{"id":4184,"date":"2013-09-18T10:00:56","date_gmt":"2013-09-18T14:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=4184"},"modified":"2018-08-28T12:45:57","modified_gmt":"2018-08-28T16:45:57","slug":"sports-programs-to-non-profits-a-qa-with-prssa-2013-national-conference-presenter-rae-bazzarre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2013\/09\/18\/sports-programs-to-non-profits-a-qa-with-prssa-2013-national-conference-presenter-rae-bazzarre\/","title":{"rendered":"Sports Programs to Non-Profits: A Q&A with PRSSA 2013 National Conference Presenter Rae Bazzarre"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"RaeBazzarre\"<\/a>
Rae Bazzarre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Director of Communications and External Affairs for the LIVESTRONG Foundation, Rae Bazzarre<\/a>, will be sharing her wisdom at the PRSSA 2013 National Conference<\/a> in Philadelphia. Bazzarre has been in the field for more than 15 years and has achieved numerous professional milestones. This communications \u201ctitaness\u201d has collaborated with the United States Congress, foreign governments and international companies across five continents.<\/p>\n

Q: Much of your professional experience is with nonprofit organizations. What attracts you to nonprofits? What do you like the most about working in this sector?
\n<\/b>Rae Bazzarre:<\/b> I\u2019m passionate about helping people and the issues that affect them. I think of my career as my life\u2019s work and I want to spend it making a meaningful impact. Working in the nonprofit sector allows me to contribute to the greater social good.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Q: You also have experience working with professional athletes and athletic organizations. What are some of the similarities and differences between working in nonprofit communication versus sports communication?
\n<\/b>RB:<\/b> These two industries work with very different budgets. However, with an increasing number of athletic companies investing in corporate responsibility initiatives this provides a great opportunity for cross collaboration that benefits the whole community.<\/p>\n

Q: Your team received a PRSA Silver Anvil for your work in crisis communications.\u00a0<\/b>What was the focus of the campaign entry? What were the results?
\n<\/b>RB:<\/b> The week of October 15, 2012, cancer survivor and philanthropist Lance Armstrong resigned as chairman of the LIVESTRONG Foundation, the top-rated nonprofit he created to serve people affected by cancer. He resigned following the release of a report from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in an effort to inoculate the Foundation against any negative effects from the controversy surrounding his cycling career. His resignation, however, occurred during a week devoted to the Foundation\u2019s highly visible 15th<\/sup> anniversary celebration. The communications team constructed a rapid response strategy around its founder\u2019s resignation and built and executed a plan to help the organization chart a strong, independent course forward.<\/p>\n

The week of Lance Armstrong\u2019s resignation and the Foundation\u2019s 15th<\/sup> anniversary celebration:<\/b><\/p>\n