If the money is earmarked "softball " but goes to the Hokie Club, does it actually get used for softball or does it go in the general fund? Again, I have no idea how the Hokie Club works

are kept separate from the general funds of the HC. They are not commingled. As @TomTurkey noted, that's why a lot of us donate via Chip. Pete/Chip keep track of those funds to ensure that those funds are separate and in addition to those funds designated/budgeted by Athletics.

If a large donor made a contribution of say $100,000, designated for player acquisition, or NIL, would that money be used exclusively for that?

to NIL, that would be via Triumph and/or The Hokie Way NILs.

general NIL, basically allocated by the athletic department as it seems fit. However, If someone gave $100k to softball, softball could use those funds for NIL.

says that the Keep Jumping fund does collect NIL money. I can't remember if I shared this offline with RJ, but I submitted a FOIA request about the NIL donations to the KJ fund, and was told that the AthDept has never accepted NIL funds to the KJ fund. Now, that being said, I don't know IF I believe that or not, but that was their response. What I found confusing in their answer was, if the AthDept did not accept NIL funds, why did they say so in the Investment Guide, and why did they mention a specific person to contact in the HC for NIL donations. I found that incongruous. And, as of June/July of this year, the new state law re: NIL takes effect. How that impacts NIL giving and reporting has yet to be determined. Furthermore, info re: NIL money is kept like state secrets by all parties involved. There is no info re: NIL salaries, overhead, who decides who gets how much and when, etc.. You can google Triumph NIL to see officers of the NIL, but that's about it. Oh, by the way, Triumph has an office on the 2nd floor of Lane Stadium. @SarahVTHokie24 ** Edited by saret at 4/13/2025, 5:31:03 PM

I think VTAF has been involved in NIL some this past year. There has been interest in front loading deals this spring due to the uncertainty about the auditing provisions of the NCAA settlement. In theory, contacts are supposed to be reviewed for confirming to amorphous "market value" standards.

this summer. Next, and I'm not trying to be argumentative, but VT, according to what few rules are out there, is not to officially be involved in NIL (which we all know is BS), but everyone is lying about that. Next, when you say, " There has been interest in front loading deals this spring due to the uncertainty about the auditing provisions of the NCAA settlement.", are you referring to the House decision on revenue sharing or NIL? NIL and revenue sharing are two different issues. Lastly, there are no "contracts" in NIL, so how are contracts supposed to be reviewed if they don't exist. I guess what I'm asking/saying is I'm confused. Could you elaborate a little more so I uinderstand. Thanks in advance.

I'm linking a fairly decent April 2024 article I turned up in a web search. In addition to directly participating in third-party deals with parties like Triumph, I believe that Virginia institutions are also permitted to engage in NIL deals directly and can hire athletes to promote the institution's brand. When I was talking about front-loading NIL deals, I was referring to the proposed House settlement, which has provisions not just for revenue sharing but also NIL. Apart from damages from former athletes and revenue sharing going forward, the proposed settlement has terms related to NIL deals. From this article https://www.avemarialaw.edu/house-settlement/ there is the following: "Since athletes will still be permitted to contract with third parties for their NIL rights, the settlement establishes a robust NIL enforcement and oversight program with mandatory reporting for any NIL payments over $600.[21] However, any NIL payments from third parties would not apply towards a school’s 22% cap.[22] In support of the new oversight program, the NCAA argues that it will ensure fairness and transparency across the NIL landscape.[23]" My sense is that most NIL deals are bogus pay for play arrangements having nothing to do with actual name, image, and likeness value. If this "robust NIL enforcement program" auditing future NIL deals puts an end to fake NIL deals (hint: it won't), an athletic program's "salary cap" is essentially the uniform revenue sharing limit plus the value of legitimate NIL deals. My "frontloading" comments are alluding to the likelihood that NIL deals struck prior to effective date of the settlement (i.e., very soon) will be exempt from any auditing provisions. I expect that if the robust NIL enforcement program is actually robust, it will likely to draw one or multiple lawsuits from prospective parties to "above market value" deals. The NCAA's track record in such suits recently is poor. It's not clear to me how this auditing provision would cover contracts between athletes and other entities that are not parties in the settled lawsuit. I suppose the athletes participating in revenue sharing could be treated as members of the class in the suit, so maybe that helps the case of the auditing mechanism.

basketball ONLY, where the funds were dedicated strictly to that program? I have no real clue how NIL works.

has the option to use those funds for NIL as well as other purposes. So, if a bunch of donors wanted to fund a specific sport, I believe they could donate to the Hokie Club for a specific sport and possibly restrict the funds to NIL. Wrt the NIL restriction in a specific sport donation, I would need to verify that with a Hokie Club rep though.

sport. Good Info!!

Just put Chip on the job! That is unbelievable Chip - kudos to you for starting the drive and kudos to all who gave/give!

he is anonymous, he is not forgotten.

Several people have given me checks at the game, people are sending in checks after watching at home, I've gotten checks in honor of Bree Peck's 52 home runs, it's all GREAT stuff!!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!

we love you and this program. It's shameful the AD and his minions suits don't or can't see it. Keep attacking, Chip! This program is going to Oklahoma City at some point sooner rather than later. ** Edited by 91HokieBob at 4/14/2025, 8:45:59 AM

available.