Wouldn't it be nice to have a 50-year commitment from your highest-paying football season ticket holders? For the University of California, this scenario is becoming a reality.

As part of a campaign to increase the athletic department's endowment to $1 billion dollars, Cal has introduced its Endowment Seating Program. Through it, ticket holders can purchase prime seats for home football games for the next half century. In return, Cal secures a lot of money up front, enabling it to plan financially for the future.

For Cal football fans, the advantage is a fixed price for their seats, which includes an annual donation and license fees, for a period of 40, 45, or 50 years. Buyers have the option to pay the bundled price up front, or over time at a fixed rate of six percent interest over 30 years.

"The Endowment Seating Program is not that different from what we're currently doing," explains Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour. "Our donors already make an annual gift--we're just asking them to commit to giving that gift for a significant period of time."

For Cal, the overriding goal is to make the athletic department self-sufficient and able to more easily fund large projects. "Berkeley is in a financial situation not unlike many of our fellow schools," Barbour says. "There is no opportunity for state funding, a referendum, or a bond. This program will enable us to provide financial stability for the athletic department, which then gives us the opportunity to finance our capital projects."

One of those capital projects is the renovation of the school's football facility, Memorial Stadium. The school plans to complete renovations before the start of the 2011 season, when the Endowment Seating Plan will take effect.

Cal worked with Stadium Capital Financing Group based in Chicago for over a year to develop the program. "What Cal is really doing is strategically changing its funding from a short-term to a long-term focus," says Rich Magid, Chief Operating Officer at Stadium Capital. "Historically, athletic departments are short-term focused in the sense that there is a crisis--our stadium is falling down, we need to hire a new coach, our swimming pool has a leak--and they run to their donors for money. But the focus here is building an endowment that will cover all of the sports on a long-term basis."

Stadium Capital held focus groups on campus and surveyed 4,000 alumni about the seating model before presenting it to the public. "Because alumni are the target audience, we also analyzed the history of alumni donations and their demographics," Magid says. "From there, we developed a structure not significantly different from what Cal's current donors are giving."

Three thousand of Memorial Stadium's renovated seats between the 30-yard lines have been split into four categories. "University Club" seats are the most expensive and start at $12,000 per seat annually. They boast the best view, are climate-controlled and padded, and include access to private restrooms and a lounge with flat-screen televisions, catering service, and high-speed Internet.

At the other end of the spectrum, "Young Alumni" seats go for $1,000 annually, and are reserved for those who have graduated from Cal within the past 10 years. Ticket holders get pregame and halftime access to Memorial Stadium's Field Level Club, and have the option to upgrade after six years. At any of the four levels, the donor may sell his or her seat rights to a family member or friend at any time.

In order to advertise the Endowment Seating Program, Cal included an article about it in its alumni newsletter, and word of mouth has been a great tool as well. The department is also constructing a model of the exclusive seats, along with a simulated view of the field, and placing it in the Club Room of its basketball and volleyball arena so potential buyers can get a feel for the experience.

Considering today's economic climate and the price tag of the seats, is Barbour worried about the plan's timing? "Everything in this economy worries us," she says. "But two things lead us to believe this program will be highly successful. One is that we're targeting only our most generous donors. And based on their generosity in the past, even in a down economic time, these people have the wherewithal to continue donating. The second is that the seats have been going like hotcakes. There has been a very, very good initial reaction."

To learn more about Cal's Endowment Seating Program, go to: www.calesp.com.