Public-Private Partnerships in Physical Activity and Sport

With resources for not-for-profit public sector organizations proving increasingly scarce, partnerships with the private sector are becoming progressively more important to the growth and support of not-for-profit organizations. Frequently, private sector organizations are seeking not-for-profit physical activity, health, and sport partners for the valuable and unique links to potential markets and brand associations. This mix creates controversy over if, how, and at what cost public health and physical activity goals can be achieved in partnership with private, profit-driven organizations.

Public–Private Partnerships in Physical Activity and Sport is a guide for nonprofit, charity, and sport organizations in developing and maintaining strategic and responsible relationships with corporate partners. With its comprehensive and practical examination, this text is also relevant to private sector corporations seeking public sector partners and for agencies seeking to broker such partnerships.

This text is drawn from the collaboration of leaders in public and private organizations, athletes, and academics who identified a need to provide formalized direction on partnerships between the public and private sectors. Authors O’Reilly and Brunette present a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of establishing partnerships between not-for-profits and private sector organizations. They also provide a thorough understanding of the issues and illustrate how a responsible implementation of these partnerships can benefit all parties involved. They offer strategies and tactics for finding, developing, implementing, and evaluating public–private partnerships and highlight how partnership and social marketing studies outside of public health and health promotion can inform these growing disciplines.

Providing guidelines from the World Health Organization and other entities worldwide, this resource offers readers a framework for forming and maintaining beneficial partnerships. Readers will also find the Partnership Protocol, a public health-centered collaborative initiative led by ParticipACTION, which provides evidence-based public–private partnership guidelines for practitioners. A foreword by Kelly Murumets of ParticipACTION, an advocate of partnership building in the public health sphere, emphasizes the value of this resource in confronting the challenges of public–private partnerships in a thoughtful and responsible way.

Throughout, Executive Perspective sidebars provide expert commentaries on partnership from experienced individuals in both private industry and public health organizations. These sidebars include Global Application questions that provide insight into issues and obstacles overcome in creating public–private partnerships in the contexts of public health and health care. Case studies throughout the book help readers understand how partnerships and social marketing strategies can be successfully implemented.

This comprehensive text shows how public–private partnerships done properly expand markets, increase efficiency, provide resources, allow access to expertise, and provide platforms for marketing, activation, and programs. Public–Private Partnerships in Physical Activity and Sport provides information, guidance, and tools to help readers make partnerships work most effectively for their organizations according to their resources, scope, and purpose.

Public–Private Partnerships in Physical Activity and Sport is part of the Physical Activity Intervention Series. This timely series provides educational resources for professionals interested in promoting and implementing physical activity programs to a diverse and often resistant population.