Philanthropic Relationships Between Sports and Nonprofits

Sarcoma. Leukemia. Words no parent wants to hear about their child.

Sadly, the chances of children in the United States being diagnosed with cancer has only increased in recent years. For U.S. children under 15, cancer is the “leading cause of death by disease.”* In Tampa, Fla., however, one organization is trying to beat these diseases by partnering with patients and doctors to support research aimed at eliminating childhood cancer.

The Pediatric Cancer Foundation (PCF) is a Tampa-based non-profit organization that funds clinical trials of pediatric cancer-fighting therapies. This organization is led by Executive Director Nancy Crane, a well-known non-profit director from the Tampa area. Joining PCF in recent years, she arrived with the unique distinction of having previously served as the executive director of the Lightning Foundation, the charitable arm of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning.

As highlighted in a previous Page Center blog post, corporate social responsibility has become the norm in professional sport. Crane has seen both sides of this relationship, working not only for a professional sports team, but also leading large non-profit organizations. During my time with the Lightning, I had the pleasure of working with Crane; what I saw of giving in professional sport eventually inspired me to learn more about the impact that giving can have on non-profits.

Because of her two-sided insight into sports giving, Crane is the perfect person to talk with about giving in professional sport. I was lucky to catch up with her by phone to discuss some of the major distinctions between working for a nonprofit and a professional sports organization, as highlighted in the following podcast.

In addition to discussing the charitable work she did for the Lightning, Crane highlights the importance of forming relationships with fans, the community, partners, and corporate sponsors. She talks about how she harnessed her own background in education to establish unique educational programs for the team while jumpstarting health initiatives such as the Sled Hockey Program. Because of the how fans and community members admire players and coaches, she emphasizes the importance of teams giving back to their communities.

Now with PCF, Crane has the pleasure of continuing her relationships with Tampa’s local teams. An event-driven organization, PCF has worked with teams who have both sponsored and participated in events. One unique initiative, Cut for a Cure, has garnered the attention of all the teams, with coaches and players shaving their heads to raise money for the Foundation. In addition to detailing how the three teams are involved, she discusses how individual players have personally stepped forward to support this cause.

Most useful to public relations scholars, practitioners and students, Crane highlights the importance of relationship building between corporate partners, teams, fans, and others who support nonprofit causes. In addition to discussing the process of working with teams and offering advice for how nonprofits can receive support from them, Crane talks about the public relations and awareness benefits that sports teams bring to the table. Because of their reach and name recognition, teams can support nonprofits in sometimes immeasurable ways.

As such, please enjoy the following podcast. I owe many thanks to Nancy, who so kindly spent time speaking with me and so willingly offered insight into her knowledge of sport-nonprofit philanthropic relationships. For more information about PCF, please visit their website at http://fastercure.org.

*Stats from fastercure.org.