Dinkytown Athletes

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Tonestang32

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Hello Everyone - Haven’t posted in a while but wanted to make sure that there was an accessible link for everyone to join Dinkytown Athletes. As I’m sure most of you are aware the success of this collective is imperative to the future success of all University of Minnesota sports. We have a chance to get ahead of our rivals in this new college sports reality. I encourage anyone who is able to review the membership options and find one that is the best fit. There are discussions going on about setting up a call for those individuals that would like to know more about this collective.

MEMBERSHIPS - Dinkytown Athletes

MEMBERSHIPS You’re already a fan. Now, you can directly help student-athletes at the University of Minnesota! Through our membership program, we’re able to provide NIL opportunities for student athletes at the University of Minnesota. Join today and help your favorite Minnesota athletes! We...
dinkytownathletes.com dinkytownathletes.com
 

Tonestang32 said:
Hello Everyone - Haven’t posted in a while but wanted to make sure that there was an accessible link for everyone to join Dinkytown Athletes. As I’m sure most of you are aware the success of this collective is imperative to the future success of all University of Minnesota sports. We have a chance to get ahead of our rivals in this new college sports reality. I encourage anyone who is able to review the membership options and find one that is the best fit. There are discussions going on about setting up a call for those individuals that would like to know more about this collective.

MEMBERSHIPS - Dinkytown Athletes

MEMBERSHIPS You’re already a fan. Now, you can directly help student-athletes at the University of Minnesota! Through our membership program, we’re able to provide NIL opportunities for student athletes at the University of Minnesota. Join today and help your favorite Minnesota athletes! We...
dinkytownathletes.com dinkytownathletes.com
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Assuming there is no way this counts as a charitable contribution right?
 






Yup. I hate telling people what to do with their money, but for those of you with disposable income, NOW IS THE TIME. You obviously love the program because you spend ungodly amounts of time on this message board like me 😂 Keep buying tickets and gear from the U, but this is probably the most direct way to impact the future of the program. Pissed they didn't win the West? Don't moan about it here -- throw down a couple hundred and help them get better players and keep the ones they have from getting picked off in the portal.
 

MGGopher said:
Yup. I hate telling people what to do with their money, but for those of you with disposable income, NOW IS THE TIME. You obviously love the program because you spend ungodly amounts of time on this message board like me 😂 Keep buying tickets and gear from the U, but this is probably the most direct way to impact the future of the program. Pissed they didn't win the West? Don't moan about it here -- throw down a couple hundred and help them get better players and keep the ones they have from getting picked off in the portal.
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Absolutely! We have a chance to make an impact on the future of our favorite program.

Another perk was just released as well! You can now purchase a membership ship for a fellow gopher fan in your life!

 

Tonestang32 said:
Hello Everyone - Haven’t posted in a while but wanted to make sure that there was an accessible link for everyone to join Dinkytown Athletes. As I’m sure most of you are aware the success of this collective is imperative to the future success of all University of Minnesota sports. We have a chance to get ahead of our rivals in this new college sports reality. I encourage anyone who is able to review the membership options and find one that is the best fit. There are discussions going on about setting up a call for those individuals that would like to know more about this collective.

MEMBERSHIPS - Dinkytown Athletes

MEMBERSHIPS You’re already a fan. Now, you can directly help student-athletes at the University of Minnesota! Through our membership program, we’re able to provide NIL opportunities for student athletes at the University of Minnesota. Join today and help your favorite Minnesota athletes! We...
dinkytownathletes.com dinkytownathletes.com
Click to expand...
Couple more questions:

What is your affiliation with the collective?
What % of donations go to the athletes?
How is the collective providing financial transparency to donors and the public?
Assume since the donations are not tax deductable, the collective is set up as a for profit entity?
 



PMWinSTP said:
Couple more questions:

What is your affiliation with the collective?
What % of donations go to the athletes?
How is the collective providing financial transparency to donors and the public?
Assume since the donations are not tax deductable, the collective is set up as a for profit entity?
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I helped a very little bit at the beginning with some membership items but I am not affiliated with the collective. Derek Burns and Rob Gag are the ones running the collective with some assistance from some students at the University. I’m involved in the Dinkytown athletes discord and have talked with Derek on a few separate occasions when setting up membership items.

85% of all contributions will go directly to the student athletes. 15% will go towards administrative things. This is pretty much standard across all of the different collectives that you will see across the country from my research.

The contribution amounts will not be disclosed publicly. The amount raised is shared with the universities athletic department and the coaches for the different programs. The primary reason for keeping it private is so that other competing collectives (other schools) do not have this information.

From the Dinkytown Athletes website is the response to your question about the business filling:

Our organization is structured as an LLC based on the advice of legal experts, given its purpose and goals . Given this structure, memberships are not tax deductible nor considered a charitable donation. We recognize the importance of accommodating charitable giving and we have registered a 501c3 organization in the event our advice from legal experts changes.

I’d recommend reading through this page. If any more questions come up I’d be happy to answer if I know or ask Derek Burns if I don’t.

