IU NIL collective gets up to $1 million matching gift; sources expect football to benefit

• With NCAA NIL rules relaxed, schools can now fundraise for collectives.
• Sources close to the situation suggested to IndyStar a significant portion of the aforementioned money, between $1-2 million annually, will go toward football.

BLOOMINGTON – Hoosiers For Good, the IU-centric charity-based NIL collective, announced Monday a matching gift that could eventually become the single largest the organization has ever received from an individual donor.

That donor, who chose to remain anonymous, has pledged to match donations to Hoosiers For Good, or memberships to HFG’s business-side counterpart, Hoosiers Connect, between now and Dec. 31, up to $1 million.

The individual gift, if fully vested, would be the largest in the collective’s history to date. And per a source familiar with the situation, the gift could be of particular benefit to IU’s football program, possibly to the tune of seven figures in yearly NIL support.

Tyler Harris, executive director of Hoosiers For Good, confirmed the gift is the largest in his organization’s history from a single donor — Hoosiers For Good has been operating for about a year and a half now — and he expressed confidence it will feed quickly upon itself.

“When people see there’s someone getting engaged at this high of a level to support athletes at IU,” Harris told IndyStar, “I think it will generate some momentum.”

More:IU athletes net nearly half a million dollars in first wave of Hoosiers For Good NIL deals

The gift comes at a time of significant change in the operating rules around name, image and likeness fundraising in college athletics.

Early in NIL’s evolution, all donor activity, collective-centric or otherwise, was required by NCAA policy and to be conducted independent of athletics departments.

Recent amendments to the NCAA’s NIL guidance now allow departments to assist in fundraising for whatever organizations serve as their primary NIL conduits.

Those organizations, commonly referred to as collectives, still must remain independent, and deals still may not be arranged as inducements. But now, IU athletic director Scott Dolson may, for example, encourage and direct fundraising efforts toward Hoosiers For Good. Schools cannot raise money specific to any one sport, but donors can require gifts to target a specific sport or group of sports, and collectives may marshal resources largely as they choose.

The changes would seem to benefit IU under Dolson’s leadership, given his extensive fundraising background.

Dolson’s department has worked to stay current on NIL since before the practice became allowed under NCAA rules, with senior associate athletic directors Becky Pany and Jeremy Gray heading a departmental task force on the issue. These latest rules revisions position Dolson particularly strongly — in his time as director of IU’s Varsity Club, the athletics department’s fundraising arm, and as deputy athletic director, Dolson spearheaded capital campaigns that ultimately raised well over a quarter of a billion dollars for a variety of projects.

As NCAA guidance opened the door for departments to be more involved in fundraising, Dolson’s gaze has shifted firmly to NIL.

“Scott has been dedicating an enormous amount of his schedule to making sure we are well-positioned in the NIL era,” a source told IndyStar.

The success of collectives like Hoosiers For Good, Hoosiers Connect and the Hoosier Hysterics’ HH NIL Collective has already been reflected in men’s basketball. Every scholarship player on Mike Woodson’s roster is believed to have entered into at least one NIL deal within the past year.

Now, that success could extend to football, a sport awash at the highest levels in NIL dollars. So substantially, in fact, that programs outside the most well-heeled fear name, image and likeness could further widen the competitive gap between the elite and the rest of the field.

Coaches and administrators across the country have become more transparent in their efforts to drive NIL fundraising as the reins have loosened. Just last week, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops appealed for further support from his fanbase.

“If we want to compete at the highest level, we’ve got to have money in the bank,” Stoops said. “That’s legal. There’s collectives and we have collectives in place that are supported, that are cleared from out administration you’re allowed to put money into, so donate.”

IU coach Tom Allen has also talked in the past about the growing importance of NIL in his profession. He might soon see direct benefit. Sources close to the situation suggested to IndyStar a significant portion of the aforementioned money, between $1-2 million annually, will go toward football.

Anyone wishing to give in the matching program can either do so through either the Hoosiers For Good or Hoosier Connect websites, or by contacting either Harris or former IU basketball player Collin Hartman, vice president of partnerships and the point person for Hoosiers Connect.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.