Amy Folan joins Higher Ed Athletics for a discussion about fundraising as well as her lessons learned and career journey from the Texas Longhorns to CMU. Folan shares her thought process behind the hiring of a new football coach this past offseason in Matt Drinkall who has now led the Chippewas to a bowl berth in his first year. The conversation shifts to creative new revenue strategies her department is looking into and how to refine traditional approaches. Folan discusses the pro sports model ability to be innovative with 1-2 sports but how college athletics needs to take that approach across the entire department. She also mentions how college athletics gets no revenue from sports gambling when it would significantly limit the sports gaming opportunities if they didn’t play those college games.

• 0:00 Introduction 
• 2:15 Decision to Finally Pursue an AD Job 
• 6:10 Experience Working with Former Texas AD DeLoss Dodds 
• 11:45 AD Vantage Question – Football Head Coach Search Paying Off 
• 20:35 MAC Football Night Games – Challenges & Opportunities 
• 25:28 Breaking Fundraising Records 
• 28:52 PILYTIX Question – Is Donor Fatigue Real? 
• 32:35 Creative Revenue Strategies 
• 38:25 Amy Folan During a CMU Basketball Game 

HEA is presented by PILYTIX, an AI tech company for higher education institutions and sports organizations. Increased Donations. Fast, Effective Targeting. Improved Performance. Learn more: ⁠https://pilytix.ai/

HEA has partnered with AD Vantage for AD Insights and Coaching Hires. AD Vantage empowers athletic directors with comprehensive staff data, performance analytics, and AI-powered candidate insights to make smarter hiring, compensation, and retention decisions in an era where every dollar counts. Learn more: https://www.athleticdirectorvantage.com