Hipcricket Facilitates Mobile Donations to Butler University in Renovating Famed Hinkle Fieldhouse

By Mandira Srivastava

TMCnet Contributor

 

A few years back, many people across the world donated millions of dollars to Haitian relief efforts through texting from their cell phones. Mobile donation is fast, easy and comfortable.

 Hipcricket, the one-stop mobile advertising and marketing and subsidiary of Augme Technologies Inc., has announced it is assisting Butler University in renovating famed Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis through a mobile donations effort - a key component in the school's $16-million public fundraising campaign.

It shows how small donations can be a powerful response. 

Butler University wants to preserve the 84-year-old Fieldhouse's classic architecture. To enhance the function and safety of the building, the school is working to improve interior spaces to better serve student-athletes and fans.

Hinkle Fieldhouse was the center of the basketball world in 1986, when it was featured in the film, 'Hoosiers.'

The mobile users who text HINKLE to 32333 can donate $10 to the University. The charge will appear on the mobile subscriber's carrier bill.

Butler has already secured over $11 million in campaign gifts and pledges, which has allowed the University to begin repairs to the Fieldhouse's exterior this past summer. Work included tuck-pointing 282,000 bricks, replacing more than 9,700 windowpanes with energy-efficient glass, and updating utilities.

Doug Stovall, Hipcricket executive vice president of Sales and Services, said in a statement, "Successful philanthropic efforts are inclusive, and these days that includes giving through mobile devices. Pardon the pun, but with this program, donors won't have to jump through any hoops to give to such an important cause."

The institution will be performing Interior improvements in 2013-2014. The site of a former natatorium will be reconstructed to house a new student-athlete academic center, strength and conditioning room, sports medicine center, and coaching/administration offices.  Locker rooms will be renovated as well.

Hinkle's Fieldhouse will include a scoreboard with video capability, more chair-back seating, and additional restrooms.