We have to support TrueNU (tell your friends as well)

[phatcat]

Want good players? In this day and age, they will be paid. By NU or other schools.

I had a nice talk with Jacob Schmidt. I sent a general email with questions and he set up a call with me. It sounds like they are working hard and have had some success, but the playing field will continue to get more competitive. They do not yet have the "large donors" but are working on it. It is NU'S only official NIL.

To me, as "athletic supporters", this is the area of greatest need. The stadium will be built. The STH money and donations go to something other than players. The university has a 13B endowment.

Help TrueNU help the players

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Want good players? In this day and age, they will be paid. By NU or other schools.

I had a nice talk with Jacob Schmidt. I sent a general email with questions and he set up a call with me. It sounds like they are working hard and have had some success, but the playing field will continue to get more competitive. They do not yet have the "large donors" but are working on it. It is NU'S only official NIL.

To me, as "athletic supporters", this is the area of greatest need. The stadium will be built. The STH money and donations go to something other than players. The university has a 13B endowment.

Help TrueNU help the players

Did Jacob express whether TrueNU is considering shifting to the ”signing bonus” model now that Fitz isn’t around?

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Want good players? In this day and age, they will be paid. By NU or other schools.

I had a nice talk with Jacob Schmidt. I sent a general email with questions and he set up a call with me. It sounds like they are working hard and have had some success, but the playing field will continue to get more competitive. They do not yet have the "large donors" but are working on it. It is NU'S only official NIL.

To me, as "athletic supporters", this is the area of greatest need. The stadium will be built. The STH money and donations go to something other than players. The university has a 13B endowment.

Help TrueNU help the players

You must be a big shooter if he set up a call with you. I think one of Jacob’s biggest challenges is getting the word out to the right audience or any audience for that matter.

 

[Pasadena Bound]

Want good players? In this day and age, they will be paid. By NU or other schools.

I had a nice talk with Jacob Schmidt. I sent a general email with questions and he set up a call with me. It sounds like they are working hard and have had some success, but the playing field will continue to get more competitive. They do not yet have the "large donors" but are working on it. It is NU'S only official NIL.

To me, as "athletic supporters", this is the area of greatest need. The stadium will be built. The STH money and donations go to something other than players. The university has a 13B endowment.

Help TrueNU help the players

Kudos to you phatcat for gathering the information on TrueNU. Making donations is a very personal thing and each of us has to decide what's right in terms of giving. That said, I'd like to see more NU fans donating to TrueNU and fewer fans complaining about it. Jacob is working hard and it the right guy to head it up for us.

 

[FeralFelidae]

Those who were most vocal about paying the players are free to pony up.

 

[zeek55]

I feel like once the stadium financing is finished (I don't think the donation component is fully funded yet so there's still some resources competition there), there's really nowhere else for our major donors to make a significant impact except NIL.

So the true measure is where we are in 5 or 7 or 10 years on NIL.

 

[phatcat]

You must be a big shooter if he set up a call with you. I think one of Jacob’s biggest challenges is getting the word out to the right audience or any audience for that matter.

Seriously, I just emailed a few questions to contact@truenu.org. He responded and offered to set up a call.

 

[phatcat]

Those who were most vocal about paying the players are free to pony up.

Yes, I get an out-of-cycle bonus this month and plan to donate. I am not a big donor, but, for me, it will be a significant amount.

 

[2388bb]

Kudos to you phatcat for gathering the information on TrueNU. Making donations is a very personal thing and each of us has to decide what's right in terms of giving. That said, I'd like to see more NU fans donating to TrueNU and fewer fans complaining about it. Jacob is working hard and it the right guy to head it up for us.

Getting rid of Gragg and Schill would help with donations. That is the main elephant in the living room and everyone knows it. Just my opinion.

 

[Pasadena Bound]

Getting rid of Gragg and Schill would help with donations. That is the main elephant in the living room and everyone knows it. Just my opinion.

I agree.

 

[phatcat]

Getting rid of Gragg and Schill would help with donations. That is the main elephant in the living room and everyone knows it. Just my opinion.

I'd like to think that NIL donations would not affect their status, one way or the other. I.e a lot of donations won't reflect positively on them, and fewer donations won't reflect poorly. It feels like a way to support the athletes without the administration interfering

 

[2388bb]

I'd like to think that NIL donations would not affect their status, one way or the other. I.e a lot of donations won't reflect positively on them, and fewer donations won't reflect poorly. It feels like a way to support the athletes without the administration interfering

I hear you, however, more donations likely helps solidify there existence.

