To understand the evolving attitudes of athletics donors at the Group of 5 level, I conducted my final interview with a top NIL donor in April 2025. He was thinking about the major shifts in athlete talent redistribution driven by changes in NIL and the transfer portal.

“From my perspective it is a no-win situation. It starts when I give money to NIL. The coach uses it to pay better players. The coach then leaves for a pay raise and takes all the players with him, and you have nothing to show for it. I would rather just give money to the university.”

He closed with: “Do not BS me with this ‘student-athlete thing’ anymore.”

This donor is not the only NIL supporter to have this point of view. Things have certainly changed in the NIL era, and I empathize with the challenges facing my fundraising friends, particularly at the Group of 5-level.

As more revenue is needed to fuel a championship-level athletic department in the revenue share era, it is important to reexamine one of the biggest sources of revenue: major gift-level donors. Motivations have changed.