| Donating money
to a skater is probably something new for many of you. In order to help
ease the process, I have included some general tips as well as some personal
accounts of those who have acted as sponsors in the past. |
-
No gift is too small. Every dollar
makes a big difference!
-
You can decide how you want to structure
your donation. You can give money in one lump sum or you can send monthly
checks. There are no rules. It is up to you and whatever makes you comfortable.
-
You are donating money out of the
goodness of your heart, not because you expect anything in return.
-
While some skaters may choose to
establish a personal relationship, they are under no obligation to do so.
Do not donate to someone as a way of becoming friends.
-
Do not donate money to a skater
if you will be upset by the results of that person's next competition.
You are helping to support someone you admire, not investing in a commodity.
-
Donations to established training
funds are often tax deductible while money given to individual skaters
typically is not.
|
| Personal Account
#1 -- Anonymous |
| Before I sent my
first check to a skater, I spoke to some skaters and other people who have
helped out skaters, and learned that etiquette is a big part of donating.
After all, since my intention was only to help, I didn't want to inadvertently
make the skaters uncomfortable. These are some questions I asked. |
| Money sent to skaters
should be solely from spare funds you won't be needing at all, and you
should set up guidelines based on your own finances about how much to give.
For example, if you have a certain amount each month that is not earmarked
for living expenses or savings, you might decide on 20% of that. It can
become tricky if you don't set up rules for yourself, because helping out
skaters can become very addictive, especially when you know the skaters
are in need. But it's best for both you and the skater if you take care
of your own financial needs first. Of course, you should let the skaters
know what to expect: is this a one-time donation? A monthly or annual check?
I am not rich at all. I worried that if I sent money, it would be such
a small amount that the skaters would be insulted, or they'd laugh. I asked
what amount would be too small, and the answers I got ranged from "a nickel"
to "$20." Okay, I could afford at least $20. I could also pool $5 here
and $10 there with my friends to send all at once. Once I asked around,
I found that even people without a lot of money were willing to chip in
that much for a skater whose work they'd enjoyed. |
-
What Should I Send with the Check?
|
| I make sure to write
accompanying letters about what, in this person's skating, moved me to
want to help. After all, the focus is on the skating, rather than the money.
The skaters work year in and year out, but only a very few get to show
their work to a wide audience, so it's good for them to know they're appreciated. |
-
What Is the Skater's Responsibility
To Me?
|
| I think of the money
I send as my gratitude for how much joy the person's skating has brought
me already, not as down payment on that person's future skating. I was
warned early on about something very important: no matter how much you
donate, even if it's $50,000 a year (don't we wish), there is absolutely
no guarantee that it will affect a skater's competitive results. So many
factors go into competition that results cannot be predicted. It is not
the best mindset for either you or the skater, if you see your assistance
in terms of an investment that you hope will pay off. The skater might
get the flu. They might decide to quit skating. They might have an off
day at regionals. Who knows. Be honest and protect yourself by making sure
you will not be too emotionally affected if such things happen. That's
the nature of the sport. |
| A check to help with
training costs is not an investment, and it is definitely not a loan. It
is a gift. Gifts are given freely out of goodwill, or a desire to please
someone. According to Miss Manners, the ONLY thing a gift requires in return
is a thank-you note. Here are some things that skaters are NOT required
to give in return: regular correspondence, personal appearances, backstage
passes, their e-mail or home addresses, private information, their friendship.
In some instances the skater may choose to establish more contact than
a simple thank-you, but that is entirely their choice, and theirs alone. |
| Believe it or not,
there have even been people who donated money hoping to date the skaters.
It seems incredible to have to say this, but trust me, that is not going
to happen. These people are busy athletes, not servants for hire (regardless
of what Ottavio Cinquanta may think). |
| Elite skating is
so expensive, it's difficult to understand where the money will come from.
But as all skaters and skating fans know, there is nothing in the world
like this sport. I've found it incredibly rewarding to know that even in
my own small way, I can help talented athletes pursue their dreams. |
| Personal Account
#2 -- Ann Jensen, supporter of Christina Connally (see Pairs page) |
| I know that other
sponsors have warned against expecting a personal relationship with the
skater or the family, but my experience was slightly different. A friend
had admired Christina's skating at the Nationals in San Jose. My friend
threw a stuffed animal to her. Christina responded with a thank you card.
