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Sports 4 All Foundation
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Sports 4 All Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit whose Mission is to improve the quality of life of individuals with disabilities by providing funding, equipment and programming to enable their full participation in sports and recreation activities.
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Fair Play
- An active supporter of her daughter as a Special Olympian with Down syndrome, Sports 4 All founder Kris Salisbury witnessed firsthand how the shortage of proper equipment can hamper athletes’ with a disability’s opportunity to fully, yet safely, compete in sporting events. “The overwhelming majority of people I’ve met with disabilities don’t have the funds or opportunity to know where to get access to the sports they want to try,” she observed. This realization sparked the initial idea for Sports 4 All Foundation.
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Joining the Team
- Herself an owner of a retail sporting goods store, Kris put her business knowledge and professional contacts to use in the nonprofit arena to help athletes with disabilities. Since founding Sports 4 All Foundation in May 2005, she’s helped fund its mission by being a Nonprofit Direct Seller with eBay Giving Works. Interestingly, Kris had run an eBay store prior to founding Sports 4 All--an experience that played a major role in her decision to incorporate eBay Giving Works into the foundation’s fundraising structure.
- Through her contacts with sporting goods manufacturers, she is able to get equipment donated for distribution to athletes with disabilities. Equipment that cannot be used is then sold through eBay Giving Works, with 100% of the proceeds from each item’s sale going back into the Foundation. Those funds are then used to purchase specialized equipment such as adaptable bikes.
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The Final Score
- Though much of Sports 4 All Foundation’s mission is fulfilled through direct donations of gear, oftentimes equipment must be custom made to meet athletes’ specific needs. In this way, Kris sees eBay Giving Works as filling an important gap – facilitating the sale of items that the foundation cannot use and raising much-needed funds for custom pieces. Currently, about 65% of Sports 4 All Foundation’s funding is generated via eBay Giving Works.
- A strong proponent of eBay Giving Works, Kris nonetheless cautions nonprofits to be realistic about how much money they expect to make and to be cognizant of the time commitment necessary to sell a large quantity of items. But, in terms of positive feedback, repeat customers and fulfilling an important mission, she believes it’s worth it. And so do the athletes.