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NAIA-Exploration Pathway Program

The purpose of the NAIA-Exploration Pathway Program is to prepare your new or emerging athletics department for eventual NAIA membership. The Pathway includes an in-person visit to your campus by an NAIA athletics director and Nick Davidson, NAIA vice president of membership recruitment and retention. They will review the status of your athletics department and provide specific, step-by-step feedback regarding what your institution needs to do to become an NAIA member.
 
Your institution will receive ongoing support and feedback until you are ready to apply for membership, which should be within two to three years. (There is the potential to complete the process and apply for membership earlier, depending on the status of the athletics program at the onset.)
 
The NAIA-Exploration Pathway costs $5,000. (All expenses included.)

Here is what we will focus on:

bullet   Review of program and institutional expectations to be an NAIA member.
bullet   Work with you to develop/implement or evaluate your athletic scholarship model.
bullet   Review best practices for recruitment of student-athletes.
bullet   Provide guidance in budgeting for athletic teams.
bullet   Provide a sports development template to add sports while understanding
     revenue generation and expense allocation.
bullet   Educate your team on game operations organization and minimums.
bullet   Review facilities and discuss best practices.
 
During the process, we will assist your institution with the development of the following documents, which are all required for the NAIA member application process:
  1. Outline of an athletics strategic plan.
  2. Sport-by-sport athletic scholarships and the process by which you award athletic aid.
  3. Athletics enrollment growth plan.
  4. Athletic fundraising processes.
  5. Eligibility certification process.
  6. Staffing organizational chart

Other items to be completed:

  1. An introduction will be coordinated for you with the commissioner of the conference you wish to join.
  2. A meeting will be coordinated with Alan Grosbach, the NAIA’s director of Return on Athletics®, to gather key data points related to your athletics program..