 

[phatcat]

I hear you, however, more donations likely helps solidify there existence.

Their*

I feel like you mean that their dismissal is more important than athletic success. Like, if Braun does well, it makes them look good, so you want him to do poorly?

I don't feel that way at all. I want the teams to do well and the kids to be properly educated and compensated.

 

[NURoseBowl]

Getting rid of Gragg and Schill would help with donations. That is the main elephant in the living room and everyone knows it. Just my opinion.

More than just yours, my friend. You're far from alone.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Seriously, I just emailed a few questions to contact@truenu.org. He responded and offered to set up a call.

Maybe Jacob should contact Lou and set up a call with the posters on this board.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

Maybe Jacob should contact Lou and set up a call with the posters on this board.

I was on a group call a few weeks back…Lou was as well. He gave a terrific recap outlining many of the points discussed here (and quite a bit more).

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I was on a group call a few weeks back…Lou was as well. He gave a terrific recap outlining many of the points discussed here (and quite a bit more).

Two more big shooters.

 

[phatcat]

Two more big shooters.

The athletes need all the help they can get.

 

[hdhntr1]

Getting rid of Gragg and Schill would help with donations. That is the main elephant in the living room and everyone knows it. Just my opinion.

I get the feeling Schill's idea of donations is in other areas than athletics

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

The FSU tiered plan seems almost like purple points. Thought this was interesting:

"We are going to build a juggernaut:" FSU NIL collective The Battle’s End adds over 900 members in wake of playoff decision

"We are fully committed in continuing to support Coach Norvell and his staff to build a program that can never again be cheated by outside forces."

www.tomahawknation.com

 

[2388bb]

Their*

I feel like you mean that their dismissal is more important than athletic success. Like, if Braun does well, it makes them look good, so you want him to do poorly?

I don't feel that way at all. I want the teams to do well and the kids to be properly educated and compensated.

Not at all. I want the athletic teams to win. I kept my ST's this year and went to every game including at Illinois. I realize it is a double edged sword. Kind of ironic that Fitz's hire did so well and made the decision to keep him easy for Gragg and Schill. It is telling the number of coaches who turned down the interest NU had in them. Braun could not turn down the job. I thought he and the assistants brought in was a good move from the get go. Unfortunately the success this year has taken the heat off of Gragg/Schill.

 

[fcmchi]

Tell the Ryan family. NU sports need big time NIL money instead of an $800 million monument.

 

[phatcat]

Tell the Ryan family. NU sports need big time NIL money instead of an $800 million monument.

I hope, but I am not sure we can count on it. Due to the untimely demise of Alan Smithee (RIP 🥺), Pat Ryan now has to go it alone.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Tell the Ryan family. NU sports need big time NIL money instead of an $800 million monument.

Tell the fans to part with a few dollars, shekels, rupees, yen, francs, euros, and renminbi instead of putting it all on Pat Ryan and Alan Smithee.

 

[Pasadena Bound]

Tell the fans to part with a few dollars, shekels, rupees, yen, francs, euros, and renminbi instead of putting it all on Pat Ryan and Alan Smithee.

I don’t know what the TrueNU fundraising strategy is but my guess is that they initially have targeted big donors (that’s what I would do). But every bit helps. If 100 board participants gave $100 each that would be $10,000. $250 each = $25,000. It all adds up and helps NU be competitive.

 

[zeek55]

Tell the Ryan family. NU sports need big time NIL money instead of an $800 million monument.

The stadium needs to get done.

After that there will be literally nowhere else (except NIL) for our major donors to put their money in terms of athletics.

I think patience is needed here; let's just say I'll be surprised if we don't have the NIL resources that we need.

 

[fcmchi]

Tell the fans to part with a few dollars, shekels, rupees, yen, francs, euros, and renminbi instead of putting it all on Pat Ryan and Alan Smithee.

You’re right, the poor Ryan family needs our help, so here it is: Contribute 100 million to NIL; contribute 100 million to refurbishing Ryan Field; keep 600 million pocket change for that rainy day.

 

[phatcat]

I don’t know what the TrueNU fundraising strategy is but my guess is that they initially have targeted big donors (that’s what I would do). But every bit helps. If 100 board participants gave $100 each that would be $10,000. $250 each = $25,000. It all adds up and helps NU be competitive.

