LSU and Bama (I don’t know much about other schools) have very similar networks of pods - usually 4 individuals in a pod. Those individuals have no connection to school - not even a season ticket holder (most likely they have a seat in a box under someone else or someone else’s business).
Let’s take Nola - Bama and LSU both have two pods to cover city, West Bank, north shore, and Jefferson Parish. A pod will usually have an individual who is a major board member at a church. They keep a fund at the church where they make donations to church and church will make donations or help with relocation services to needy families.
What’s been popular in the last few years is the church giving prepaid debit card with a school graphic of a few hundred dollars to “show a little love”. The idea being every time they go to use it, it has a school graphic that they see. A recent LSU one had an image of the kid in an LSU Jersey - pretty savvy recruiting. The card can’t be tied back to the school as the church gave it to “a needy family”.
Kids normally start receding prepaid debit cards in 8th grade if the pod thinks a kid has potential. Most often, they don’t even pan out.
Relocation service is a huge power move for pods. This is sometimes done while the recruit is still in high school. It puts the family in a better home, in a better school district, with a better coaching staff.
LSU and Bama (well, the churches) are both great at relocating entire families to Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa.
Cars are usually given for an early commit. “Seal the Deal” Donations are your “50K - 150K” donations that come with a LOI signature.
With all that said, you will still see TAF members and season ticket holders give money, cars, or relocate a family - I’ve seen one put family on a business payroll - that’s dumb and they are trying hard to limit everything to pods with the church as the vessel.