Examining Motivation for Charity Sport Event Participation: A Comparison of Recreation-Based and Charity-Based Motives (Report‪)‬

Charity sport events represent special events which include some form of physical exertion where participants raise funds for a charitable organization based upon the activity performed. These events complement more traditional marketing tools employed by charitable organizations such as direct mail, advertising, outbound telemarketing, billboards, and websites. Charity sport events continue to increase in popularity and have become tremendously successful fundraising mechanisms for charitable organizations (King, 200l; Pringle & Thompson, 1999). Charity sport events are an effective means to raise funds for a cause while promoting an active and healthy lifestyle through exercise (USA Fundraising, 2009). The popularity and success of charity sport events has placed importance on the role of these events in the overall operation of the charity, as well as within communities. It is estimated that over 50% of social service organizations in the United States rely upon contributions from special events (Higgins & Lauzon, 2003). Furthermore, mass sport event participation represents one potential population-based intervention that may increase physical activity across a range of fitness levels (Murphy & Baumann, 2007).