ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Minor League Baseball® and MiLB™ Enterprises announced today that it has created a first-of-its-kind national charity campaign called ‘Winning with Doubles.’ This April and May, Minor League Baseball will ask all visitors to MiLB ballparks to consider making a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters based on their favorite team’s on-field performance. During the two-month campaign, fans will register to contribute a self-selected amount for every double hit by their favorite or hometown team to assist in changing the life of a child for the better, forever. The campaign will be housed on Minor League Baseball’s official website at www.MiLB.com/give.
“Minor League Baseball and Big Brothers Big Sisters are two organizations who each have a 100-plus year history of helping their communities and enriching lives,” said Michael Hand, Minor League Baseball’s Chief Marketing Officer and President of MiLB Enterprises. “With more than 41 million loyal fans attending our games last season, we’re asking them to individually and collectively play an active role in the betterment of childrens’ lives through this initiative. Minor League Baseball has enjoyed an ongoing and rewarding relationship with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) as a national Charity Partner since 2004 and we look forward to expanding our strong community bonds through this mutually beneficial affiliation.”
In partnership with FanForward, Minor League Baseball will capture all donor information at the time of registration. Fans can register and check progress daily on www.MiLB.com/give and also opt out at any time. At the end of each month of the campaign, donors will be sent an account summary of their donation amount and be billed accordingly. All individual donations will be tax deductible. The initiative will be promoted by all 160 MiLB clubs, however, only the 120 clubs playing in April and May will be a part of the fundraising campaign linked to game results. All clubs will be able to generate support through “donate now” options for those fans who wish to support the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters and their local team.
“Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America is proud to continue our partnership with Minor League Baseball through our ‘Winning With Doubles’ campaign,” Pam Iorio, incoming CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, said. “The generous support of baseball fans across the country will help Big Brothers Big Sisters create more professionally supported mentoring matches between adult volunteers and children who face adversity. Baseball is America’s pastime and we know that people are equally enthusiastic about supporting a program proven to help children succeed in school and life.”
“We are thrilled to work with Minor League Baseball to launch this campaign to start the 2014 baseball season,” added Rami Genauer, President of FanForward. “Minor League Baseball teams are the perfect partners for FanForward because of their intimate connections with fans and deep commitment to giving back to their communities. By pledging, fans get the satisfaction that comes from donating to a worthy cause and can root even louder for their favorite team, knowing that their success means a greater impact in the lives of children in need.”
About Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., is the governing body for all professional baseball teams in the United States, Canada, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs through their farm systems. The Mexican League and Mexican Academy are also members of the organization, but are not affiliated with any MLB clubs. Total membership includes 20 leagues and 256 clubs.
Fans are coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Minor League Baseball ballparks. In 2013, the 176 clubs that charge admission attracted more than 41.2 million fans to their ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable family-friendly entertainment to people of all ages since its founding in 1901. For more information about Minor League Baseball, visit www.MiLB.com, facebook.com/minorleaguebaseball and twitter.com/MiLB.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes such as educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children (“Littles”) with screened volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Outcomes Survey substantiates that its mentoring programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth, areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.
Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity, often those of single parent or low-income households or families where a parent may be incarcerated or serving in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization’s 110 year history. With nearly 340 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves approximately 200,000 children, their families and the 200,000 volunteer mentors. The organization is engaged in a nationwide search to reunite with alumni mentors, mentees, donors, and family, staff and board members. Learn more at www.BigBrothersBigSisters.org.
About FanForward
FanForward is an online giving platform that turns the things that fans are passionate about into opportunities to make the world a better place. A FanForward campaign asks fans to pledge money every time something happens and then follow along as they see their contributions grow. Sports teams, athletes, celebrities, and brands partner with FanForward to connect their fans with the causes that matter most to them. Using our unique, turnkey cause marketing platform, fans are more engaged, brands and sponsors get to drive charitable giving, and nonprofits get more money from more donors. Everybody wins. For more information, visit www.fanforward.org.
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