LinkedIn Outreach for Athletic Directors at Canadian Universities: The 2026 Campaign Playbook

In 2026, your Origami lead list of Athletic Directors at Canadian universities isn't just a static spreadsheet — it's the first step to automated, personalized LinkedIn outreach. Origami now comes with a built-in LinkedIn sequencer, so you can send connection requests and follow‑ups directly from the same dashboard where you built the list. No exporting CSVs, no syncing tools. Here’s how to turn that list into conversations.

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Step 1: Build the list in Origami (if you haven't already)

If you already pulled your list of Athletic Directors at Canadian universities using our lead list guide, you can skip to Step 2. If not, here's the exact prompt to run inside Origami:

Show me athletic directors at Canadian universities. Include full name, title, email, phone, LinkedIn URL, and company details. Focus on U SPORTS schools but include any Canadian university with varsity athletics. Enrich with recent news about their department, tech tools they use, and facility upgrade plans.

Hit enter, and Origami’s AI agent searches the live web, chains data sources, and returns a qualified lead list with verified contact details — all within seconds. You’ll see names, email addresses, direct phone numbers, LinkedIn profiles, and enriched company information (school size, athletic division, tools used, recent news).

The free plan gives you 1,000 credits (no credit card) — enough to build a solid seed list of Athletic Directors. For larger campaigns, paid plans start at $29/month, and you can always top up credits as needed.

If you want a deeper dive on list-building strategies for this audience, check out the step-by-step lead list guide.

Step 2: Refine and qualify the list for LinkedIn

Your raw list might have 80–150 Athletic Directors across Canada. Not all are worth a LinkedIn touch right now. Inside your Origami dashboard, segment and qualify the list before you sequence.

Slice by geography: If you sell to specific provinces (Ontario and B.C. tend to have the most active varsity programs), filter by location. If you’re targeting smaller schools with limited budgets, isolate those.

Segment by division: U SPORTS (the top tier) vs. CCAA (colleges) vs. ACHA club programs. Athletic Directors at U SPORTS schools typically manage larger budgets, more staff, and higher-profile sponsorship demands. CCAA directors often move faster because there’s less bureaucracy.

Check for enrichment flags: Look at the enriched data — if Origami surfaced a recent facilities project or a new fundraising campaign, that contact is a hot lead. Remove directors where enrichment returned outdated roles or no valid LinkedIn URL.

Qualify by responsibility: Some titles will be “Director of Athletics & Recreation,” others “Associate AD, Development.” The latter is closer to money. If you sell fundraising software or sponsorship tools, prioritize those.

A qualified Athletic Director for a LinkedIn campaign in 2026 typically:

• Has decision-making authority over budgets or partnerships
• Has a visible LinkedIn profile with recent activity
• Works at a school with ongoing athletic initiatives (new facilities, donor drives, sponsorship gaps)

Save your refined segment as a list inside Origami, and you’re ready to launch the sequence.

Step 3: Create the LinkedIn outreach sequence

Inside Origami’s sequencer, you have two ways to build your message flow:

1. Paste your own templates — You write each touch manually, set the delays, and go.
2. Let the agent write it — Origami’s AI can automatically generate a personalized 3‑touch LinkedIn sequence for every contact, pulling in details from their enriched profile (title, school, industry, tools used).

For this audience, I recommend starting with option one so you can control the narrative; later you can A/B test the AI-written version. Below are full templates you can copy, paste, and customize.

3‑touch LinkedIn sequence for Athletic Directors at Canadian universities

These messages are designed to be short (50–100 words each), direct, and specific to what Athletic Directors care about in 2026: sponsorship revenue, donor engagement, facilities, and running lean teams.

Touch 1 – Connection request with note (Day 1)

Hi [First Name], I help U SPORTS athletic directors secure bigger sponsorship deals without adding staff. Impressed by [University]’s recent push in [sport / facility] — would love to connect and share how a few ADs are hitting record fundraising numbers this year. – [Your Name]

Why it works: Names a concrete outcome (sponsorship, fundraising), shows you’ve done your homework, and teases social proof without being salesy.

Touch 2 – Follow‑up message (Day 3)

Subject: [University] athletics & sponsorship

[First Name], since connecting I noticed [University] is expanding its athletic facilities — that’s a big undertaking. A few ADs I work with used a donor engagement platform to cut fundraising admin time in half while doubling repeat gifts. Happy to share the framework they used if you’re open to a 10‑minute chat next week. No pitch, just the playbook. Best, [Your Name]

Why it works: References a real facility project (which Origami may have surfaced), ties a specific pain to a solution, and ends with a low‑pressure ask.

Touch 3 – Final message (Day 7)

Subject: Last try — [University] athletics

Hi [First Name], I know your inbox is chaos. I’m reaching out because the top‑performing U SPORTS athletic departments are using [your category] to land corporate sponsors 30% faster. If you’re not the right person to talk to about that, would you mind pointing me toward the director of development or advancement? Thanks in advance. – [Your Name]

Why it works: Respects their time, gives them an easy out, and often gets a referral to the actual buyer if you guessed wrong.

You can adjust the delays — many reps use Day 1, Day 3, Day 7, but swapping Day 7 for Day 5 works too. The key is consistency.

Step 4: Send the sequence directly from Origami

Once your templates are loaded, go to your refined list in Origami, click “Launch Sequence,” and set your delay between touches. Origami sends the connection request (with the note) on Day 1, the follow‑up message on Day 3 only if they accepted, and the final message on Day 7 — automatically.

Everything stays in one platform:

• Sending & tracking: Opens, clicks, replies, and connection acceptance rates appear right next to your list columns. You’ll see exactly who engaged.
• Prospect context: While scrolling through activity, you can still view the enriched profile Origami pulled — title, school, tools used, recent news. No need to cross‑reference.
• Automatic un‑enrollment: The moment a contact replies, they exit the sequence. You won’t accidentally send a breakup message after they’ve already booked a call.

What you pay: The built‑in sequencer is included on all paid plans — zero extra cost. You’re only paying for the credits used to enrich leads. So if you built your list during the free trial or while on a paid plan, the outreach itself is free.

What response rates to expect

For Canadian university Athletic Directors in 2026, a well‑targeted sequence with the copy above can expect:

• Connection acceptance: 12–18%
• Positive reply rate: 4–7% (meeting booked or warm pointer)

If you’re under 8% connection acceptance, the messaging likely needs tightening. Above 7% positive reply and you’ve struck nerve. Iterate on messaging first — tweak the subject line, the specific pain point, or the ask. Only revisit the list (to segment further or qualify harder) if multiple rounds of copy changes don’t move the needle.