Community Growth
FAN, DONOR AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENT
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Community Growth
FAN, DONOR AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENT
FAN, DONOR AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENT
The unique opportunity of back-to-back Games inspired American fans. Amid the excitement, the decision that international spectators could not attend the Tokyo Games created the need for a “Plan C” after a year of postponement. With some creativity and innovation, we pivoted to a largely digital, social and stateside-based Games experience to continue to engage fans, donors and partners.
Despite the challenging environment, we saw fan, donor and partner activity grow across all measures.
2021 Donor Contributions
$37M+
new single- or multi-year gifts that contribute to overall revenue
57K+
total donors (12.2% increase from 2020)
10K+
first-time donors (72.8% increase from 2020)
84k+
total gifts (6.1% increase from 2020)
2021 Summer of Dreams Campaign
$8M+
gifts
24K+
total donors
4K+
new donors
Team USA Service & Hope Award
In 2021, the USOPC and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation established the Team USA Service & Hope Award, an annual grant awarded to Team USA athletes who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to service within their communities. Through the award, we are proud to offer as many as four $25,000 grants per year, with half of the grant going to the athlete and the other half to the athlete’s nonprofit of choice.
In its inaugural year, the Team USA Service & Hope Award received 134 applications. Athlete applicants spent a collective 9,250 hours, or 385 days, volunteering over 18 months.
2021 Team USA Service & Hope Award Recipients
Shea Hammond, 7-A-Side Soccer
Empowers children with cerebral palsy to play soccer through his nonprofit CP Soccer US.
Darlene Hunter, Wheelchair Basketball
Champions opportunities for people with lower-limb disabilities to compete and develop their skills through the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.
Kai Lightner, Sport Climbing
Connects climbers of color with organizations that seek to increase minority participation in rock climbing and the outdoor adventure industry through his organization Climbing for Change.
Nzingha Prescod, Fencing
Introduces under-resourced communities in New York City to the sport of fencing and its principles through her organization Fencing in the Park.
We Are Team USA
In April 2021, 100 days out from the Olympic Games, we launched a refreshed Team USA brand that put athletes at the center of storytelling, amplifying their stories based on what athletes themselves care about and want to be known for. The campaign showcased the diversity and breadth of Team USA through more than 550 athlete stories, representing two-thirds of the Olympic and Paralympic team.
This evolution increased engagement with a new, younger fan base by fostering deeper affinity for Team USA and the Games with fans through athletes’ inspiring stories. Engagement with athletes rose 16% from Rio to Tokyo, and on Team USA channels, 33%, significantly outpacing overall social media activity around the Games, and allowing us to further highlight who our athletes are both on and off the field of play. Beyond increased engagement, Team USA athletes saw their followers increase by a total of nearly 11M during the Tokyo Games.
“The person you see sharing her life on Instagram is the same person training to win a medal. We are Olympians and Paralympians, but we’re also sisters, scholars, parents, artists, veterans and so much more. We all have special passions that make us who we are and connect us to our communities.”
Hannah Roberts, BMX Cycling
“Our unique stories are what makes this team so amazing. Each of us brings something different to the table but we all compete under the same flag. We represent so many cultures, abilities and backgrounds, and [we] come together as Team USA.”
LEX Gillette, Para Track and Field
GROWING FAN, DONOR AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENT
In a unique environment with back-to-back Games within six months of each other and international spectators unable to attend, we found creative solutions to grow engagement with fans, donors and partners, ultimately seeing an increase in merchandise and philanthropic revenue, fan acquisition and engagement and commitments from partners and donors.
As a nonprofit that does not receive any government funding, growing fan, donor and partner engagement is critical to our existence and to supporting and funding Team USA. The emotional and monetary connections alike enable the USOPC to fulfill our commitment to Team USA athletes’ competitiveness and wellness.
FAN, DONOR AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
Merchandise and licensing royalties and philanthropic revenue saw their best-ever increases.
Licensing growth was 14.8% for the Tokyo Games compared to the 2016 Games with the addition of new and notable licensees – SKIMs, KITH and Mattel.
We saw robust ecommerce presence of $3.7M in revenue (+40%) from 43K orders (+43%).
The Team USA Fund generated 34K donations amounting to $1.7M, a significant increase from the Rio Games.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation saw contributions up 19% from 2020.
Team USA also announced a new partnership – Salesforce – and the extension of Deloitte through the 2028 LA Games.
