Doug Knuth
5.4K posts
@DougKnuth
Division I Athletic Director | Fundraising & Philanthropy Leader | Building championship cultures | Doctoral Candidate in Strategic Leadership | UConn Tennis |
The faster everyone gets that major college sports are nothing more than an entertainment business that exist to make money, and have nothing to do with the greater good of society, the better.
At @CSRIConference and listening to an athlete panel where college athletes are saying they have no issue being classified as employees and they are already employees. Similar to the conversations I have had with hundreds. @NCAA says different. I’ll listen to the athletes
Leadership in philanthropy is a time horizon decision. Short-term thinking produces: Campaign success Long-term thinking produces: Generational impact Most systems reward the former. Opportunity is in building for the latter. More on this approach: tinyurl.com/mrxeu5ta
Keep sharing @CoachRexWalters. It’s great for fans to hear how actual head coaches see things. I’d love to hear how some A4 head coaches see this. Appreciate you Rex!
Scheduling Thoughts that might help: Eliminate Buy Games. Eliminate Conference Referees and the Different Pay Scales for the different conferences. Play who you want. But all contracts need to be Home and Away or Neutral Site Contracts. Tell me what’s wrong with this?
Most fundraising strategies are built for 5–7 years. But donor behavior unfolds over 30+. That gap matters—especially with the $120T+ wealth transfer underway. Read more here: The 30-Year Philanthropy Horizon dougdknuth.com/leadership-ins…
Advancement leaders who prepare now will: Build relationships earlier with donors and families Integrate planned giving into athletics fundraising Educate donors about tax-smart asset giving Align legacy philanthropy with institutional vision This is strategic leadership
Think about the 30-Year Philanthropy Horizon: Donor wealth ↓ Strategic gift planning ↓ Legacy commitments ↓ Endowments and long-term program impact This is where transformational gifts will come from.
Most fundraising strategies in higher education and athletics focus on: • Annual giving • Campaign gifts • Sponsorship revenue Important priorities. But the next era of philanthropy will be driven by planned gifts and legacy commitments tied to generational wealth transfer.
New article on how nonprofits, universities, and athletics programs can prepare for the Great Wealth Transfer. LinkedIn article: linkedin.com/posts/doug-d-k… Website: dougdknuth.com
The $124 trillion Great Wealth Transfer will reshape philanthropy. Over the next two decades, unprecedented wealth will move between generations. For nonprofits, higher education, and college athletics, the question isn’t whether it will happen. The question is who is prepared
