severely limit the available funds to pay them?
This is where I disagree.
The Coaches Circle was created for a reason - the Athletic Department did not have the profits to spend on competitive salaries for coaches, so we let the donors step in. Problem is, even with all of the generous funds donated by good-hearted donors, we still could not afford to pay a coaching staff at mid to mid-high P5 levels.
If we want competitive coaching salaries, the fans will have to pony up.