My friend began corresponding with Christina. The next Nationals were in
her hometown. Her family had been very lovely to us and made our visit
very enjoyable. My friend wanted to help support Christina's skating but
did not know how to ask. I simply asked Christina's mother how we could
help. She gave us the address for the Skater's trust and we started making
donations. We are very friendly with the whole family at this point, and
have spent quite a large amount of time with them. |
| As far as etiquette
goes, I would encourage people to never be shy about asking if you can
help support a skater. If they don't need money (and it has been my experience
that 99% of them do), they may need some other sort of support. As far
as how much to give, that is completely up to you. Even if you cannot afford
much, any lessening of the burden can help. I picked an amount I knew we
could budget for every month and set up an automatic payment. Depending
on her cash flow, my friend would send more some months than others. If
you know what rink they skate at, you can just buy them some ice time.
You could get them credit at a shop where they get their equipment or costumes.
You do not need to give them thousands. All you are trying to do is show
support for a skater you like. |
| In general, I would
encourage you to expect nothing but a "thank you". Do not go into this
because you think a skater will go to the Olympics. Do not go into this
because you want to be best friends with a skater. Do not go into this
because you want input into a skater's costumes, or programs or anything
else. Go into this because you love the sport and you want to support this
skater in this sport. Anything else you get is a bonus. The thrill of being
able to do more than clap is all you can count on. |
| Personal Account
#3 -- Sandra Loosemore, former sponsor of Michael Chack |
| I was Michael Chack's
sponsor during the last three years of his eligible career. I initially
got hooked up with him from having sent him a couple of fan letters, first
after 1995 Nationals, and then again in early 1996 when he'd missed the
season due to injury and I'd heard rumors that he had decided to retire.
I thought I ought to put my money where my mouth was, so I told him that
I very much wanted to see him skate again and that I was willing to give
him some funding if he was going to remain active in the sport. As it turned
out, Michael had already decided that he wasn't ready to quit yet after
all. |
| Sponsoring a skater
can be incredibly rewarding from a personal perspective, but you have to
do it out of a motivation of just wanting to help the skater compete and
stay in the sport, and nothing more than that. It's not an investment.
You are funding the process, and not the results. Michael's comeback didn't
turn out to be as brilliant as we had hoped, but I did get to see him skate
three more years, and I think that in leaving competitive skating now he
is at peace with himself and his career in a way that he wouldn't have
been if he'd quit in 1996. |
| Overall, the experience
was good enough that I'm planning to continue being involved as a sponsor
of other skaters now. It's a way for me to give back to the sport. I also
find the enthusiasm of the young skaters, and their love of skating, to
be a refreshing contrast to the politics and commercialism at the higher
levels of the sport. |
| In terms of general
etiquette for funding skaters, I think there has to be a distinction made
between small gifts, say $100 or less, and cases where you are giving hundreds
or thousands of dollars to a skater. |
| Think of a smaller
gift as just a way to say "thank you for your lovely skating". You can
simply send your check with a letter or card, with no other formalities.
As a gift, it carries no obligation to the skater except a "thank you". |
| If you are thinking
about paying a significant portion of a skater's training expenses, though,
the "rules" are somewhat different. While a skater would probably be pleased
and flattered to get a check for $100 in the mail from an unknown fan,
$1000 would probably completely overwhelm them. They might wonder what
your motives are, or what they're expected to do in return. So you should
talk to the skater about it first; and, if she is a minor, I think you
should absolutely go through her parents, coach, or an official from her
club first. It's not unreasonable for you to ask to see a training budget
in deciding how much to give, or to arrange to pay for specific expenses
(ice time, coaching, costumes) directly, but it's also not unreasonable
just to give the money to the skater and let them decide how to use it,
which is the way I've handled it. |
| No matter how much
money you give, remember that you are just paying for the skater to skate,
and not for the privilege of becoming their friend, parent, or coach. Don't
think of it as "buying" personal contact with a skater, or a license to
interfere with their training arrangements. Let the skater decide how much
contact they want with you. In a lot of cases, I think the skaters enjoy
the attention and will seek out your approval and even advice, but if they
have a lot of supporters it just might not be practical for them to have
much personal contact with any of them. (For example, think of Todd Eldredge
or Kim & Wayne Seybold, who were supported by community fundraising
efforts in their respective home towns.) And it's also reasonable for the
skater to prefer to keep sponsorship a business arrangement. Again, let
the skater decide what they feel comfortable with and have time for. |
| Finally, a bit of
legal stuff. Money sent directly to skaters as an outright gift isn't tax-deductable
for you and isn't taxable income for them. On the other hand, if you want
to arrange a form of commercial sponsorship where you pay a skater in exchange
for them performing services (such as making personal appearances for your
business), not only is the income taxable for them, but you must get the
USFSA to approve the contract before any money is exchanged; otherwise,
you could cost the skater their eligibility to compete. |
|