An Investigation into the motivational process of participating in a charitable sport event

Currently charities are facing numerous challenges financially, and the need for donations and fundraising is imperative to ensure these organizations can continue to operate. At this moment in time, charities are using various methods to engage the public and encourage donations. One typical method of fundraising is through charity sport events. Consequently, it is important to understand the process of attending such an event to encourage further participation, and possibly increase the revenue these events generate. This study explored the motivational process encountered by individuals who participate in charity sport events. It aims to investigate the relationship an attendee builds with such events and will discover the push and pull motivations that drive involvement. This study built upon the existing literature that covers the topic of motivations within events. As a result of this being a relatively unexplored field, the literature explored tourism and sport knowledge and theories, as well as the available event content. It was highlighted that although there have been a number of studies done into the field of motivations behind charitable sport participation, it calls for a more concise method of research in order to be able to generate further information. Building upon the current literature, the research consisted of ten qualitative semi-structured interviews. From these interviews, the relevant motivational themes were extracted and presented. In order to respond to the need of a more succinct method of examination of motivations, this study also investigated the relevance of Crompton's (1979) framework of seven socio-psychological motivational domains. This study makes suggestions as to how this framework can be adapted to fit the topic more appropriately. From this study, it was found that there are various factors which influence an individual's decision to take part in a charity challenge or sport event. The literature and findings of this study do have some correlation; however some themes which emerged in the research of more importance than that of the literature. This highlights the need for further research to be conducted in this area. This study draws upon how charities and event organizers can use this information to enhance future events and fundraising activities. It stresses the need for charitable organizations to better promote themselves, and events of this kind can be an ideal way to do this. It also makes recommendations about the significance of communication and ways to improve upon this.ba_eveunpub1727_ethesesunpu