An Interview with Erin English, marketing and communications director, Adaptive Sports Center
Adaptive Sports Center was founded in 1987 when President and Mrs. Carter joined a group of local residents to form the Physically Challenged Ski Program of Crested Butte and has since evolved into the year-round, nationally recognized Adaptive Sports Center.
With the support of volunteers, dedicated instructors, staff and the local community, the ASC has thrived and grown from providing 30 alpine ski lessons during its first winter to becoming one of the premiere outdoor adaptive recreation programs in the world. The ASC now provides more than 3,600 lessons to 500-plus participants through a full range of winter and summer outdoor adventure activities.
Here, we talk with Marketing and Communications Director Erin English about the organization and its fundraising strategies and challenges.
FundRaising Success: How do you fund your mission?
Erin English: The Adaptive Sports Center funds its mission through grants, special events, private donations and programming fees.
FS: What are the biggest challenges your organization faces as far as fundraising is concerned? How do you overcome them?
EE: One of the biggest challenges our organization faces is relying too heavily on individual fundraising events to generate income. Another significant challenge is keeping our lessons affordable while also generating sufficient revenue. While we pride ourselves on providing low-cost lessons and scholarships to those who need them, each lesson that is put out by the Adaptive Sports Center generates additional costs that need to be met with revenue raised by the development department.
In the coming year, the Adaptive Sports Center will focus on diversifying our fundraising initiatives to include increased donor cultivation, more face-to-face asks and an in-depth planning phase that will analyze all possible development opportunities. We are investing in our future by hiring an additional employee for our development team, developing new programs and partnerships, and working with Brigham Young University to scientifically prove what we are doing is having an enduring impact on the lives of our clients.
