Fundraising is the lifeblood of competitive college athletics. While TV contracts, ticket sales, and sponsorships make up a sizable portion of an athletic department’s revenue stream, securing donations is the main catalyst for the capital projects, scholarship funding, and endowments that drive programs forward.

Getting these projects off the ground takes dedicated workers in development offices who can appeal to donors’ fandom and pride for their favorite programs. Today’s guest on the WorkInSports Podcast, Nebraska Assistant AD of Annual Giving Mattie Fowler Burkhardt, does this work for the Huskers Athletic Fund. A former softball player at Nebraska, Burkhardt now tries to pay it forward to build an even better environment for current and future student-athletes in Lincoln. She joins VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp to talk about:

• How her experience as a student-athlete set her up for success in her current role
• What drew her to a job with the Huskers Athletic Fund
• The importance of development/fundraising to becoming an athletic director
• What skills are required to succeed in development

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