FAQ - Dinkytown Athletes

FAQ’s Is Dinkytown Athletes affiliated with the University of Minnesota? No, Dinkytown Athletes is a separate entity that has no affiliation with the University of Minnesota. However, Dinkytown Athletes is a proud sponsor and Official NIL Collective of Gopher Athletics. Is Dinkytown Athletes...
dinkytownathletes.com dinkytownathletes.com
 

Tonestang32 said:
I helped a very little bit at the beginning with some membership items but I am not affiliated with the collective. Derek Burns and Rob Gag are the ones running the collective with some assistance from some students at the University. I’m involved in the Dinkytown athletes discord and have talked with Derek on a few separate occasions when setting up membership items.

85% of all contributions will go directly to the student athletes. 15% will go towards administrative things. This is pretty much standard across all of the different collectives that you will see across the country from my research.

The contribution amounts will not be disclosed publicly. The amount raised is shared with the universities athletic department and the coaches for the different programs. The primary reason for keeping it private is so that other competing collectives (other schools) do not have this information.

From the Dinkytown Athletes website is the response to your question about the business filling:

Our organization is structured as an LLC based on the advice of legal experts, given its purpose and goals . Given this structure, memberships are not tax deductible nor considered a charitable donation. We recognize the importance of accommodating charitable giving and we have registered a 501c3 organization in the event our advice from legal experts changes.

I’d recommend reading through this page. If any more questions come up I’d be happy to answer if I know or ask Derek Burns if I don’t.

FAQ - Dinkytown Athletes

FAQ’s Is Dinkytown Athletes affiliated with the University of Minnesota? No, Dinkytown Athletes is a separate entity that has no affiliation with the University of Minnesota. However, Dinkytown Athletes is a proud sponsor and Official NIL Collective of Gopher Athletics. Is Dinkytown Athletes...
dinkytownathletes.com dinkytownathletes.com
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Thanks. I read through that page. The site is not transparent at all, and provides very little actual financial information. While I think these are potentially beneficial for NIL puposes, all should be very skeptical of any claims without a providing complete financial transparency to donors/potential donors on money collected and distributed.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Thanks. I read through that page. The site is not transparent at all, and provides very little actual financial information. While I think these are potentially beneficial for NIL puposes, all should be very skeptical of any claims without a providing complete financial transparency to donors/potential donors on money collected and distributed.
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If you want that—donate directly to the school.

Collectives don’t want to share that. They can send $25k to player A and $500 to player B. It doesn’t benefit the team to have everyone know these things.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
If you want that—donate directly to the school.

Collectives don’t want to share that. They can send $25k to player A and $500 to player B. It doesn’t benefit the team to have everyone know these things.
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All the more reason to be very, very skeptical. LLCs are pass through so tax reporting is at the individual partner (personal income tax filing) level. Not sure what kind of legal advice they are getting about being a 501(c)(3).
 



The most ringing endorsement you are going to find is the fact PJ is wearing dinkytown athletes apparel at press conferences saying we need to support this collective. Or Ben Johnson specifically calling out Dinkytown athletes at the open practice and press conference. They have worked hand in hand with the University to make sure this is being set up and ran in a way that is both legal and sustainable. The university wouldn’t so openly support something that even had an inkling of not being 100% above board.
 

PMWinSTP said:
All the more reason to be very, very skeptical. LLCs are pass through so tax reporting is at the individual partner (personal income tax filing) level. Not sure what kind of legal advice they are getting about being a 501(c)(3).
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I know what LLCs are. Publicly reporting could cause competitive issues. In a world where fans are grouping together to privately pay players there may be some aspects that don’t seem/aren’t completely above board.

If you’re this concerned I’d reach out to the creators of it or just ignore it. You’re not obligated to participate.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
If you want that—donate directly to the school.

Collectives don’t want to share that. They can send $25k to player A and $500 to player B. It doesn’t benefit the team to have everyone know these things.
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I think the concern might be more as a donor / member, you don’t know where your money is going.

I get the competitive concerns, but it doesn’t change that as a member you still don’t know…
 

Tonestang32 said:
The most ringing endorsement you are going to find is the fact PJ is wearing dinkytown athletes apparel at press conferences saying we need to support this collective. Or Ben Johnson specifically calling out Dinkytown athletes at the open practice and press conference. They have worked hand in hand with the University to make sure this is being set up and ran in a way that is both legal and sustainable. The university wouldn’t so openly support something that even had an inkling of not being 100% above board.
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Eh, I doubt PJ is raking over the financials…. I like PJ but he has an incentive to support this. I don’t doubt he thinks it is all good, but I don’t know how much a guarantee that is.

Matt Damon told me to buy crypto….
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I think the concern might be more as a donor / member, you don’t know where your money is going.

I get the competitive concerns, but it doesn’t change that as a member you still don’t know…
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Fair. The nice thing is that this isn’t required participation. But not participating AND complaining about losing players to other NIL deals seems silly to me.

