Research paper

Using the prospect research materials and those found on http://www.youranswerplace.org/prospecting-introduction, identify five prospects for an organization of your choosing each in the following categories: individuals, companies, and foundations. You are to choose any nonprofit organization: the one you work for, volunteer with, intend to focus on for your final project. You are then to use this prospect website (see above) that the library district provides. Using that site, find five individual prospects; five company prospects; and five foundation prospects.

Explain why each prospect is a good fit based on the mission and purpose of your organization. You must be very thorough and include citations of sites you referenced in the process. This is pretty self-explanatory.

I have included a copy of an example of how the assignment should be prepared.

Christine Rebori

Fundraising and Planning

Assignment #2

14 June 2011

National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA)

Founded: 1979

Vision, Mission, and Values: http://www.nacwaa.org/about-nacwaa/mission

Individuals:

1. Jackie Joyner-Kersee

a. Jackie Joyner-Kersee is a United States track and field athlete who won numerous goal medals. She was honored with the first “Ladies in Sport Award” and is the founder of Athletes for Hope Foundation. She has a commitment to charity and education. Because of her charitable work and emphasis on education, I do think that she would be a good potential donor for NACWAA.

2. Rita Benson LeBlanc

a. LeBlanc is a part owner and Executive Vice President of the New Orleans Saints. She is in charge of all business operations for the team. Named Forbes Most Powerful Woman in Sports, LeBlanc is rumored to be the successor to the Saints’ current principal owner. After Hurricane Katrina, LeBlanc became more involved with the New Orleans community. They awarded over $1.2 million to local high schools, high school football programs and a community center. LeBlanc is also involved with Go Pink to raise money for breast cancer awareness. With the proper cultivation, I do think LeBlanc could be a huge asset to NACWAA in terms of a strong, successful female presence in addition to a possible donation or sponsorship.

3. Lesa France Kennedy

a. Kennedy is the CEO of the International Speedway Corporation and serves on the Board of Directors for NASCAR. Kennedy’s history of giving includes charities that assist in ending hunger, the American Heart Association, and the London Symphony Orchestra, among others.As one of the only females in NASCAR and one of the most powerful women in sports, I do think that can serve as the basis of cultivating a relationship with her because so many of the women in NACWAA have gone through similar experiences with being the only female.

4. Shannon Miller

a. Shannon Miller is a former member of the United States Gymnastics team and won numerous Olympic and championship medals throughout the 1990’s. Her gymnastics career now over, Miller hosts her own gymnastics show on Comcast and does motivational speaking. Besides that she started the Shannon Miller Foundation, which assists in the fight to end childhood obesity. NACWAA has a “NACWAA Fit” program that Miller might be interested in partnering with, so that’s the area I would focus on when approaching her.

5. Wendy Lewis

a. Wendy Lewis is the Senior Vice President of Diversity & Strategic Alliances for Major League Baseball. She focuses on workforce diversity and strategic planning, including gender and multi-cultural representation. I think NACWAA would enjoy beginning a great friendship with Lewis because she can bring so much knowledge and experience through her diversity training. I think she would be a fantastic person to reach out to for support in NACWAA’s mission.

Companies:

1. Learfield Sports - http://www.learfieldsports.com/

a. Learfield Sports is one of the leaders in collegiate athletics marketing. In addition, they are the sponsor of the very prestigious “Learfield Director’s Cup” which spans across 5 divisions of college athletics and is awarded to the top athletics program in each of those divisions. Their history of embedding themselves in the collegiate athletics world makes them a good donor or sponsor possibility.

2. ESPN U - http://espn.go.com/college-sports/

a. ESPNU is part of the ESPN family of networks. It focuses on college and university sports only, giving those collegiate athletes and teams the opportunity to get their sport(s) out there. Unlike a lot of other channels, ESPNU broadcasts a lot of women’s basketball, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and women’s lacrosse among other female sports. This has been a very positive change for college athletics. NACWAA has programming that focuses on educating and empowering college students. I think that ESPNU’s commitment to showcasing female college sports ties well into what NACWAA is trying to do.

