thejustisgroup.com Blog

The actual definition of philanthropy simply means “love for mankind”. Yet these days the word often implies large donations made to non profit organizations to support various missions. The primary public focus is foundations with refined missions and track records of giving, the experts are all professionals having devoted their lives to working in philanthropy, and there is often the correlation between the size of the donation(s) and the media/public applause. Clearly, there is nobility in all giving and the existing perception of philanthropy raises awarness for causes and engages people.

That said, what bothers me is the general assumption that athletes don’t care, don’t give back as much as they “should”, and when they do, they aren’t very good at it. I know I am painting with a broad brush, no one likes generalizations. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to how athletes engage communities and pursue the changes necessary to help people. The good far outweighs the bad when impact is measured in lives touched and communities improved. Often the impact happens when the cameras are off, in a manner that doesn’t quite fit with traditional “measurement tools”, or simply wasn’t supposed to be trumpeted. Impact cannot be measured by awards and photos, it must be measured by lives touched and ultimately changed.

The purpose of this blog is not to apologize for guys who don’t give back, they are few and far between anyway. The purpose is to exist at the nexus of athlete giving and traditional philanthropy. It will shine a light on the unique opportunities and challenges athletes face as stewards and how they make a difference in lives and communities everyday. I will identify ways traditonal non profits and foundations can work with athletes to leverage impact.

Perhaps when all is said and done, athletes will finally be recognized as dynamic donors and much more than a checkbook. Not beacuse they are changing to fit the mold, rather because our definition of philanthropy expands to see what they are already doing. One story, one life, one athlete at a time.

Athlete philanthropy is impacted in the same ways general charitable giving is during tough economic times. Each individual must weigh their financial situation, tax implications, and investment strategy in concert with giving decisions.

There are complicating factors in play now that are making those decisions even more difficult. Foundation management reform legislation in Washington, new tax policies and the potential impact, and an extremely volatile stock market all should make an athlete or individual think through how to maximize charitable efforts while being disciplined with your principle.

Understanding the big picture of how government, philanthropy, non profits, and individuals are impacted by the current situation will go a long way towards developing your individual plan. While these economic times may not fundamentally change your long term plan, there are opportunities to leverage resources you have as an athlete to make a larger impact. It is also more important than ever to make sure you know everything about organizations with which you partner. Will they be around, are they in sound financial position, and do they need a creative grant to surivive these times? All questions we can help you answer.

The common thought regarding athlete foundations is that they are all very well funded and thus only have concerns about how to give that money to worthy causes. In reality, most athlete foundations are non-profit organizations designed to raise money, then pass that through to the causes chosen. With that in mind, it is imperative that athletes are getting sound advice in all areas of non profit management, fundraising, program creation. It is critical that the athlete have an understanding of fundraising and funding best practices.

This simple step can make sure your foundation is in the media for the right reasons. It will make fundraising and funding more effective. The recent article in the Salt Lake Tribune regarding NBA player charities is a tremendous example of getting proper training on how to answer tough questions.

You can control your charitable efforts, just make sure you have sound reasons for all that your are doing and be prepared to answer those questions in way that deomonstrates your control over you legacy.

Respectfully declining requests for financial support is never easy. It is even harder when you are just beginning to define the community issues you want to support. You don’t want to come across as uncaring, but you don’t know anything about the organization or how your money will be used. Long before you start a foundation, you can think and act like one.

Most foundations have areas of focus (i.e. health, homelessness, education, children). This creates a natural screening process, a charity must fall into the foundation’s stated focuses or they have a hard time getting funding. You can define your areas of focus, change them if needed, and simply focus your giving in those areas. This allows you to politely decline requests outside of those areas and be seen as someone with a defined goal for their giving. (”I respect what your organization is doing, but I have chosen to support xyz) After a period of time, you will be known for your areas of suppor. The natural screening process will decrease the “asks” you receive and insure the ones you do hear are important to you.

Without getting too sophisticated, it is also an indirect cost savings for the organizations that would have used resources in approaching you with little chance of funding. You are actually helping the organizations you turn down.

This is a broad brushed example, but the point is simple. As you get comfortable giving, taking control of your situation puts you ahead of the game. If the time is right to start a foundation, you are well on your way to defined areas of focus with a track record of successful giving.

It drives me crazy when the media tells and athelte/celebrity where, how, and when they should give back. There are as many ways to give back as there are people willing to give. The critical part is being confident in the changes you want to see and then making decisions. At the end of the day, it is far more important to be comfortable and confident that your gifts are making a difference. If you simply start backwards and think about the impact the gift has on the individual or organization, what anyone else things quickly becomes irrelevant. Are you making a difference, are you comfortable with how you are doing it, and is your community a better place because of your generosity? Those questions matter!

It is an amazing thing to watch non-professional athletes, each of whom have received an organ transplant inspire others by simply having the courage to compete. It is naturally assumed that athlete philanthropy has to involve a professional athlete giving money to a charity. The definition of philanthropy is simply an effort to improve human kind. Each athlete here represents their personal struggles to overcome adversity, their donors and donor families, and their state/region. They are certainly improving human kind. The promotion or organ and tissue donation is not so much an overt statement as it is the sight of athletes carrying on after they received the gift of life.

We are working on a significant partnership for one of our clients. The theory being that partnering to cross promote missions can have tremendous impact on an athlete’s organization. In this case we will bring the appeal of the athlete to a group that specializes in getting technology into underserved communities, specifically underserved homes. This partnership will give them attractive content for their existing and new members. It gives our client a new channel to distribute his charitable mission and opens the door to a new audience of potential donors to his foundation.

That said, doing your homework on a partnership for an athlete is critical. There are so many organizations looking for athlete support. It is important to correctly gauge what the athletes organization will get as well as give.

Feel free to e-mail your questions. info@thejustisgroup.com

The Justis Group blog focuses on how athletes are making a positive impact on communities. I will take a look at the unique challenges and opportunities facing athletes as they give back. I will highlight success stories, identify unique partnerships, and discuss ways to maximize impact. My goal is to make giving back a rewarding experience while protecting client’s best interests. I hope this will help elevate the level of discussion about athletes doing amazing things for communities.