Penn State NIL collective launches $2 million fundraising campaign

With the Transfer Portal set to officially open Monday, NIL collectives across the country are scrambling to ensure they’re well-funded to reduce players leaving and help entice prospects to come their way.

Some collectives share repeated marketing emails that rival politicians asking for money. That’s exactly what Washington State-focused collective Cougar Collective sent out Thursday night. Yet, others, such as Penn State-focused collective Success With Honor, are launching new fundraising campaigns.

Success With Honor announced a new fan-funding campaign Friday with the goal of raising $2 million in 30 days. The collective announced each new $25 monthly subscription to Success With Honor, will be matched by Anthony Misitano, a Penn State alumni and Chief Executive Officer of PAM Health, dollar-for-dollar for the next 31 days.

“There is no university in the world that has provided a greater student-athlete experience than Penn State,” Anthony Misitano said in a statement to On3. “Success With Honor was established to help the next generation of student-athletes accomplish amazing things during their time in Happy Valley, on-and-off the field.

“We now need the support of Nittany Lion Nation to ensure that our university provides unrivaled NIL opportunities for each and every student-athlete. I’m giving $1 million dollars to Success With Honor, and I call on every fellow alumni to follow me in contributing.”

James Franklin calling on Penn State fans to donate

Success With Honor, which is run by Student Athlete NIL, said to reach the $2 million match goal, the campaign needs 3,333 Penn State fans to make the $25 monthly commitment. Success With Honor said members receive exclusive interview content, access to exclusive supporter events and student-athlete meet-and-greet sessions, raffle entry for autographed memorabilia and Success With Honor apparel.

“College athletics has always been the front porch of the university,” Success With Honor CEO Mark Toniatti said in a statement. “Now that student-athletes can profit from their Name, Image and Likeness, Success With Honor has the opportunity to leverage the collective strength of the Penn State alumni network to ensure that no university in the country can empower its student-athletes to maximize their NIL better than we can.”

Success With Honor says 90% of each contribution will directly support the student-athletes with the other 10% covering the collective’s operating costs.

The collective also appears to have the support of football coach James Franklin.

“I know a lot of Nittany Lion fans have been asking how they can help when it comes to NIL,” Franklin said in a statement. “We have a championship mindset with everything we do. To support our longstanding tradition of excellence, and to continue to win championships, we need to be the absolute leader in providing every one of our student-athletes with NIL opportunities. Consider joining Success With Honor to further elevate, educate and empower our student-athletes.”

Success With Honor doesn’t just support football players. The collective has already agreed to partnerships with hundreds of Nittany Lion student-athletes in all of the varsity sports in State College.

Another Student Athlete NIL collective, Oklahoma’s Crimson and Cream, is also running a similar fundraising campaign. Over the past 17 days, Crimson and Cream has generated 1,291 new subscribers and more than $1,242,000.