This year, we had the opportunity to write about a number of important topics in the world of sports philanthropy. We are thrilled that you kept reading with us all year long. We’re keeping this one short and sweet as we dive into some great blogs we have planned for 2019, including more interviews and thought leadership from around the field of sports philanthropy.
Our Favorites: Tips & Advice
- The Keys to Successful Philanthropic Partnerships
“If you are looking for the right partner to support your initiative, it’s important to keep in mind that there are such things as the wrong partners. Your team should understand the goals you want to achieve through your initiative and build a strategy around that. If you are clear on your focus and your goals, it will be much easier finding a partner that fits that mission.” - How to Create Your Next Brilliant Cause Marketing Campaign
“Sometimes you may have a service or product that your community could benefit from but you don’t know how to get it to the right people. That’s where your community partners come in. They know the community and where the needs really lie. These partners can make your life easier by helping you with the leg work of finding the people who need your service so you can focus on making sure the service will work.” - Tips to Plan a Successful Charity Fundraiser
“Charity fundraisers are a great way for nonprofit organizations to raise money and awareness for their cause, while also courting major donors. As with any event, there is a lot of hard work that goes into throwing a fundraiser of any kind. There is money that has to go into the event and staff take time out of their duties with the organization to support the fundraiser. An unorganized fundraiser can turn out to be a waste of time and money. But, a well-run fundraiser can be a significant asset to your organization and create added impact and awareness for your cause.”
Our Favorites: A Closer Look
- Can Sports Betting Benefit the Community?
“Wouldn’t it be great to see that tax benefit in states across the country go into schools, sports and arts programs for youth or social programs like state run shelters, welfare programs? Even funds going to infrastructure would be a positive benefit. Where the money will go will depend on the state, but if state congress representatives are smart, they can take advantage of the additional income to add a revenue stream to social programs of their choice.” - How Sports Support Communities in Times of Tragedy
“No matter how many tragedies we face, we see more people coming together to help and support those who are suffering. Sport plays a huge role in promoting unity- reminding people that we may not always play for the same team, but we are all human.” - Athlete Activism Shines a Light on Sport for Development
“From all sides of the US sports world, many people are just starting to realize the true value of sport and how it can create sustainable partnerships and make positive social development changes in communities. Sport can help keep kids in school. Sport can help keep kids healthy. Sport can help kids recover from loss or trauma. Sport teaches life skills, gets kids off the street into something beneficial and provides them with positive role models.” - The Growing Philanthropic Impact of Esports
“Esports is a huge opportunity for nonprofits and brands to create an even bigger impact in the community. Think about it: the world of esports reaches more people per month than the NHL and MLB. Their players are younger, more civic minded and more diverse than most professional sports fan bases.”
Our Favorites: Athletes & Leagues Giving Back
- How Serena Williams Built Her Brand as a Philanthropist Off the Court
“The causes that Serena supports are all relevant to her personal brand. She is passionate and committed to giving back to those causes because of her personal relationship to them. Her life experiences and relevance to the causes she serves brings authenticity and maximizes the impact that she makes.” - Major League Soccer: The Sports Philanthropy League
“While many of the professional sports leagues in the United States and around the world make philanthropic commitments and efforts throughout the year, Major League Soccer takes sports philanthropy to another level. The league is relatively new in the US sports landscape and has worked hard to capture fans hearts in a realistic way.” - MLB All-Star Week: National League All-Star Players Giving Back (American League)
“[…] regardless of what roster these All-Stars are on, we found 80% of them doing great work in their community. That’s an amazing statistic that the MLB and pro baseball players should be proud of.” - Does March Madness Make a Social Impact
“The biggest impact that the March Madness tournament seems to have is the impact on the schools themselves. We mentioned the impact that this year’s stunning upset had on the UMBC Retrievers. That has been replicated at schools across the country whose teams participate and win big at the tournament. The question is, how do we incorporate a model that funnels some of these tournament benefits into sustainable community impact projects?”
To all our readers, we wish you a happy holiday season and a safe and healthy new year! We’ll see you back here in 2019.
Tackle What Matters 