Jacob Schmidt said they are working on it, but do not yet have the big donors on board. That means that what they've done in the past year (e.g. Boo's package) was done WITHOUT big donors. Personally, I am not waiting for the big guys, and will make a donation when I get my year end bonus

 

[FeralFelidae]

I don’t know what the TrueNU fundraising strategy is but my guess is that they initially have targeted big donors (that’s what I would do). But every bit helps. If 100 board participants gave $100 each that would be $10,000. $250 each = $25,000. It all adds up and helps NU be competitive.

That would feed a lot of starving children in Africa.

 

[2388bb]

Tell the fans to part with a few dollars, shekels, rupees, yen, francs, euros, and renminbi instead of putting it all on Pat Ryan and Alan Smithee.

I remember people including my non NU fan friends initially thinking NIL would be good for NU. I was skeptical because NU has many wealthy alums, I don't believe that the majority of them are sports fans. Look at the pushback the Professors gave on the new stadium. There has always been a divide between athletics and academia at NU. There is also a divide between NU and Evanston. My dad used to tell me stories and he graduated in 1962. Much of the academic side and Evanston do not really support NU athletics. This does not bode well for NIL donations. I can't imagine any other Big 10 school having to deal with these ongoing problems.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

I remember people including my non NU fan friends initially thinking NIL would be good for NU. I was skeptical because NU has many wealthy alums, I don't believe that the majority of them are sports fans. Look at the pushback the Professors gave on the new stadium. There has always been a divide between athletics and academia at NU. There is also a divide between NU and Evanston. My dad used to tell me stories and he graduated in 1962. Much of the academic side and Evanston do not really support NU athletics. This does not bode well for NIL donations. I can't imagine any other Big 10 school having to deal with these ongoing problems.

It only takes a couple of deep-pocketed supporters to make an NIL collective really hum. Most schools focus on fundraising $3-5MM/year, a large part of which can come from grassroots small donors. But getting to that level requires a couple of those kind of guys to plunk down a couple million every year.

The interesting dynamic is that all the big-spend items will be done once the stadium is finished. Brand new stadium. Brand new practice facilities. At least a handful of very wealthy donors who won’t really have anywhere to spend big bucks besides NIL. Can we count on that as a fundraising mechanism? Eh… but at least means that those guys should be more receptive to the pitch from TrueNU (or any other collective).

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I remember people including my non NU fan friends initially thinking NIL would be good for NU. I was skeptical because NU has many wealthy alums, I don't believe that the majority of them are sports fans. Look at the pushback the Professors gave on the new stadium. There has always been a divide between athletics and academia at NU. There is also a divide between NU and Evanston. My dad used to tell me stories and he graduated in 1962. Much of the academic side and Evanston do not really support NU athletics. This does not bode well for NIL donations. I can't imagine any other Big 10 school having to deal with these ongoing problems.

I guess the divide is an unfortunate reality. The question is can academia do anything to stop it? They aren’t donating their salaries. Common sense seems to indicate a strong respectable athletic program is good for the overall reputation of the university. Might even increase applications which would likely justify the ridiculous tuition increases with some of that flowing to their programs.

Why is PE even a HS requirement if it doesn’t enhance academics? I thought we strive for well rounded students with diverse interests? To me, Professors or Administrators saying they don’t support athletics being as good as they possibly can isn’t a heck of a lot different than Athletes neglecting their academic responsibilities.

 

[2388bb]

I guess the divide is an unfortunate reality. The question is can academia do anything to stop it? They aren’t donating their salaries. Common sense seems to indicate a strong respectable athletic program is good for the overall reputation of the university. Might even increase applications which would likely justify the ridiculous tuition increases with some of that flowing to their programs.

Why is PE even a HS requirement if it doesn’t enhance academics? I thought we strive for well rounded students with diverse interests? To me, Professors or Administrators saying they don’t support athletics being as good as they possibly can isn’t a heck of a lot different than Athletes neglecting their academic responsibilities.

You are correct in saying successful athletics, mainly football and basketball increase applications and overall popularity. Unfortunately, the academia side at NU does not seem to care.

 

[techtim72]

I don't know that there are a lot of big money contributors to NU athletics but the ones we do have are obviously gold plated wonderful. For me, ultimately the greatest risk in hiring Schill and Gragg is whether they are capable of maintaining those relationships. If they don't screw it up, a big if, reaching $10 mil a year or whatever, won't be a big reach. Frankly, I would be amazed if they haven't screwed it up already. Keeping rich people happy is incredibly difficult and neither of those two have struck me as people persons.

As a reminder of how difficult money comes in the real world, yesterday the Milwaukee Brewers reached agreement on funding renovations worth $500 mil over the next 30 years. Took several years to sort out. A combination of state, local and Brewer contributions plus a surcharge on nonbaseball events at the stadium. That's for a pretty successful baseball team.

