Shared Accounts With CU Times: Winning the NIL Partnership Game

In July 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began allowing student athletes to make money off of their name, image and likeness (NIL). The following month, the $2.9 billion, Lake Mary, Fla.-based Addition Financial Credit Union was one of the first credit unions to promote its brand through an NIL deal, partnering with Dillon Gabriel, the starting quarterback for the University of Central Florida Knights. And in January 2022, Addition Financial announced its second NIL partnership, this time with UCF Track and Field athlete and Olympic hopeful Rayniah Jones.

In this episode of Shared Accounts With CU Times, Addition Financial President/CEO Kevin Miller shares why it made sense to show up early to the NIL game, what made the credit union’s partnership with Jones in particular so successful, the risks of being represented by a college athlete, as well as the operational and budgeting aspects of an NIL deal. And, he discusses the connection between NIL partnerships and financial education – a critical component of many credit union marketing initiatives targeting a college-age audience.

Plus, Miller reveals his favorite professional sports team, reminisces about his time on his college debate team in Pittsburgh, and leads hosts Michael Ogden and Natasha Chilingerian into an unexpected conversation about Jim Henson and the Muppets. Don’t sit on the sidelines with this episode – take a listen now!