USOC Hopes New Web-Based Efforts Can Boost Fundraising

USOC Has Begun Its "America Supports Team USA" Campaign

The USOC has "moved to a more Web-savvy brand of fundraising, reaching out directly to Americans in an effort to collect smaller but more frequent donations to help athletes train," according to Tim Lemke of the WASHINGTON TIMES. The organization's new campaign, "America Supports Team USA," runs from May 25 through July 4, "pressing the theme of patriotism." USOC CMO Lisa Baird: "It is an uncertain time for Americans in our country because of the economy. Sports, as we've seen, is not immune to the current situation. Yet it seems like the right time to tie America's team and America's athletes to the national pride that we have now more than ever." The USOC has hired N.Y-based Blue State Digital, which helped work on President Obama's "online strategy leading up to the presidential election," to help with the new campaign. Lemke notes the fundraising effort "comes as the USOC is broadening its use of social media, making the teamusa.org Web site more interactive and allowing mentions of the Olympics to appear more frequently in places like Facebook and Twitter." Meanwhile, Baird believes that the USOC "can replace lost sponsorship revenue, though deals are taking longer to complete." Baird: "Our value proposition is still as compelling as it was in another economy. We're finding that people are open to us. It takes a little bit longer in this environment. ... I'm pretty bullish and confident that we have a very positive outlook" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 6/11).

STAYING AT HOME: LandCo Equity Partners and the USOC yesterday in a joint statement said that they have "resolved all disputes" related to efforts to keep the USOC in Colorado Springs. In Colorado Springs, Chacon & Laden reported LandCo dismissed the USOC from its lawsuit against the city, but has yet to settle any claims against the city itself. LandCo filed the suit in March, alleging Colorado Springs and the USOC had "failed to live up to their end" of a troubled $53M deal to build a new USOC HQs and make other improvements (GAZETTE.com, 6/10).