Dear Cyclone Fans,
On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff, thank you for your support of our athletics program. Your continued generosity to the Cyclone Club helps provide the necessary resources to allow our student-athletes to pursue their academic and athletic dreams at Iowa State University.
The intercollegiate athletics landscape is undergoing dramatic and rapid change. We must identify and implement creative new ideas and solutions for our athletics program to thrive during challenging times.
While Cyclone Club donations, which fund scholarships, facilities, and operations, will continue to be our department’s number one fundraising priority, it is also critical that we bolster our student-athlete’s ability to activate their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities. We are able to do that through the support generated by the We Will Collective.
With the start of another school year just around the corner, the We Will Collective invites all Iowa State fans to participate in a three-week kickoff challenge that runs through September 7. An anonymous donor has generously agreed to match every dollar raised by the We Will Collective, up to $200,000 during this period. The goal is to provide $400,000 of support during this challenge, which will make a substantial impact on the lives of our student-athletes, as well as local charities in our community.
Under the leadership of Executive Director Brent Blum, the We Will Collective has successfully partnered with more than 30 non-profit organizations in our community since its inception. Cyclone student-athletes have helped Make-A-Wish generate over $200,000, facilitated basketball camps throughout the state, including in areas historically underserved in youth sports, fed community members through Food at First, volunteered with Special Olympics and became ambassadors for Central Iowa’s YSS, to name just a few.
NIL opportunities, which allow student-athletes to be paid in exchange for work such as autographs, appearances, promotions, and camps, are an increasingly important part of the recruiting and retention process for our coaches. We deeply appreciate Brent’s leadership in providing these opportunities for Cyclone student-athletes through the We Will Collective.
In addition to the We Will Collective, Iowa State Athletics has collaborated with the Ivy College of Business and Advance NIL on a series of educational sessions available to all Cyclone student-athletes. We have also worked with CAMPUS-INK and INFLUXER to provide co-branded ISU merchandise opportunities for all Cyclone student-athletes and created the Cyclone Exchange through INFLCR to connect local businesses and student-athletes in the NIL space.
Cyclone legends such as Georges Niang, Charlie Kolar, Tyrese Haliburton and Allen Lazard have already jumped in on the challenge to support current student-athletes. It is my sincere hope you will join them by donating to the We Will Collective Challenge today!
Go Cyclones!
Jamie Pollard
Director of Athletics
Iowa State University
