Charity and Sport working together

The mutual benefits to be gained through charity and sport working together was one of the key themes to emerge from the latest Sport for Business Members’ Round Table.

There was also a recognition though that much work needed to be done to raise the level of strategic engagement between the two sides; and that the possibility of sporting clubs seeking the right to charitable status, as is the case now in Britain, should not be seen as a threat by the charity sector.

Sport for Business was joined by members from the Department of Tourism, Transport and Sport, the Irish Sports Council, the Irish Greyhound Board who kindly hosted the discussion at Shelbourne Park Stadium, the FAI, Badminton Ireland, Platinum One Management, My Club Finances and Sport against Racism Ireland; and by guests from Playing for Life, Diabetes Ireland and the Federation of Irish Sport.

It was, as ever an interesting debate covering a number of key subjects in charity and philanthropy.  Here are ten themes to emerge and two initiatives to be followed up over the course of the next three months.

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1. There is a recognised mutual benefit for sport and charity working together but a lack of strategic thinking on both sides about how to make the most of the potential.  Charitable connections still tend to be gained through personal contact and affinity.  This is a strong driver but more ought to be done in terms of planning how partnerships can sit alongside each other, and with commercial sponsors.

2. Sport can be the medium for massive fundraising towards charities.  It was highlighted that 90% of those competing in the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon cited raising money for charity as a key motivator behind their participation.  The Irish Greyhound Board assisted the raising of over €6 million for charities like Downs Syndrome Ireland and the Hospice movement during 2012.

3. Fundraising though is only part of the equation.  Raising awareness of a charities profile, aims and objectives is another key element.  The promotion of a healthy lifestyle through sport and exercise is an important objective of Diabetes Ireland in order to reduce incidence of the condition.  There is a professional cycling team riding under the banner of global Diabetes charities in which all the team members have type one diabetes.  The importance of the idea that a condition, illness or disability need not be a barrier to participation and indeed elite performance is often understated.

4. A research project commenced in 2008 to investigate charitable organisations engagement with sport at each stage of the planning process met with very little engagement from the sector and this needs to be revisited.  It was recognised that little had been done in the past to properly consider the two way relationship that would produce much greater dividends for both sides.

5. Charity partnerships ought to be seen as an important extension of a club ethos and branding.  It can be an important statement of how a club sees itself, might be important in attracting juvenile players in a competitive sporting environment and will be an important element in attracting other partners who might make a contribution to be associated with a club that has ‘done the right thing.’

6. Fundraising is an important element for clubs but does not need to be in opposition to the same purpose for Charity.  Playing for Life runs an Odd Sox promotion with clubs in Kildare.  Each club pays a set amount of €100 to take on the idea of training days where players will be asked to wear odd socks and donate €2 to the club fundraising.  The financial win for the charity comes when people ask the question of ‘why the odd socks?’ and the story is shared of Playing for Life and the work they do around the world.  Everybody wins with small steps.

7.  The law changed recently in the UK allowing sports clubs to be designated as charities.  That same right does not exist in Ireland though there are tax breaks that can apply to sporting organisations in the community.  To achieve charitable status would enable donations from members and supporters to gain extra value through the tax system but while the argument for the value of sport is well made and broadly accepted, the potential diverting of revenue from the central exchequer to local groups is a major stumbling block for the Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners who might also have concern over how the designation was managed.

8. Philanthropic giving is a major source of funding for college sport in the US and for arts funding around the world.  There are some elements that have been applied in Ireland, most notably through the contribution of JP McManus to the idea of Sporting Limerick.  More can be done though to build the right package of community and national benefit that could attract a small number of philanthropic individuals or funds that would make a massive difference to our sporting infrastructure.

9. The scarcity of resource and experience within the charity sector is a barrier to innovation.  The concept of all money raised going towards the ultimate beneficiary provides for less investment in talent than might be needed to push on more substantial partnerships and fundraising potential in the medium to longer term.

10. There is a need to raise the general level of awareness within the voluntary driven side of the charity sector about the amount of work that needs to go in to making a charity partnership with sport successful.  There is much that can be gained but not without a very professional approach.  It was noted that player endorsements of a charity are now handled using the same criteria as a commercial contract in terms of commitment and management of multiple requests.  This has to apply through the entire relationship between sport and the charity sector.

1. The poor response to the 2008 survey of how charities might work with sport leaves a significant gap in understanding which ought to be filled.  Sport for Business and the Irish Sports Council will investigate how such a survey might be scheduled into the ISC body of work or whether it might be achieved to some degree via other means.

2. The structure of encouragement of philanthropic giving can be improved within Irish sporting circles.  We will look to forge relationships with those in the sector to create a better environment and greater knowledge over what may be possible.

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