 

[zeek55]

I don't know that there are a lot of big money contributors to NU athletics but the ones we do have are obviously gold plated wonderful. For me, ultimately the greatest risk in hiring Schill and Gragg is whether they are capable of maintaining those relationships. If they don't screw it up, a big if, reaching $10 mil a year or whatever, won't be a big reach. Frankly, I would be amazed if they haven't screwed it up already. Keeping rich people happy is incredibly difficult and neither of those two have struck me as people persons.

As a reminder of how difficult money comes in the real world, yesterday the Milwaukee Brewers reached agreement on funding renovations worth $500 mil over the next 30 years. Took several years to sort out. A combination of state, local and Brewer contributions plus a surcharge on nonbaseball events at the stadium. That's for a pretty successful baseball team.

Yeah we have around 15-20 families that have provided the vast bulk of the $800 million or so in athletics donations over the past 30 years (including Ryans' contribution to stadium rebuild but not others).

Maintaining those relationships is a major part of the job for Graag/Schill of course... but the Fitz fiasco has likely left a lot of anger/hurt there because of Fitz's closeness to those families.

As far as NIL goes, it comes down to whether those families see that as part of how they want to support NU athletics.

Impossible to know for sure, but once the stadium rebuild is finished, there won't be any other major areas of need other than NIL on the athletics side given the $1.2-1.3 billion in facilities built...

It's a matter of how NU's approach will work under future rules allowing us to give athletics revenue to players and how donors can be involved in that...

 

[FrancisSearle75]

I feel like like major donors like their names to be attached to the things they donate money to. At my high school alma mater, even the individual window sills and benches have plaques with the donors' names on them.

How will you be recognized for donating money to NIL? Naming rights for players?

Ben Bryant - The Nikesh and Archana Patel Family Starting Quarterback.

 

[FeralFelidae]

I feel like like major donors like their names to be attached to the things they donate money to. At my high school alma mater, even the individual window sills and benches have plaques with the donors' names on them.

How will you be recognized for donating money to NIL? Naming rights for players?

Ben Bryant - The Nikesh and Archana Patel Family Starting Quarterback.

The SEC "bag men" always operated in the shadows. They weren't giving money to players for publicity; they were doing it because they were super-fans. The types of people who were predisposed to bribe players to join their team are also predisposed to stay under the radar.

 

[zeek55]

I feel like like major donors like their names to be attached to the things they donate money to. At my high school alma mater, even the individual window sills and benches have plaques with the donors' names on them.

How will you be recognized for donating money to NIL? Naming rights for players?

Ben Bryant - The Nikesh and Archana Patel Family Starting Quarterback.

These families already have their names on everything (Ryan, Walters, Trienens, Combe, Sullivan, etc.).

At some point, there's nowhere else to put your name after $1.3 billion in facilities have been built over a 10-12 year period.

NIL is really the only place where extra donor $ can have a significant impact on results once the stadium is completed.

Plenty of these folks will want nothing to do with that and will likely focus primarily on academic donations, that's perfectly fine.

I'd imagine some would want to help the teams competitively if/when we get to a point where schools can pay players out of athletics revenue, and if they can help direct money alongside NU's athletics department.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Are schools allowed to market their collective? As a season ticket holder and supporter (admittedly peanuts) of the program, I have to dig to find out details on True NU. I linked an article on Florida State gaining over 900 new donors after the playoff announcement.

Their program was designed into tiers with donors pledging a monthly or annual level to the collective. Based on your tier there were various perks you got. The larger the donation the better the perks. Some of the perks included player memorabilia or access to the sideline pre-game etc.

If TrueNU was a business, one of the first things they would do is hire someone to effectively market the product (NU Football) and drum up excitement with how donating is worthwhile.

 

[CappyNU]

Are schools allowed to market their collective? As a season ticket holder and supporter (admittedly peanuts) of the program, I have to dig to find out details on True NU. I linked an article on Florida State gaining over 900 new donors after the playoff announcement.

Their program was designed into tiers with donors pledging a monthly or annual level to the collective. Based on your tier there were various perks you got. The larger the donation the better the perks. Some of the perks included player memorabilia or access to the sideline pre-game etc.

If TrueNU was a business, one of the first things they would do is hire someone to effectively market the product (NU Football) and drum up excitement with how donating is worthwhile.

There were ads for TrueNU on the sideline scoreboard during the Purdue game, so I think the answer is yes.