NATIONAL DAY OF GIVING

MAY 19-21, 2023

Iam sure that most of you know that May is National Tennis Month. Reinvigorated last year after being abandoned for several years, the industry is galvanized to create heightened awareness and greater interest in our game amongst consumers everywhere. With tennis experiencing significant growth coming out of the pandemic, National Tennis Month gives us a platform to continue the momentum.

Many of you may not be aware that the USPTA had an active 501(c)(3) charitable organization for many years- it raised money for worthy causes where USPTA professionals were involved. Historically, the USPTA Foundation used a silent auction during the World Conference Trade Show to fill its coffers. This funding enabled the USPTA to make donations to grass roots organizations that were introducing tennis to those who were less fortunate.

Unfortunately, the Foundation struggled to maintain relevancy a few years back, which forced the USPTA Board to reassess its viability. The administrative costs to file annual applications in every state (so that we could contribute to legitimate organizations) proved to be too costly and time consuming for our volunteer network. On top of that, soliciting prizes, experiences or gifts from corporate entities that could create excitement amongst our membership also was a challenge.

Thus, we folded our USPTA Foundation as a stand-alone entity and established a separate fund under the USTA Foundation umbrella. This allows us to operate as we have done in the past, but with the administrative might of the USTA. Now, our job is to make our membership aware that this fund exists and create money raising opportunities.

Enter National Tennis Month!

The specific date will be Friday, May 19 but we will extend the promotion to include that weekend of May 20 and 21. During any of those three days, USPTA professionals can run events at their facilities or clubs, with the proceeds being awarded to the USPTA Foundation. Or, if the USPTA professional chooses, he or she can donate a portion of their lesson income during that time. Any amount would suffice, be it 5%, 10% or more to help with this cause. Every little bit helps!

Our goal for the weekend is to raise $20,000. If 500 pros donate $400 each, that would hit our objective. If 1,000 of our members could come up with $200 in lesson proceeds or event contributions, we will have done our job. The more that participate, the easier it will be to accomplish our goal.

We have developed marketing materials to help you advertise your commitment to this cause at your facilities. Your clients should know what you will be doing to support this nationwide endeavor. You can access these promotional posters, a social media kit and other collateral material by going to uspta.com/ dayofgiving and downloading what you need.

With this money, the USTA Foundation Grant Committee along with our USPTA Board Liaison, Trish Faulkner, will meet in the fall to determine which 501(c)(3) organizations that have USPTA professional involvement deserve to receive grants that will support their mission.

May is going to be an exciting month for tennis. For the first time ever, the USTA National Campus will host the NCAA Championships for DI, DII and DIII Men’s and Women’s team and individual Championships. At no time in history have all three divisions been together to create a veritable college showcase of this magnitude. Couple that with so many other fantastic events that will be staged throughout the country, it is going to be a special time for our sport. Let’s rally our troops and do what we can to help those organizations who serve the less fortunate. As Arthur Ashe once said, “From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life.” *