Athletiverse Drives $250K in Q1 Revenue for Big Ten Collective Client Through Strategic NIL Newsletter — A Case Study

The Challenge

In the rapidly evolving landscape of NCAA Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules, collectives have emerged as a strategic partner for universities to support their student-athletes. However, many collectives struggle with effective fundraising and building sustainable revenue streams beyond go-to donors.

This was the challenge that one prominent Big Ten athletic collective faced at the start of 2024. They needed to expand their donor pool and tap into alternate fund raising channels.

The Athletiverse Solution

In January 2024, the collective partnered with Athletiverse to launch a strategic newsletter program aimed at boosting donations and generating advertising income. Athletiverse's role included:

• Content Writing & Curation

• Design & Formatting

• Email Distribution

• Growth & Marketing Strategy

The key differentiator was Athletiverse's audience-centric, data-driven approach to the newsletter. By deeply understanding the needs and motivations of different stakeholders like donors, fans, alumni and local businesses, the newsletters provides highly engaging and personalized content experiences that connects with each stakeholder category.

Current Summer Launch Offer: 90 Day Revenue-Guarantee

If you’re a university or brand with a current email list of over 5,000 people we’d love to help! Our promise to you, besides creating and operating a world-class newsletter, will be to build a ROI positive newsletter for you that encompasses all your marketing and revenue goals in under 90 or you owe nothing.

Impressive Results in Just 90 Days

Despite only publishing the newsletter twice per month in Q1 2024, the Athletiverse solution delivered stellar results for the collective:

• Over $250,000 in combined donation & advertising revenue generated

• Significant new donor acquisition from students, alumni and fans

• Increased advertising partnership inquiries from local businesses

Why It Worked

According to the Athletiverse team, a few key factors drove the newsletter's success in monetizing the collective's NIL efforts:

1. Audience-Centric Content - By developing distinct content pillars tailored for donors, fans, athletes and businesses, the newsletters provided a "something for everyone" experience to maximize engagement.

2. Transparency & Storytelling - The newsletters pulled back the curtain on the collective's mission, how funds get allocated, athlete highlights and more to build trusted relationships with stakeholders.

3. Strategic Growth Tactics - Smart subscriber acquisition, optimized sender paths and clear calls-to-action around donations and partnerships facilitated direct revenue generation.

As the NIL landscape continues evolving, strategic communications and digital marketing will likely become critical competencies for collectives aiming to maximize their fundraising capabilities.

From our client:

"Our NIL newsletter allowed us to connect with stakeholders in a personal, consistent way while opening up an entirely new revenue stream," said the collective's executive director. "Athletiverse's approach really supercharged those efforts."