Kyle Rudolph can't line up to block Julius Peppers anymore. So he instead built a fan engagement platform for charities

Kyle Rudolph had a sneaky-successful NFL career, with only 16 tight ends catching more touchdown passes in league history than the former Viking, Giant and Buccaneer did over his 12 seasons. His second act might prove to become even more impressive.

The 36-year-old is the founder of Alltroo, a fan engagement platform that works with non-profits to democratize the economy of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Instead of auctions where money is raised from just one wealthy winner, Alltroo provides the technology for charities to run sweepstakes and receive donations as little as $10 from each participant. Since the company was founded in 2021, Alltroo has helped raise more than $21 million for hundreds of worthy causes. This year, Alltroo is on pace to eclipse more than 200,000 donations.

“For me, in this next chapter, it allows me to do three things that I really love and enjoy,” Rudolph told Yahoo Sports last week from the inaugural from the inauguralKyle Rudolph can't line up toUncharted Summit in Southampton, New York, “and that’s philanthropy and making an impact, leading people and leading a team, and being involved in sports, music and entertainment.”

When live charity auctions couldn’t happen in 2020 and 2021, Rudolph and a couple of others thought of alternative ways to raise funds. Alltroo uses its many connections in sports and entertainment to find experiences, handle the marketing, bookkeeping and accounting for the sweepstakes and only charge a fee if enough money is raised. 

At last year’s Super Bowl, Alltroo raffled off pregame sideline experiences and tickets that raised $100,000 for the American Cancer Society and $75,000 for Drew Brees‘ Brees Dream Foundation. A Notre Dame alum, Rudolph was able to obtain front-row tickets to a Garth Brooks show at Notre Dame Stadium back in 2022. Other recent experiences include red-carpet access to this summer’s “Moana” premiere in Los Angeles, and a meet-and-greet with Dwayne Johnson, and a trip to the set of “Mayor of Kingstown” with the chance to be part of an episode with Jeremy Renner.

For so many former NFL players, there’s an enormous void in their lives after their playing careers are over. With Alltroo, Rudolph said every day is a game day for him now, having to perform at his best for his teammates on a daily basis. Living in the Tampa area near a lot of former pro athletes helps give him the sense of community he had in the league.

“I’ve been able to recreate my locker room,” Rudolph said. “Those buckets are real, and those voids happen in a hurry when you retire, so you have to find ways to fill them. I’ll never be able to go out there, buckle up the chinstrap one more time and block Julius Peppers or catch a game-winning touchdown. But there are other ways I can recreate those same feelings.”

Over the course of the past five years building up Alltroo, Rudolph has taken inspiration from former Vikings teammate Chad Greenway and Minnesota native Larry Fitzgerald to shape a meaningful life on and off the field. The Hall of Fame wide receiver could call some of the most powerful business leaders in the world not just because of his football ability, but because he asked genuine, curious questions that Rudolph was able to learn from, like scheduling, handling a team or time management. He’s also been able to tap into the Notre Dame network, and receive mentorship from Irish legend Jack Shields, L Catterton CEO Scott Dahnke and former NetApp chairman Tom Mendoza, whose name now graces the university’s business school.

Alltroo has its business model down pat. Now the challenge is to scale and reach 500,000 donors a year instead of 200,000. It’s a challenge that has enriched Rudolph’s life and allowed him to seamlessly transition from a life in pro football to life as a business executive while still maintaining the feeling of leading a team and making a difference.