How to Start Your Own Volleyball Foundation: Tips from LKTBF
As the world’s first global volleyball foundation, our goal is to impact lives through the power of volleyball. Let’s Keep The Ball Flying (LKTBF) is dedicated to using volleyball to create positive changes in communities around the world. Would you start your own volleyball foundation? Here are some tips to get you started!
1. Desire and Passion
If you have the desire, motivation, passion, and eagerness to give back to your community through sports, that’s more than enough to begin. Starting something new is both challenging and essential, especially if you’re willing to make a difference.
It’s often easier to do nothing and stay within your comfort zone. However, by wanting, doing, participating, and making an impact—even in small ways—you’re already making a difference. You might know someone who has started foundations for children with special needs, helped abandoned elderly, or even rescued animals.
These initiatives provide not only food but also dignity, making recipients feel loved and treated as equals. You have the desire and the idea—now what?
2. Document Your Ideas
Grab a pen and paper or use a notebook to jot down all your ideas. Research online about existing projects and campaigns. Thanks to technology, you have access to countless documents that can inspire you and provide real-world examples to kickstart your foundation.
Search YouTube for videos of people who have started similar initiatives. These videos will likely feature interesting and inspiring cases—stories of individuals like you who decided overnight to create positive changes in the world. As you watch and listen, take notes on your own ideas.
The power of creativity and inspiration is even greater when you have a clear goal. Keep your objective in mind. Do you have a well-defined goal? Write it down fearlessly—cross out, rewrite, and refine your thoughts. Remember, you don’t have to start from scratch; there are plenty of successful cases to learn from.
3. Address Legal Requirements
Once you have defined your idea, dedicate yourself to putting it into action. Each country has different requirements for creating a foundation. Research the requirements online.
Some basic steps include selecting the name of your foundation, recruiting your team, and writing your values, mission, and purpose statements.
4. Write Your Values Statement
Focus on the principles that your foundation will follow at all stages of organizational development and in every decision made by you and your team. List the behaviours you consider most important to fulfil your mission successfully and ethically. Outline how those behaviours will be implemented in daily operations.
5. Write Your Mission Statement
A mission statement motivates your internal team to stay focused and determined. It should state what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. In one sentence, answer what the foundation will do, incorporate the values your organization holds, and the desired outcome of the mission.
Include the passion that led you to start your organization. Write concisely and as if you were talking to a friend casually over coffee about your dream.
6. Write Your Statement of Purpose
Your statement of purpose explains why a foundation is necessary despite the existing work of other foundations. It tells your community members and potential partners who you can support, why they should support you, and why they shouldn't support other similar foundations.
Describe what your foundation does in 50 words or less. Indicate the category of service you offer (educational or humanitarian, for example) and explain what you will do, step by step.
7. Choose the Foundation Name
Choose a name that aligns with the feelings evoked by your values, purposes, and mission statements. Consider the category where your foundation is focused (humanitarian, volleyball, for example) and look for descriptive words that represent its purpose, mission, and values.
Make sure the name is short enough to fit into domain names and social media handles and is easy to write, say, and remember. Once you've chosen a name, check to make sure it's not already taken.
Select Your Team
How do you choose your team? Think about how you choose your volleyball team—who is best for different roles like setter, blocker, and defender? Based on this, make a list of the skills and experiences you need to fulfil your mission. Most foundations need financial, marketing, legal, and industry-specific skills and experience.
Create a list of people with these qualifications who share an interest in the cause. Invite them to chat, have coffee, and show them your organized notes. Invite them to join your cause.
Your passion and enthusiasm will encourage them to support your vision. The global volleyball world is increasingly open to the idea of giving back through a volleyball foundation.
Take the first step! If you have any questions, contact us—we’ll be happy to help you on this adventure that will change your life.
