Athletics was Not the Priority.
A highly engaged donor to the University of Illinois had already made what many would consider the ultimate gift. A nine-figure investment that helped catapult Gies College of Business and elevate its national standing. But for this visionary donor, athletics—another institutional priority—was not part of his vision.
The relationship been the university and the donor grew stronger. It was transparent and grounded in trust. The institution had demonstrated what it could do with a transformational investment. And over time, the donor began to be more open to supporting athletics.
It all started during a visit to campus and with the donor asking a simple question: What would it take to make the athletics program truly great?
Questions like this do not signal a decision. They signal openness and the beginning of something taking shape. What followed was not an immediate answer. It was the deliberate work of engagement, transparency, and strategic cultivation. It was the continued strengthening of a relationship that already had depth, now applied to a new and evolving opportunity.
Through that process, the University of Illinois did something remarkable. It secured a second nine-figure commitment from a single donor. A gift that, at one time, was never under consideration. A gift that is now transforming a program, a campus, and a culture of success.
A Relationship That Made the Future Possible
Long before athletics entered the conversation, there was a strong foundation. The donor’s connection to Illinois had been shaped through a transformational investment in the business school, cultivated in close partnership with former Gies College of Business dean Jeff Brown and continuing with current dean Brooke Elliott. Their roles were essential in building a relationship with the donor.
Through that work, the institution gained a deep understanding of how this donor evaluates opportunities. He is drawn to scale and motivated by impact. He thinks in terms of brand, performance, and long-term positioning.
Just as importantly, that relationship established trust at a level that made future conversations possible. When athletics began to emerge as a potential area of interest, the business school served as the bridge.
Dean Elliot remained engaged, helping to connect the donor’s existing vision for impact with a new and evolving opportunity. The result was not a transition from one unit to another. It was an expansion.
This is where Illinois distinguishes itself. Rather than treat this as an athletics opportunity, the university treated it as an institutional opportunity, informed by insight developed across disciplines.
Engagement Before Alignment
The path forward did not begin with a targeted ask. It began with engagement. The team created opportunities for the donor to experience athletics more fully through conversations with coaches, time with student-athletes, and access to athletic leadership.
There was no immediate attempt to reposition athletics. No pressure to accelerate the conversation. The focus was on understanding. These moments allowed the donor to see the athletics program in context. Not as a standalone unit, but as part of a broader institutional ecosystem tied to visibility, competitiveness, and student experience.
Over time, something shifted. Athletics moved from being outside the donor’s focus to becoming a space worth exploring.
The Question That Tested Readiness
When the donor asked what it would take to make the program great, it could have been treated as a cue for a well-rehearsed answer. Instead, the team recognized the significance of the moment. A question like that does not simply invite a response. It tests whether the institution is ready to respond at the level required.
At that point, the case for support existed. But it was not yet fully aligned with this donor, this opportunity, and this scale of ambition. Rather than rushing to define the answer, the team began to build the case more intentionally.
Building the Case Through Conversation
The case for support did not emerge as a static document. Rather, it was shaped through dialogue. The Illinois team engaged the donor in ongoing conversations about the future of collegiate athletics, the increasing importance of competitiveness and visibility, the evolving financial and structural landscape, and the role athletics plays in connecting alumni, students, and the broader community.
They also spoke candidly about challenges. As Howard Milton , the chief of development officer division of intercollegiate athletics, described it, their approach was grounded in a simple principle: do not hide the ball. This transparency strengthened the case and created credibility. It invited engagement and allowed the donor to understand not only the opportunity, but the complexity behind it. Over time, the case took shape and became more compelling because it evolved in real time.
Alignment as a Strategic Advantage
While the case was evolving externally, just as much work was happening internally. Athletics, advancement, the business school, and university leadership were aligned around a shared opportunity.
Josh Whitman, director of athletics, played a central role in that effort, investing significant time alongside the team to deepen the relationship and shape the opportunity. His involvement reflected an important principle in principal giving: transformational investments require leadership engagement that extends well beyond the solicitation itself.
This was not coordination. It was integration.
The partnership with Dean Elliott remained central throughout. Her continued involvement ensured that the donor’s perspective and expectations were consistently understood and reflected in how the opportunity was shaped. The team was able to draw from what they had already learned through the business school relationship and apply those insights in a new context. Rather than build fences around donors, Milton advocated for abandoning ownership in favor of shared responsibility. That meant recognizing that transformational opportunities are often built at the intersection of disciplines, not within them.
Building an Opportunity That Attracts Investment
One of the most instructive aspects of this story is how the opportunity itself was constructed. This was not simply a case of aligning a donor to an existing need. It was the deliberate development of an opportunity that reflected multiple dimensions of value.
Athletics provided a platform for visibility, performance, and engagement. The business school brought insight into brand, innovation, and long-term positioning. Advancement ensured the process remained disciplined and aligned.
Together, those perspectives created something more compelling than any one unit could have developed independently. They created an investment opportunity, and this distinction matters. Transformational donors are not only looking for places to give. They are looking for opportunities that align with how they think about scale, impact, and return. By bringing together expertise from across the institution, Illinois was able to shape an opportunity that met that standard.
Making the Case Real
The case for support was not confined to merely conversations or materials. It was reinforced through experience. The team created moments that allowed the donor to engage with the program directly:
- Time around games and competition.
- Travel and shared experiences.
- Access to coaches, student athletes, and leadership.
These interactions were intentional in that they connected the vision to reality. They allowed the donor to see the trajectory of the program and understand the role he could play in accelerating it.
Bobbi Busboom, chief Hospitality hospitality officer, played an important role in shaping many of these experiences through event invitations, VIP access, travel coordination, and campus engagement. This work reinforces another important lesson in principal giving: stewardship is not simply follow– up activity. Done well, it becomes part of the cultivation strategy itself.
As the opportunity matured, the conversation around investment became more specific. An earlier figure was introduced. It did not fully resonate. The team did not force alignment. Instead, they refined the case by clarifying the scale of the impact, strengthening how the opportunity was framed, and aligning it more closely with how the donor makes decisions. The process required patience, but it also ensured that when the opportunity was fully defined, it could support a transformational level of investment.
When the opportunity was presented to the donor, he approached his decision with the perspective of a builder and an investor. He evaluated the opportunity carefully, asked questions, and provided feedback. He expected clarity, consistency, and discipline. The Illinois team responded in kind. They refined their approach and worked to ensure that the case for support could stand up to scrutiny. By the time the ask was made, the case was not only compelling, it was credible.
When the Ask Reflects Alignment
By the time the $100 million ask was presented, it did not feel like a leap. It felt aligned. The donor understood the opportunity. The institution had built a case that matched that understanding. The relationship had created the conditions for a meaningful investment. The ask was not the beginning of the conversation. It was the outcome of it.
A gift of this magnitude is easy to celebrate. It is far more valuable to understand how it was built.
This case reflects the:
- Discipline to stay engaged even when interest is not immediate.
- Importance of building a case for support that evolves with the relationship.
- Power of cross campus partnership in shaping opportunity.
- Role of transparency in building trust.
- Need for patience and refinement over time.
This experience reinforces a central truth. No one does this work alone. Transformational gifts do not begin at the level where they end. They begin with relationships. With questions. And with moments that test whether an institution is ready to respond.
At Illinois, the team did not rush to answer that first question. They built the answer over time. And in so doing, they created the conditions for a gift that matched the ambition behind it.
At BWF Zuri, we stand ready to assist you with all your principal giving needs. Please reach out; it’s a privilege to help.
