If you don’t love your fans you had better learn to. As one major university marketing campaign recently put it, “Ultimately, a successful program is sustained by unwavering and passionate fans.” At the recent NCAA Wrestling Championships I made it easy for fans to follow my alma mater’s wrestling team. They could follow updates and inside news on Twitter, Facebook, via text message alerts and on our website with behind the scenes video footage of our team and the championships. Show your fans this kind of love and they’ll love you back. You have to love them when they love you, which is easy. You have to love them when they’re indifferent to you, which is not very exciting. And you have to love them when they are angry at you, which is, at times, excruciating. There are certain things that you have to do to be successful and loving your fans is one of those things. If you show them unconditional love they will reciprocate. I’m talking about the unconditional love of your pet dog. You can yell at him, smack him with a newspaper, rub his nose in his wrongs (literally) and not for a minute will he consider forsaking you. That’s the love I’m talking about. Love them by thanking them publicly …by sending them enewsletters each week …by posting news to your Facebook Page regularly …by thanking your donors personally …by making it quick and easy for them to donate …by hosting socials for them to get to know other fans (and feel part of a family) …by giving them stuff (like t-shirts, bumper magnets or food) Without this love you’ll not get their financial support. And without that you are not relevant to your AD. Develop this love and express it in every way you can think of. It will pay dividends.