2026 Huskies Invest: NIU Athletics Annual Week of Giving Starts Today

DEKALB, Ill. – Huskies Invest, the annual week of giving for Northern Illinois University Athletics, returns this week, October 19-23, 2026, and once again targets a fundraising goal of over $1 million for the week.

Now in its 10th year, what started as a modest fundraising effort has become one of the most vital pillars of the NIU Athletics donor engagement strategy. In 2025, the campaign raised over $1.2 million, the largest total in the history of the campaign and the fifth consecutive year that Huskies Invest topped the $1 million mark.

Through matching gift challenges, donor participation and strategic campaign design, Huskies Invest has become a staple in the fall calendar, galvanizing Huskie Nation to unite behind the student-athlete experience.

Every dollar raised during Huskies Invest helps directly support NIU student-athletes. Key priorities include:

• Enhanced competitive support through training, travel and performance resources
• Academic & wellness support, including tutoring, medical staff, nutrition
• Facility upgrades & infrastructure, aligned with future conference transitions
• Sport-level discretionary funds, enabling coaches to respond to immediate needs

Unlike some restricted gifts, Huskies Invest donations often allow flexibility, helping the department address urgent needs and invest where it matters most in a given year.

Supporters can give throughout the week (October 19-23) via the Huskies Invest giving platform. Donors will have the option to designate their gift to a specific sport, facility fund, core support area, or give unrestricted to the Huskie Athletic Fund.

NIU Athletics encourages alumni, students, families, faculty, staff and fans to join the movement, share their stories and help spread the word using #HuskiesInvest.

For more information, visit HuskieAthleticFund.com or call (815) 753-1923.

0-6 will definitely get money pouring in

Why would I donate to 7s psyop?

Just made a contribution, the 0-6 record means NIU football needs the resources even more. I hope they can make the tough decisions that need to be made to bring the program back to respectability.

The timing of this campaign couldn’t have been worse. I would have pushed it off until after we hire a new HC and everyone is excited again. Trying to get people to open their wallet when we’re the laughingstock of college football is a tough, tough ask.

(10-21-2026 06:58 PM)Rawdog10 Wrote:  The timing of this campaign couldn’t have been worse. I would have pushed it off until after we hire a new HC and everyone is excited again. Trying to get people to open their wallet when we’re the laughingstock of college football is a tough, tough ask.

First and foremost Huskies Invest is an annual drive. It was this same time last year and the year before so it can't depend on football wins or losses.
Second, it is for all Huskie athletic programs. Donating to support men's or women's basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball or softball, gymnastics or wrestling is also in this drive as is women's cross country plus track and field.

My donation is made. Their tracker is *I hope* off. Shows less than 15 donors. The amount doesn't look bad, so I'm guessing something isn't mapping right.

(10-21-2026 09:54 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(10-21-2026 06:58 PM)Rawdog10 Wrote:  The timing of this campaign couldn’t have been worse. I would have pushed it off until after we hire a new HC and everyone is excited again. Trying to get people to open their wallet when we’re the laughingstock of college football is a tough, tough ask.

First and foremost Huskies Invest is an annual drive. It was this same time last year and the year before so it can't depend on football wins or losses.
Second, it is for all Huskie athletic programs. Donating to support men's or women's basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball or softball, gymnastics or wrestling is also in this drive as is women's cross country plus track and field.

And? It doesn’t mean they have to it the same time every year. Football drives the bus for all sports. Deciding to this when the football team is 0-6 just because the school did at the same time last year does no favors to any sport.

(10-22-2026 06:51 PM)Rawdog10 Wrote:  

(10-21-2026 09:54 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(10-21-2026 06:58 PM)Rawdog10 Wrote:  The timing of this campaign couldn’t have been worse. I would have pushed it off until after we hire a new HC and everyone is excited again. Trying to get people to open their wallet when we’re the laughingstock of college football is a tough, tough ask.

