The Top Two Reasons Minor League Teams Need A Corporate Social Responsibility Program

Successful sporting organizations need not only the support of their local communities, but also the willingness to give back to them. When teams understand how to engage and work with local communities, to the betterment of all, to truly align their mission with the need, a minor league sporting organization can compete with even the largest teams in the same industry because of fan engagement and local business support.

A minor league teams success is closely linked to their presence and active participation within the local community; serving the needs of their biggest and most loyal fan base. It may seem impossible or challenging to think about realigning your teams mission with the needs of the community, but the return is well worth the investment.

When first looking to engage in a socially responsible strategy it’s important to work with your employees and your current network of other professionals to develop a strategy that makes the most sense for your team and organization.

The two main benefits from engaging in social responsibility are:

1. Improved staff motivation and morale

Employees are not just looking for culture, but for organizations that inspire them. They are looking for teams that care as deeply about the community they live in, as they do about their bottom line. From a social responsibility perspective, a key component of success in the delivery of a CSR program is the involvement of company employees. The employees feel a deeper engagement with the company, and work harder, and also become your greatest advocates. Not only does social responsibility boost employee engagement it is also essential in the recruitment of talented new people to your organization.

2. Increased Fan Support

Social responsibility in sports was first developed from the belief that community engagement and subsequent alignment of mission and values of teams and the local cause, has a direct affect on fan engagement. Nowadays, minor league and professional teams use social responsibility as a way to not only improve and deepen their connection with their fans, but also to improve the public perception of what it means to be an athlete.

Social responsibility programs are great means to bridging the disparity between athletes and fans. Never more relevant than in our celebrity driven culture, can an athlete make a positive impact by creating awareness. When players help to shine a light on a need, or a cause they support they not only help the community, but increase fan support, and leverage their celebrity status for the common good.