filling orders of those with the highest number of priority points.

sagegrouse
12-21-2008, 12:06 AM
Just call the Iron Dukes office. Or, first, read the web site (http://http://www.irondukes.net/). Usually, I talk with Carol Brantley, who often answers the phone. Jack Winters is the director. Plus, there are development officers who can provide information as well as take your check.

I had season tickets from 1995 through 2003 -- and then I moved to the Colorado mountains, so that season tix made no sense. I still contribute (not as much) and enjoy some benefits.

sagegrouse

bjornolf
12-21-2008, 11:45 AM
I have a friend who has belonged to the lowest level of the Iron Dukes (I think it's $100) since he graduated in 1997. He figures that if he ever moves down there or after he retires, he can give the amount needed and already have like 30 years of membership built up. I thought that was pretty smart. Don't know if it'll work, though.

devilish
12-22-2008, 10:27 AM
If there are any seats available, you would have to pony up quite a bit for your initial purchase. The better the seat, the higher the cost. The $7,000 is the minimum to keep those seats each year. Tickets are purchased separately and are $50 each. ($50 x 2 seats x 15 or so games = $1,500 or more)

Kimist
12-22-2008, 08:41 PM
Not speaking for the Iron Dukes, but here is the way I have seen things work:

1 - Your contributions buy only the rights (if available) to purchase tickets.
2 - You must pay for the tickets separately.
3 - Your membership exists on an annual basis (July start of year) and football/basketball ticket rights are determined by the given/pledged amount for that membership year.
4 - Ticket considerations are based primarily on cumulative dollar amounts given and years as a member. ("Points" is a secret undisclosed formula along the lines of the Coca Cola recipe!!) You get some additional "consideration" for recommending new Iron Dukes (who join) and even turning in basketball tickets for resale. But giving for twenty years at $100/year is unlikely to get you into Cameron Indoor Stadium.
5 - Rights to ACC/NCAA tournament games go by the same formula, but even MORE money is necessary to be considered for those, exception being places like the Georgia Dome ACC tourney where just about anyone able to spell "D-U-K-E" could get tickets. Interestingly enough, the participating schools get fewer tickets for the early NCAA rounds, so only the major donors have a shot at Iron Dukes tickets to those games.
6 - Once you make a gift, you cannot later give a lesser gift and maintain the same rights. This rule applies even if you are within the same gift "range." I guess this is the flip side of the "grandfathering" rule that allows one to maintain their gifts and get ticket considerations at a dollar rate lower than a new member would encounter for the same benefits. Many people sitting in Cameron are currently paying far less than the $7k or so donation necessary for a new person to obtain seats.
7 - There are even rules for "transferring" the rights to a membership....the new person can have the membership BUT must begin contributing at the Stadium Level rates (whatever they are at that time) to get any seats. So much for grandpa with mid-court seats (dare I say at "grandfathered" rates??)willing those to a lucky grandson - unless grandpa funds the new membership or the kid is loaded! (I think there is even some very fine print related to the differences between transfers to spouses, soon to be un-spouses, children, and others.)

Seriously, all of this stuff is explained quite well on the Iron Dukes web site.

I've probably babbled more than is really necessary.

k

Devil in the Blue Dress
12-22-2008, 09:43 PM
Not speaking for the Iron Dukes, but here is the way I have seen things work:

1 - Your contributions buy only the rights (if available) to purchase tickets.
2 - You must pay for the tickets separately.
3 - Your membership exists on an annual basis (July start of year) and football/basketball ticket rights are determined by the given/pledged amount for that membership year.
4 - Ticket considerations are based primarily on cumulative dollar amounts given and years as a member. ("Points" is a secret undisclosed formula along the lines of the Coca Cola recipe!!) You get some additional "consideration" for recommending new Iron Dukes (who join) and even turning in basketball tickets for resale. But giving for twenty years at $100/year is unlikely to get you into Cameron Indoor Stadium.
5 - Rights to ACC/NCAA tournament games go by the same formula, but even MORE money is necessary to be considered for those, exception being places like the Georgia Dome ACC tourney where just about anyone able to spell "D-U-K-E" could get tickets. Interestingly enough, the participating schools get fewer tickets for the early NCAA rounds, so only the major donors have a shot at Iron Dukes tickets to those games.
6 - Once you make a gift, you cannot later give a lesser gift and maintain the same rights. This rule applies even if you are within the same gift "range." I guess this is the flip side of the "grandfathering" rule that allows one to maintain their gifts and get ticket considerations at a dollar rate lower than a new member would encounter for the same benefits. Many people sitting in Cameron are currently paying far less than the $7k or so donation necessary for a new person to obtain seats.
7 - There are even rules for "transferring" the rights to a membership....the new person can have the membership BUT must begin contributing at the Stadium Level rates (whatever they are at that time) to get any seats. So much for grandpa with mid-court seats (dare I say at "grandfathered" rates??)willing those to a lucky grandson - unless grandpa funds the new membership or the kid is loaded! (I think there is even some very fine print related to the differences between transfers to spouses, soon to be un-spouses, children, and others.)

Seriously, all of this stuff is explained quite well on the Iron Dukes web site.

I've probably babbled more than is really necessary.

k

Your summary is a pretty good description of how the system works, though I would substitute the word privileges for the word rights.

