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February 26, 2009

Persuading Sports Fans to Give to Charity

How can you capitalize on a sporting event like the World Cup to focus global attention on your cause?

That was the question posed to business students one day last week as part of the fourth annual Sports MBA Case Competition, held in partnership with the nonprofit Malaria No More. The students, from institutions such as the University of Southern California, Columbia University, Oxford University, in England, were given 24 hours to come up with a way to use the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in South Africa, to raise awareness about malaria.

The Columbia University Graduate School of Business team took the top prize for their idea of a partnership with youth soccer in the United States to raise money for malaria nets in Africa. They envisioned a “Soccer Without a Net Day,” an event in which all youth soccer teams in the U.S. would play a game without a net in each goal.

Students from the Said Business School at Oxford University finished second for their proposed strategy of a fantasy soccer contest and a partnership with each team in the Barclay’s English Premier League.

University of California-Berkeley Haas School of Business’s team finished third with a campaign inspired by Nike’s yellow Livestrong bracelets. Sales of light blue shoelaces internationally could raise awareness for light blue malaria nets in Sub-Saharan Africa. Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business won an honorable mention for an idea to hold a global kickoff concert similar to Live Aid.

Malaria No More will use the information to help build a strategy around the World Cup.

“Not only did the students display remarkable creativity and innovation to help us achieve our goals,” said the charity’s chief executive, Scott Case, “but they also learned what a pivotal role marketing and business can play in the global effort to end malaria deaths.”

What do you think of the contest and the winning ideas? How would you use a sporting event to build awareness, and raise money, for your cause?

— Caroline Preston

Thursday February 26, 2009 | Permalink

Comments

1. What I love about the winning idea is that everyone on the field will notice the no nets which puts the awareness right up front. A mobile giving partnership would be gerat so people could give from the field via their phones.

   — Barbara Clarke    Feb 27, 02:40 PM    #

2. “they also learned what a pivotal role marketing and business can play in the global effort to…” achieve almost every social justice, health, or environmental initiative! This is a crucial lesson to learn in such a market-driven world. There is no need to fight against the system we live and work in. Instead, find ways to make it work for you.

   — stephanie    Feb 27, 02:47 PM    #

3. Always thinking in malaria, I would use the large screen present in most stadiums and courts to transmit the idea that defeating malaria takes an effort and that small and large victories over malaria are victories for all of us people. Every time a goal or point would be scored I would show in the screen a malaria vector mosquito feeding from a person’s skin disappearing, or a child receiving treatment, or blood cells highly infected with malaria parasites go clean of them. The scoring team sponsors would make a donation in favor of malaria control each time their team scores.
   Yes, a little education about malaria would be required, but that and solidarity is what this is about, right?

   — Jaime Chang    Mar 3, 09:36 AM    #

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