3. Toro - http://www.toro.com/en-us/pages/default.aspx

a. Toro manufactures turf and landscape maintenance equipment. They also help customers care for golf courses and sports fields, including the Wimbledon Championships and the Super Bowl. In addition, Toro sponsors Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Together they put on an educational and business seminar for coaches and athletes. NACWAA has similar educational opportunities that Toro can get involved in.

4. Mutual of Omaha - http://www.mutualofomaha.com/

a. Mutual of Omaha, a life insurance company, has their hands all over the collegiate sports world. They’ve teamed up with other companies and organizations to administer the NCAA Group Basic Accident Medical Program. This program protects the student-athlete and controls costs for NCAA colleges and universities. In addition, they are one of the sponsors of the 2011 NACDA Convention. NACDA stands for National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Because of these reasons I think that this company would be interested in teaming up with NACWAA for similar programming.

5. Under Armour - http://www.underarmour.com/

a. Under Armour is one of the leading companies in sport related apparel and equipment. As far as sponsorships go, Under Armour is heavily involved with the V Foundation and the Rock Foundation, among others. They also sponsor the “Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year” as well dozens of college and university athletics department across the country. With everything combined, I think that Under Armour would be very interested in donating to NACWAA, whether it’s through apparel, sponsorships, or scholarships.

Foundations:

1. Women’s Sports Foundation - http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/About-Us.aspx

a. According to their website, “The Women’s Sports Foundation—the leading authority on the participation of women and girls in sports—advocates for equality, educates the public, conducts research and offers grants to promote sports and physical activity for girls and women.” This ties directly into the vision, mission, and values of NACWAA. They both advocate for women in athletics and wants to advance girls and women of all ages.

2. Black Women in Sport Foundation - http://www.blackwomeninsport.org/

a. This foundation wants to increase the involvement of black girls and women in athletics, including coaching and administration. Although NACWAA does not provide opportunities, grants and scholarships to only black women, funds and donations could be set up so that they can only be made available to a certain group of people. For example NACWAA hosts two fantastic Administrative Advancement Institutes each summer. The BWSF can give scholarships specifically for black women to attend or help sponsor the institute.

3. Feminist Majority Foundation - http://feminist.org/

a. The Feminist Majority Foundation has a task force on women and girls in sports and also has a publication specifically focused on women in sports. They also provide funds for leadership training and educational programs, which goes directly in line with NACWAA’s mission. In addition, the Feminist Majority Foundation has a strong interest in Title IX. NACWAA is also strongly invested in Title IX, even having offices in Washington D.C. to lobby on behalf of Title IX and gender equity.

4. Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation – http://www.kauffman.org

a. Like NACWAA, this foundation is based out of Kansas City, Missouri. They are dedicated to educating and giving opportunities to young people. As of 2009 it had an asset base of just under $2 million. Besides giving money towards the NACWAA Convention or one of the advancement institutes, they may even be able to present at one of the educational seminars and get their name out there.

5. American Association Of University Women Educational Foundation Inc --http://www.aauw.org/

a. The AAUW “advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research.” This is very similar to NACWAA’s mission with the exception that NACWAA focuses on girls and women in sports. Regardless, NACWAA provides numerous educational and leadership opportunities for women which are in line with AAUW’s mission. In 2008-09 AAUW awarded $4.4 million through a combination of scholarships and grants. In 2009 they increased that amount $500,000 and focused that increase on grants for career development.

Websites Used:

http://www.nacwaa.org/about-nacwaa/mission

http://www.athletesforhope.org/jajo.html

http://www.livingneworleans.com/?p=201

http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Athletes/M/Miller-Shannon.aspx

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6168691/honoring-women-sports-execs-year

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20081120&content_id=3685689&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

http://foundationcenter.org/

http://www.learfieldsports.com/

http://www.mutualofomaha.com/

http://www.summitamerica-ins.com/products/ics/ncaa/ncaa_main.asp

http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/About-Us.aspx