Two other points: (1)The parking passes are clearly marked as property of the athletic department and non-transferable. (2)When season's tickets are delivered, there is included in the packet a statement indicating that unauthorized resale of tickets can result in the loss of ticket purchasing privileges.

Sixthman
12-22-2008, 10:02 PM
there is included in the packet a statement indicating that unauthorized resale of tickets can result in the loss of ticket purchasing privileges.

It's hard to believe the Iron Dukes make a good faith effort to enforce this, although I wish they would. All it would take is marking down the very large number of the seat numbers with visiting colors during ACC season and then making a few phone calls to put a stop to this.

Kimist
12-22-2008, 10:52 PM
It's hard to believe the Iron Dukes make a good faith effort to enforce this, although I wish they would. All it would take is marking down the very large number of the seat numbers with visiting colors during ACC season and then making a few phone calls to put a stop to this.

Actually you would be quite surprised. Although I am not in the loop to know what (if any) "enforcement" has occurred, rest assured the Iron Dukes management HAS looked into who is selling what tickets, especially for several hundred dollars each on web ticket sites. (Many ticket sites no longer list the specific seats and stop at section or row.) These inquiries are frequently the results of "regulars" complaining to the Iron Dukes about a person making a donkey's behind of himself while in someone else's seat.

The penalty for getting caught is no further ticket purchases allowed, PLUS all tickets for the remaining season are voided. OUCH!!

I think many/most Iron Dukes have no problems transferring/"selling" at face value or less tickets to friends or co-workers, especially for some of the minor games.....makes a great Christmas gift! The mere presence of foreign colors does not constitute a violation, as I've taken some friends of a "different persuasion" to Duke and they have returned the favor.

It seems the worst scenarios are the unc "fans" with those from MD and NCSU (who?) also being in competition. Last year there was in the row behind me a totally obnoxious, and drunk, tarhole fan who threatened me and my companion. When enough was enough, I went to the usher and said fan was escorted away. OTOH, I have had some very friendly folks sit beside me, and I found out they had paid $750 per ticket for the pleasure of seeing the game. (The air fare from NYC was a collateral expense for them.)

There are a lot of "unauthorized" ticket exchanges, if you read the rules, but many of those exchanges are no different from what goes on at any athletic venue. It does bug me to see the same "people" at every game with their cute little signs "needing" tickets. They will gladly pay you $15 for a ticket, but if you want a cheap one you might have to shell out $100+.....and don't ask about the "big" game prices. Personally I would like to see the uniformed officers at least chase those guys away from CIS every now and then.

k

sagegrouse
12-22-2008, 11:02 PM
Not speaking for the Iron Dukes, but here is the way I have seen things work:

4 - Ticket considerations are based primarily on cumulative dollar amounts given and years as a member. ("Points" is a secret undisclosed formula along the lines of the Coca Cola recipe!!) You get some additional "consideration" for recommending new Iron Dukes (who join) and even turning in basketball tickets for resale. But giving for twenty years at $100/year is unlikely to get you into Cameron Indoor Stadium.

5 - Rights to ACC/NCAA tournament games go by the same formula, but even MORE money is necessary to be considered for those.

Interestingly enough, the participating schools get fewer tickets for the early NCAA rounds, so only the major donors have a shot at Iron Dukes tickets to those games.


k

I have a comments on a couple of Kimist's points. True, there is a complicated formula and lifetime giving is important. Nevertheless, if you pay "the number" in a given year, you are almost certain to get season tickets.

ACC tickets and NCAA tickets are different beasts. ACC tourney tickets in the 20,000 seat arenas are very expensive through the school. But, of course, there is an alternative. Go to the Thursday games, which are under-attended and, therefore, you will find a ticket at face value or less. During the session, go to the losers's sections after each game and try to buy tickets -- take cash with you -- and don't worry about offending the losers -- they don't want to stay for the rest of the tournament. I did this in DC in 2006 and ended up paying about twice face value for the tickets -- a tiny fraction of what it would have cost to make the required Iron Dukes donation. And, of course, it helped in DC that UMd lost in the opening round.

The NCAA regionals and first/second round games are a different matter. The sponsoring cities need the cash and sell almost all the tickets months before the event, so there are very few left over for the competing schools. I expect you can go and buy tickets from locals who really don't care about the games, but I have never done so. I was in the Philly regional in 2001, but I believe those tickets came from Duke. (And I was at the Raleigh regional in 1964, and I have no idea where those tickets came from.)

Final Four tickets are relatively easy to get from the school. Duke had trouble getting rid of its quota in 2004 for San Antonio. Texas is a big and distant state without a large number of Duke alums. In fact, there were six people sitting next to me in the Duke section who were friends of the travel agency in Connecticut that handles Duke events (and who were quietly but definitely supporting UConn). My guess is that almost any level of giving would have gotten you seats in San Antonio (and a hotel room). Of course, you still have to get there.

sagegrouse

Kdogg
12-23-2008, 10:38 AM
This might be a little off topic so apologies in advance:

The last time the ACC tournament was at the Georgia Dome, anyone could join the Iron Dukes at the $100 level to get tickets. That was pre-expansion though. Does anyone know the likelihood this time?