“We’re semi-intentional”: exploring the internal administration of strategic marketing in sport-based youth development organizations

The purpose of this study was to explore how (or if) sport-based youth development nonprofit organizations currently prioritize strategic marketing. These organizations are committed to delivering sport in ways that align with positive youth development principles, yet there is limited research on how this distinction is communicated to key stakeholders. Strategic marketing is a potentially viable tool for nonprofit organizations to differentiate themselves from traditional youth sport providers, yet there remains limited research to guide strategy and implementation. Drawing on Andreasen’s framework for nonprofit marketing, we utilized semi-structured interviews with 19 senior-level executive leaders of sport-based youth development organizations in the United States to examine how (or if) the internal administration of these organizations supported nonprofit strategic marketing. A theoretical thematic analysis was utilized to explore three components related to the internal administration of nonprofit strategic marketing: inputs, strategy creation, and internal outputs. Results indicate that smaller organizations often have limited resources, and larger organizations are reluctant to internalize key inputs for strategic marketing. Most leaders also viewed strategic marketing as a peripheral function compared to service-oriented tasks and noted difficulties developing a cohesive brand identity that could be communicated to target audiences. Social media was described as a key tool, yet “keeping up” with posting obfuscated attempts at developing a longer-term strategy. Findings inform a discussion of theoretical and practical implications, including prioritizing resources to support strategic marketing, simplifying messaging, and clarifying the broader field so that organizations can operate within a more defined brand architecture.