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Mike Hill
Mrs. Tillery
A.P. Literature
November18, 2011
3 on 3 Basketball Tournament
“Basketball, a game played between two teams of five players each on a rectangular
court, usually indoors. Each team tries to score by tossing the ball through the opponent’s goal,
an elevated horizontal hoop and net called a basket” (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
Academic Edition). Sometimes, however, basketball can be much more than just a game. Sports
are often used to promote good causes, several such examples are classic guns and hoses softball
games, 5k runs, and of course, 3 on 3 basketball tournaments. These tournaments, like the
tournaments held at local schools for Hoops for Heart, can raise thousands of dollars.
Unfortunately, these tournaments can be very hard to put on; however, with good planning,
proper event execution, and good use of the money raised, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament can be
a huge success.
Good planning can help set up success in any field, including fundraising events.
Especially on the magnitude of a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, planning is key to a fruitful
fundraiser. The initial thought that must come into any event organizer’s mind is simple, yet
absolutely necessary. “Will the event work?” (sua.umn.edu). Although it may sound like a
foolish question, it really is the first that arises. This question is easily answered in the case of a
3 on 3 basketball tournament. Basketball is undeniably one of the most popular sports in
America and 3 on 3 tournaments provide a cheap way for the community to play and support a
good cause. However this is only the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to planning a 3 on 3

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event. The major problem that appears to arise with any fundraising event is the budget. “The
budget should be specific, and include revenue opportunities (sponsorship, ticket sales,
donations. concession sales) as well as expenses printing, permits, insurance, speakers, food.
supplies, security)” (librarysupport.net). After all, the goal of any fundraiser is to make money
to support a cause, so a good budget must be clearly presented or the promoter runs the risk of
not generating any profit for the cause they are supporting. The budget must be carefully
planned and meticulously followed in order for the event to be as successful as possible. In the
specific case of a 3 on 3 basketball tournament there are dozens of expenses that must be kept in
mind, such as; facilities rental, equipment, food, drinks, entertainment, and player gifts are just a
few that can be named. Another aspect that any event needs is good advertising. “Publicize your
event to community calendars, on TV, and through community centers, and neighborhood
markets. Add event information to your website, social network sites, your newsletter and to list
servs (aids.gov).” Advertising is clearly essential to hosting a profitable fundraising event.
Although some of the best means of advertising are definitely through electronics, primarily
through the Internet and local news, there are some old fashioned ways of advertising that must
not be overlooked. Some examples that work great and can be implemented by any fundraising
event are posters, assemblies, and word of mouth. Just simply going out and telling people about
an idea can yield phenomenal results. Before a 3 on 3 basketball tournament can take place there
are many things that need to be done that, if not managed, can turn the event into a nightmare.
However, with adequate planning, a 3 on 3 tournament can be a relatively problem free project.
Although good planning definitely aids the success of a 3 on 3 basketball tournament,
one of the other keys to success is proper event execution. Even though many people will go to
such an event just for basketball, others are not so interested in the sport. One tournament in

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New York does not stop at just basketball; “But it's not all hoops in the park. Every weekend,
hundreds of future track stars line up from the ages of seven and under in a series of relay races,
obstacle course runs, rope jumping (double Dutch) and other games of motion that kids love
(Evans).” Simply alone, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament would most likely produce very
beneficial results. However, if combined with other activities, these results could multiply.
Several different events can be used at a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, such as; the tournament
itself, a 3 point and dunk contest for fan entertainment, video games, live music, and other
contests, like hula hoop or jump rope. All of this has to do with gaining the most profit, or as one
article says, “activities that can generate the biggest bang for the buck (Simmons).” Although in
large cities it may be more profitable to have many events, in rural and suburban areas, a better
strategy most the time is to put on one single extravagant event. This way the fundraiser is only
asking for money once. This keeps the people who donate from constantly being hassled for
money, which also makes them likely to give more. In order to make the event as big as
possible, several things must happen in the event execution. During the event things need to be
kept under control. If the promoter if aiming to have as big of an event as possible, then the
promoter must keep in mind that people could be liable to get out of hand, especially when the
event is something of a somewhat competitive nature. In order to keep order, the event must
have proper security present. However, not all event staff should be security there to incite fear
into the people who may consider being reckless. The majority of the staff at the event should be
there to help the participators in the friendliest way. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown
that of late, people have less confidence in charitable organizations (Waters). Part of this lack of
confidence could be from the way the event participators are treated by the event staff. While
most of the event staff are happy volunteers there is a large percentage there only because they

