Texas One Fund announces collective donors can earn Longhorn Foundation Loyalty Points

Donors to the Texas One Fund will now be able to earn five Longhorn Foundation Loyalty Points for every $100 donated to the official NIL collective of Texas Longhorns athletics beginning today, the Texas One Fund announced.

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“It’s an awesome day on the Forty Acres with the Longhorn Foundation announcing that all Texas One Fund contributions will now be awarded Loyalty Points,” Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. “As y’all know, Texas One Fund is the official organization supporting name, image, likeness (NIL) opportunities for our student-athletes, and this is a tremendous opportunity for all of you incredible Longhorn Foundation members to directly impact our student-athletes.

“Going forward, your pride, passion and commitment to our student-athletes through NIL giving will be rewarded with Loyalty Points. It’s a great way for us to show our gratitude for your never-ending support and for you to be further recognized for your continued commitment to the success of our athletics programs.”

What are Loyalty Points? The Longhorn Foundation website says they are part of a “system used to reward Longhorn Foundation members and season ticket holders for their loyalty and commitment to Texas Athletics. Loyalty Points are used to determine various processes such as: priority ranking for season ticket seat and parking selection and upgrades for all sports, seat selection appointment times for the Allstate Red River Rivalry, and seat allocation for football away and postseason games for all sports.”

Per the athletic department, “Loyalty Points are awarded in various ways and take into account the longevity of being a season ticket holder as well as philanthropic donations.”

Previously, only donations to the Longhorn Foundation, the official fundraising arm of Texas athletics, could accrue Loyalty Points.

Texas flirted with the idea of coupling donations to the Texas One Fund with Loyalty Points last summer, as did Texas A&M. While the infrastructure was in place to have Loyalty Points pair with Texas One Fund donations over 12 months ago, uncertainty with the NCAA and even the Internal Revenue Service over the tax-exempt status of collectives caused Texas to put those plans on hold.

Those plans have now been put into action.

“With the introduction of Loyalty Points accumulation for gifts in support of NIL through the Texas One Fund, our purpose is to recognize your loyalty to advancing the growth of Texas student-athletes across every aspect of their development and throughout their time at Texas,” Del Conte said. “Our interest remains in being at the forefront of collegiate athletics and maintaining our position as an elite competitor in the Southeastern Conference.

“Establishing opportunities for you—our loyal donors—to support our mutual pursuit of excellence across all areas of philanthropic interest is how we guarantee a continued impact on current and future Texas student-athletes and uphold our winning tradition at Texas. We’re pleased to partner with Texas One Fund and offer Longhorn Foundation donors the opportunity to participate in the Loyalty Points program for donations made in support of NIL.”

While there have been other NIL developments for the Longhorns in recent months such as the Texas One Fund signing a deal with Passes, this is one of the most important for both the athletic department and the collective. Donors who may have previously balked at splitting their burnt orange contributions and siphoning off their ability to earn Loyalty Points now no longer have as difficult of a decision to make.

Details provided in the release include…

• August 26, 2024 being the start date of this policy.
• Donors have to be Longhorn Foundation members to earn Loyalty Points for gifts to the Texas One Fund.
• Only donations as opposed to sponsorships are eligible for Loyalty Point accrual.

The collective billed this development as part of the process that will help Texas “get SEC ready.”

In the constantly-shifting world of NIL, collectives, and even intercollegiate athletics, Monday’s move is a significant step that will likely provide the Texas One Fund with access to significantly more donors than ever before.

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“Together, we’re taking the pride and winning tradition of our great university and athletics department to great heights,” Del Conte said. “It’s because of y’all that we’re able to do great things and we can’t thank you enough. So, here’s to your NIL support, the continued success it fuels, providing our student-athletes with the best resources in the nation and building champions on and off the fields of competition!”