First and foremost Huskies Invest is an annual drive. It was this same time last year and the year before so it can't depend on football wins or losses.
Second, it is for all Huskie athletic programs. Donating to support men's or women's basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball or softball, gymnastics or wrestling is also in this drive as is women's cross country plus track and field.

And? It doesn’t mean they have to it the same time every year. Football drives the bus for all sports. Deciding to this when the football team is 0-6 just because the school did at the same time last year does no favors to any sport.

Football DOES NOT drive the bus for donations for all sports. Football drives the bus for donations for football.

somebody put down 100k for Nelson tennis center.

(10-22-2026 07:35 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(10-22-2026 06:51 PM)Rawdog10 Wrote:  

(10-21-2026 09:54 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(10-21-2026 06:58 PM)Rawdog10 Wrote:  The timing of this campaign couldn’t have been worse. I would have pushed it off until after we hire a new HC and everyone is excited again. Trying to get people to open their wallet when we’re the laughingstock of college football is a tough, tough ask.

First and foremost Huskies Invest is an annual drive. It was this same time last year and the year before so it can't depend on football wins or losses.
Second, it is for all Huskie athletic programs. Donating to support men's or women's basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, baseball or softball, gymnastics or wrestling is also in this drive as is women's cross country plus track and field.

And? It doesn’t mean they have to it the same time every year. Football drives the bus for all sports. Deciding to this when the football team is 0-6 just because the school did at the same time last year does no favors to any sport.

Football DOES NOT drive the bus for donations for all sports. Football drives the bus for donations for football.

I'm guessing all sport donations go up 10% or more if the football team was a fun-to-watch 4-2? Just a bit more energy in the room, no?

Oh... and fire Sean Frazier please.

I decided to channel my donations to the academic side. Just donated to two worthy crowdfunding campaigns in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. I will also look to find a way to donate directly to the marching band and cheerleaders rather than through Huskies Invest. I just don’t want Athletics shaving a 10% admin. fee off the top.

(10-23-2026 12:15 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  I decided to channel my donations to the academic side. Just donated to two worthy crowdfunding campaigns in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. I will also look to find a way to donate directly to the marching band and cheerleaders rather than through Huskies Invest. I just don’t want Athletics shaving a 10% admin. fee off the top.

You are wise beyond whatever years you are. I'm the unfortunate who dug that 10% out of the HI fine print several years ago. It caused a lot of pfft on this board when posted. Then they dropped it. Then it came back. Now I see it nowhere on the HI website items. Does anybody know? Where is it said that money you donate stays put? And why can't the A.Dept. simply state that for all HI items?

Being a detail nutcase, I'm also the doubly unfortunate who dug into old A.Board minutes and found that STF cut the "low-hanging fruit" (his words), which included the cheerleaders. Then a volunteer coach took over, rented a van, took them to the Iowa football game (where Iowa kindly provided a parking space and locker room). Part of that was crowdfunded. Then that disappeared, and "cheer" resurfaced as part of the Silverettes or something. What exactly is the status of "cheer" today. Anyone know?

I'm sorry, but I don't trust STF any further than I can throw his golf cart.

Just counted up from the official website ... $965,879.

(10-24-2026 07:03 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Just counted up from the official website ... $965,879.

I wonder if that includes the big donation I made 20 years ago?

Depends on whether STF really does roll over something into that big unrestricted account to make it look awesome. Also if my count is right, HI did not crack the magic $1 mil mark. I did notice the huge annual donations into men's and women's golf from Jerry Rich don't seem to be there. Hope our neighbor is doing well. Good guy.

Matching donor stepped up. Pump that money in there folks.

I checked and didn't see a change. Oh, wait ... haha. (After all the success in football, I think my laugh track is busted.)

Invest in a new coaching staff?

(10-21-2026 05:03 PM)MiamiHuskie Wrote:  Just made a contribution, the 0-6 record means NIU football needs the resources even more. I hope they can make the tough decisions that need to be made to bring the program back to respectability.

Resources are meaningless if you dont have the right decisionmakers to use those resources effectively. Do you have confidence in the decisionmakers?