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have to be for legal obligations or due to severe family pressure. This means that it is very
important for the event staff to know thoroughly who they are hiring. If all of the aspects of
event execution are carried out meticulously, the 3 on 3 basketball tournament is almost a
surefire success.
Even after the event, there are still many things that need to be done. The primary issue
that must be addressed is the question, where will the money go? Unfortunately this question has
a much more complex answer than one might think. “Veterans organizations, along with groups
that solicit funds for firefighters and police officers, are magnets for hucksters and thieves (MAS
Ultra).” Some people are always trying to get money the easy way. Even if that means taking
money from hardworking citizens who think they are donating to a legitimate charity. Due to
this, it is essential for any fundraiser to know exactly who they are donating to. Sufficient
research should be put into this task. If this is neglected, then the money goes to people who may
not deserve it, thus basically wasting the entire fundraising effort. Sadly even many well known
fundraisers are actually pretty shady. For example, the “National Breast Cancer Research
Center...spent exactly $487,505, or about 4% of its income, on research (Saporito).” For such a
well known organization, most people would most likely expect for a much larger percentage of
the income to be spent on the actual research. There is no right or wrong charity to donate the
fundraising money to, however some may seem to do less with the money than others. Knowing
where the money is going and how it is being used is very important for most people; therefore
countless hours of research should be expunged on where the funds will be headed to. Although
this is the main thing to do after the actual event of a 3 on 3 basketball tournament occurs there
are several other options that definitely will not hurt the cause. Community awareness is
something that should be acknowledged by the fundraiser. After all, it could be very influential if

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people find out about the fundraiser. As people see one person doing good, they are inspired to
do good themselves. Henceforth, it may be a good idea for the fundraiser to give a public
announcement about how the event went. These announcements should be centered around
things like how the event went, how much money was raised and how many people partook in it.
It is also a great idea to include pictures or even video from the tournament. There are also
several ways of showing the public announcements. Local newspapers and even television
stations are one great way. Since the people who browse these are close to the fundraising event,
there is a better chance of connecting with the audience. Another excellent tool that should be
used is the Internet. With this, the organizer can reach a greater quantity of people thus further
raising the awareness. A successful 3 on 3 basketball tournament does not end when the actual
tournament does. If the proper steps are taken after the event, the results can become more and
more prosperous.
Some people may argue that a 3 on 3 basketball tournament is a foolish enterprise for
raising money for a cause. Some people may say that it will not change anything. Especially if
the tournament does not have millions of dollars to spend getting the news out to people
(Luscombe). There is no way a simple basketball tournament can make any difference. Some
people will say it just will not matter, the tournament will not make thousands of dollars. The
tournament may not make thousands of dollars, but it will make a difference. When a 3 on 3
basketball tournament is carried out properly, not only can the monetary results be quite
surprising, but the influence from the tournament can spark a flame that takes people by storm,
moving them to help others as well. If the tournament is planned well, properly executed, and
the fundraiser knows about where they are donating the money, the effects from a 3 on 3
basketball tournament can be very far reaching.

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Works Cited
“Basketball.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopaedia
Britannica, 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com.proxygsu-
sche.galileo.usg.edu/EBchecked/topic/55245/basketball>.

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Evans, Howie. “Doug’s 3 on 3 tournament championships.” New York Amsterdam News
18 Aug. 2005: n. pag. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.
<http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=b46736a3-1ebe-42de-9ae2-a8ec00a1dd3d
%40sessionmgr114&vid=3&hid=113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#db=a9h&AN=18023858>.
“Event Planning Checklist.” Sua.Umn.Edu. University of Minnesota Student Union
Assoc., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://sua.umn.edu/groups/forms/event_planning.pdf>.
“Event Planning Guide.” Aids.Gov. U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web.
13 Nov. 2011. <http://aids.gov/awareness-days/event-planning-tips.html>.
“Event Planning Tips.” LibrarySupport.Net. N.p., n.d. <http://www.librarysupport.net/
librarylovers/eventips.html>. Rpt. in Part-Time Public Relations with Full-Time Results.
N.p.: ALA Editions, n.d. N. pag. Print.
“Honor vets by helping legitimate charities.” MAS Ultra - School Edition. MAS, 8 Nov.
2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com.proxygsu-sche.galileo.usg.edu/
ehost/detail?sid=60745351-ae12-478e-b126-9a260b7ef6de
%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#db=ulh&AN=J0E016462877511>.
Luscombe, Belinda. “Using Business Savvy to Help Good Causes.” TIME 28 Mar. 2011:
p65-65. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/
ehost/detail?sid=323fc124-
bbfa-4caa-9478-8ff7e71598a9%40sessionmgr4&vid=1&hid=24&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWh
vc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=59603875>.

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Saporito, Bill. “Check Your Charity!” TIME 13 June 2011: n. pag. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=5903cb8c-
f248-4847-b290-7c118bd90bde
%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=24&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#db=a9h&AN=61205620>.
Simmons, Dave. “Putting the fun IN FUNDRAISING.” Teaching Music Aug. 2008:
p54-59. EBSCOhost. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?
sid=bd4689f3-54fd-41b7-9cb5-207e17c5c299%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=13&bdata
=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=34231595>.
Waters, Richard D. “Increasing Fundraising Efficiency Through Evaluation: Applying
Communication Theory to the Nonprofit Organization— Donor Relationship.”
EBSCOHost.com. EBSCOhost, 1 June 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011.
<http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=4fe5bedf-9e36-4833-8d8a-206153fb59bc
%40sessionmgr12&vid=1&hid=15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d
%3d#db=a9h&AN=60405661>.