Alabama AD Greg Byrne took to X formerly Twitter, encouraging fans to donate to the Crimson Tide’s NIL fund Yea-Alabama.com
I know there are plenty of questions around NIL, how much does it cost to donate? Is there a cap on what you can give? Are your donations tax-deductible? So, here is a quick little FAQ report on donating to Alabama’s NIL collective.
1. How can you give money?
Looking at yea-alabama.com, there are a couple of ways you can toss money into the Crimson Tide’s NIL collective: A one-time donation, signing up for a membership package, partnering with a student-athlete, or purchasing something from the store page.
2. Is there a limit on the individual donations?
When you click on the individual donation button on the website, it brings up a pop-up that is already set to $1. You can’t go to less than $1, so that appears to be the minimum. On a quick look, it doesn’t seem like there is a max for the donation.
3. What do the packages look like?
Yea-Alabama offers five packages: Starter ($18 a month), Student ($5 a month), All-Conference ($75 a month), All-American ($150 a month), and Hall of Fame ($150 a month). Looking at what’s included in each package
The Starter Package: Yea Alabama membership, Yea Alabama car decal, Access to the online member hub with exclusive content, and an invitation to the Football Fan Day autograph session.
Student Package: Everything in the Starter tier, a Tuscaloosa discount card, and an invitation to student/member-only events.
All-Conference Package: Everything in the starter tier, one autographed item from a student-athlete of your choice, an invitation to additional exclusive events, and priority access to the Football Fan Day autograph session.
All-American Package: Everything in the All-Conference tier, Invitation to exclusive game day experiences, engaging experiences with student-athletes, and an annual gift certificate to Yea-Alabama merchandise store.
Hall of Fame Package: Everything in the All-American tier, additional benefits based upon contribution level, and an annual donor gift.
4. How long am I locked in once I purchase?
There is no information posted on how long you have to be a member or contributor to receive benefits.
5. What’s available in the store?
There are hats, polos, hoodies, t-shirts, stickers, pins, and a Kalen DeBoer autographed football, all for sale on the website. You don’t have to be a member to purchase and a wide range of prices from $4.95 to $299. Yes, there is also a youth polo for sale for $175, but there are more affordable options, too.
6. Are my donations tax deductible?
So, for your donation to be tax deductible, it must be made to an organization that has 501(c)(3) status. The Yea Alabama Collective is, in fact, a private business.
Former Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson attempted to start a non-profit NIL collective for Alabama, but it failed to bring in the funds to start up.
7. Can people still tell you to stop saying “we” when referring to your favorite team if you donate to the NIL collective?
This question is silly, but I wanted to end on a fun note! As someone who owns stock in the only publicly traded pro team in America, The Green Bay Packers, I say yes. If you are helping to pay for the players on the field, then you should feel like you’re part of the team. That’s your money at work and your team on the field and court, so say we if you want to!