Note: I have given DTA $0
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Fair. The nice thing is that this isn’t required participation. But not participating AND complaining about losing players to other NIL deals seems silly to me.

Note: I have given DTA $0
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Eh that last line is BS scare tactics. Asking for transparency is not an all or nothing deal.

That’s the kinda stuff scam artists use….
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I think the concern might be more as a donor / member, you don’t know where your money is going.

I get the competitive concerns, but it doesn’t change that as a member you still don’t know…
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85% of the money is going to the team(s) you choose to support. The other 15% is going to administrative expenses.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Eh, I doubt PJ is raking over the financials…. I like PJ but he has an incentive to support this. I don’t doubt he thinks it is all good, but I don’t know how much a guarantee that is.

Matt Damon told me to buy crypto….
Click to expand...
The University is the ones that are going through the financials and telling PJ/Ben this is a collective they should feel good supporting.
 

Once/if the organization gets qualified for 501(c)(3) status by the IRS, then they will eventually need to make their financial statements public. That should help provide some transparency, though sometimes the financial statements are so summarized it's tough to tell what's really going on. At minimum, those statements should provide how much gets distributed to the stated mission (the athletes) and how much is spent on operating expenses (this is where self serving can happen).

Gopher supporters should hope these NILs are wildly successful in their mission. I'm guessing it's a bit of a land grab right now. The cream will rise to the top.
 

Tonestang32 said:
The University is the ones that are going through the financials and telling PJ/Ben this is a collective they should feel good supporting.
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I sure hope the University is looking into this. I'm curious as to how much they can actually look into. There probably needs to be a tight legal firewall between the school and NIL organization.
 

I keep going back and forth.
I know that NIL funds are the reality of collegiate athletics...and I just feel frustrated that fans are in a spot to try to secure liquidity for programs.

Please assume positive intent - I'm strongly considering the $10/month tier (big baller, I know). I am just wishing that a state with so many strong corporations could get more buy in from those deep pocketed institutions. Target, best buy, united health group, 3M....those are the folks that I would like to see stepping up for us.

Glad DT Athletes is a thing, I'm coming around.
 

These are all great questions if everyone that is considering contributing to Dinkytown Athletes could consolidate what they would like clarification on to some specific questions I can pass that along to Derek.

This NIL/Collective world is all very new and I know Derek has mentioned several times the importance of educating our fan base.

Anyone aware of how to attach a google doc or something like that to this thread?
 

Tonestang32 said:
The University is the ones that are going through the financials and telling PJ/Ben this is a collective they should feel good supporting.
Click to expand...


I’ve not seen anything to indicate the U is auditing anything here. They report to the U what they give to the student but that's not quite "going through the financials".

Is the U doing something more here?

I have no reason to think this org is bad, but usually when I give there is access to something like financials and etc.
 

Like I've said previously, I'm not going to tell anybody what to do with their money, but I personally joined DA a couple weeks ago and will continue supporting them because I believe wholeheartedly the intentions are good and collectives are the way forward in the NIL era. I'm personally not worried that Derek Burns -- a former Gophers OL who very clearly bleeds maroon and gold -- has set up some kind of shell corporation to line his own pockets. I don't know him, but he has my thanks for stepping up and doing something when it would be easy to sit back and hope somebody else does -- as I believe is the case at both Iowa and Wisconsin right now.
 

Tonestang32 said:
These are all great questions if everyone that is considering contributing to Dinkytown Athletes could consolidate what they would like clarification on to some specific questions I can pass that along to Derek.

This NIL/Collective world is all very new and I know Derek has mentioned several times the importance of educating our fan base.

Anyone aware of how to attach a google doc or something like that to this thread?
Click to expand...
I haven't had a lot of concern about how funds are distributed - but that seems to be the most prominent concern on this thread.
I think GG show has done a good job showcasing and spreading the message of DTAthletes....it seems like a good next step would be to provide transparency about how funds are allocated etc. I really don't have a beef with any of this, I am trusting of DTAthletes tbh. But if more transparency equals more dollars it's worth it.
Skeptical northerners....
 

MGGopher said:
Like I've said previously, I'm not going to tell anybody what to do with their money, but I personally joined DA a couple weeks ago and will continue supporting them because I believe wholeheartedly the intentions are good and collectives are the way forward in the NIL era. I'm personally not worried that Derek Burns -- a former Gophers OL who very clearly bleeds maroon and gold -- has set up some kind of shell corporation to line his own pockets. I don't know him, but he has my thanks for stepping up and doing something when it would be easy to sit back and hope somebody else does -- as I believe is the case at both Iowa and Wisconsin right now.
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I fully agree.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
I’ve not seen anything to indicate the U is auditing anything here. They report to the U what they give to the student but that's not quite "going through the financials".

Is the U doing something more here?

I have no reason to think this org is bad, but usually when I give there is access to something like financials and etc.
Click to expand...
That’s is a level of detail that I’m not privy to but can certainly ask the question.
 

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