Sport in Society Consulting Services
Sport in Society provides consulting to organizations residing within the sports industry, as well as communities/community serving organizations, looking for large-scale solutions to expand their work or enhance their strategic plan through the power of sport.
In its consulting work, Sport in Society conducts a thorough analysis of the organization’s mission, history and strategic objectives in preparation for implementing customized leadership programs that support the organization’s ongoing operations and issue-based needs. Projects are continually supported through educational training, technical assistance and the provision of updated curricula and materials that respond to the evolution of the organization and its needs.
Areas of Expertise
Socially Responsible Education and Professional Development
Sport in Society is the world’s foremost authority for leaders at the local, national and international level to use sport as a vehicle for strengthening communities. We will leverage our 25 years of expertise and our position at a premier research university to enhance organizations and emerging leaders with the knowledge and resources needed to create sustainable impact in their own communities. Education and professional development activities include: academic programs, awareness raising workshops, train the trainer programs, and conferences and professional development events.
Community Organizing and Network Building
Successful community engagement work requires a participatory process through which community members serve as active change agents and decision makers. Among Sport in Society’s greatest strengths is the ability to forge alliances and collaborations that lead to shared community leadership and a commitment to health and well being. Through our community building efforts, Sport in Society develops and supports networks of leaders and organizations working together to achieve the health and wellness of our local and global communities. Sport in Society serves as an intermediary in bringing together similar and disparate entities under the auspices of building strong networks focused on fostering the health of a community through sport.
Program Development and Curriculum Design
As social entrepreneurs develop their own innovative sport and social change platforms, they oftentimes need the expertise and guidance of established experts, whose activities are grounded in applied research. Through Sport in Society’s program development and curriculum design activities, we support clients in framing and implementing their unique visions. We assist in structural analysis and the development of curricula for staff and service populations that are specifically tailored to your mission and vision.
Workforce Development
As communities and organizations continue to realize the immense potential of sport as a tool to enhance holistic wellness, additional need arises to create structure and capacity for programming and positions to support these programs. Sport in Society helps create sustainable pipelines for leadership within programs and initiatives utilizing sport as a tool for development and peace. Similarly, Sport in Society supports members of the global sports industry in creating capacity for positions and activities that are aimed at strengthening their communities. Workforce development activities ensure that communities and organizations understand the legitimacy of these positions and take ownership over their activities. Further, these activities create economic opportunity while ensuring the future sustainability of programs and initiatives.
Strategic Planning and Facilitation
Successful social ventures require not only the passion and creativity of their leaders, but also comprehensive strategies that detail how they will achieve their missions and prove their impact to funders, beneficiaries, and important stakeholders. Sport in Society supports organizations in developing their strategic visions and detailing how those plans will be successfully implemented. Our expert facilitators provide valuable third party support that enables entire staffs and stakeholder groups to fully participate in the planning process. We go one step further than traditional consultants because we are able to link an organization’s planning process to the framework of sport and social change, ensuring that sport remains central to your core mission and activities.
Volunteer Training and Coordination
Sport in Society capitalizes on the power of the athlete and role model mentor through our volunteer training and coordination efforts. We support the creation of a vital link between the sports industry and local communities by providing volunteers with the knowledge, skills and cultural competencies necessary to foster safe and inclusive environments. We engage high school and college students, athletic departments, young professionals and emerging leaders, and professional sports teams in community building efforts that leverage the power of sport to create impactful and sustainable change. Beyond the impact volunteers have on the programs they serve, volunteers themselves benefit from the in-depth service learning experience of these activities, which provide them with enhanced capacity to utilize their knowledge and skills and the resources offered to them through the sports industry to continue to work for change throughout their careers and lives.
Impact Evaluation
Clients and funders demand that social change programs prove the success of their work through impact evaluation. Supported by an international body of academics from a variety of disciplines, Sport in Society works with organizations to design and implement third party impact evaluations that have the valuable backing of a research university and are carried out with participatory methodology to ensure that all stakeholder groups are represented.