US Lacrosse Set To Move To Larger HQs, But Admits Fundraising Is Still An Issue

US Lacrosse is preparing to "move from its city headquarters to a business park" in Baltimore County, according to Chris Korman of the Baltimore SUN. Since forming 15 years ago as the "merger of eight disparate groups, US Lacrosse has grown from 12 employees serving 15,000 players, coaches, officials and others involved in the game to a current membership of more than 415,000." US Lacrosse in November "bought 12 acres" $4.5M. Preliminary plans call for "offices and possibly a training center for the men's and women's national teams." What is "not clear is whether the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame, currently in leased space at" Johns Hopkins Univ., also will move. US Lacrosse to buy the land "dipped into cash reserves at both the organization and the US Lacrosse Foundation." A new HQs, training center and fields "would cost millions of dollars, money that US Lacrosse would need to raise." But it "hasn't had great success with fundraising." US Lacrosse President & CEO Steve Stenersen said that in '12, the NGB "spent about $500,000 to raise about $1 million." He added, "A lot of our focus in the early years was on the operational side, and now we're in a position where we need to improve our ability to reach out to donors who can support what we are doing." Officials said that the organization has a "planned operating budget of nearly" $19M for '13, and is sitting on about $10M "in cash reserves." The bulk of its '12 revenue "came from nearly $12 million in member dues." The rest came from "sponsors, advertising and other sources." The group spent nearly $6.7M for "member services -- such as an insurance policy that covers players, a monthly magazine, and printing and distributing yearbooks -- and about $1.5 million each on special events and marketing." Running the organization "costs about" $2.5M. Tax documents show that Stenersen in '11 was "paid nearly $213,000." The NGB also spends about $2.9M "on the sport's development" (Baltimore SUN, 7/14).