Sustainable Success: Motives and Small-Scale Charity Sport Events

Abstract

Charity sport events are an effective and fun way to raise money for non-profit organizations and charitable causes. As more annual events are occurring, it is crucial to understand the primary consumers and contributors of charity sport events. Specifically, understanding the motives of charity event participants and sponsors is fundamental to not only increasing the event popularity but also sustaining it. Previous charity sport researchers have indicated that participant motives generally fall into three categories: social, health, and advocacy (Won et al., 2010), while sponsor motives are primarily philanthropy or social responsibility and increased brand recognition (Abratt et al., 1987). The purpose of this study was to discover if these same participant and sponsor motives hold true for a small-scale charity sport event. Participants and sponsors of the 2018 CoopStrong 4-Miler (n=256) were asked to complete an online survey consisting of demographic and open-ended questions regarding motives and their involvement in the CoopStrong event. The survey data were then analyzed using Nvivo 12 software. Using open-coding the researcher determined the most salient participant and sponsor motives. The results indicated that both participants and sponsors were motivated by four main themes. These themes were categorized as Personal Connection, ALS Awareness, F3/FiA Involvement, and Fitness. Due to underperformance and lack of participation, almost 1,000 charity sport events were cancelled in 2017 (Kadet, 2011). Consequently, CoopStrong and other charities must continue to better understand event sponsor and participant motives to ensure future and sustainable success.