2026 BOARD TOOLKIT
2026 BOARD TOOLKIT
INTRODUCTION
Sports ETA Board of Directors,
Thank you for your commitment. Becoming a board member for the Sports Events and Tourism Association, (Sports ETA), will provide you a deeper understanding of the purpose(s) and desires of the organization in serving its various members and constituents. The role of board members and their interactions with staff and members has a defined purpose. As a board member you will become familiar with various governing and operational provisions, policies, and procedures.
mlibber@mdsoccerplex.org
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
In your role, you will be involved with many discussions and deliberations during meetings that are confidential to the BOD until matters of importance are discussed and alignment in the decision is determined. Those deliberations are for internal use only and not to be shared outside the boundaries of board meetings.
After the first Board Meeting, you will sign three documents that commit you to confidentiality, code of conduct and elimination of conflict of interest that assist the open and freedom of dialogue during our meetings.
Board Member responsibilities include:
Assist in the development of the organizations Strategic Plan.
Serve as a vocal leader and ambassador for Sports ETA and our industry.
Approve the annual operating budget and provide regular oversight of budget performance.
Review governance policies, establish [when necessary] new or modified policies.
Primary focus: fiduciary oversight on behalf of membership.
Focus on future revenue growth opportunities and strategic visioning
GENERAL INFORMATION GENERAL INFORMATION
There are 20 Board Members. Four (4) Executive Committee and 16 Delegates.
Board meeting frequency is approximately every other month with working board discussions in between. The Executive Committee meets monthly.
The association has budget to offset some if not all airfare and fully covers hotel cost for the annual Board Retreat which takes place annually in next year’s Symposium host city.
The Board may adopt a consent agenda to approve items in mass, accept financials and approve minutes and reports.
Minutes are taken for all Board meetings. Minutes are not newsletters or reporting all aspects of discussions. They document actions to protect the Board and show that they are the performing their fiduciary duties.
All Board meetings should start with the Chair asking if anyone has any conflict of interests with items on the meeting agenda and note the response in the minutes.
Please complete, sign and date each document and return to Michelle Wessels at Michelle@SportsETA.org no later than Friday, August 20.
The meeting agendas are developed by the Board Chair and President & CEO. Board members can add items to meeting agenda for discussion by contacting Chair or President & CEO. Each Board member will be assigned at least one community and/or committee to work with and report back to Board.
Attendance is critical to the operations of the Board. Two (2) absences are allowed. More abscesses may result in removal from the Board.
The Chair and President and CEO are the official spokespeople. Please keep in mind, Directors, communities, and committees only have speaking authority for the association if designated.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The following information provides context to the financial management, resources, and operations or our organization.
A. Five (5) accounts at Huntington Bank
• Visa CC (David only) - $75,000 credit line
• Primary checking account
• High yield savings account
• Savings account – opened to obtain PPP loan
• SETA Sports Legacy account
B. General accounting information
• We use QuickBooks Online for our accounting
• Vendor payments are issued each 15th and 30th of the month
• Each current Treasurer has password access to all accounts
• Our fiscal year is July 1 – June 30
• Our accounting methodology is the accrual basis
Please complete, sign and date each document and return to Michelle Wessels at Michelle@SportsETA.org no later than Friday, August 20.
C. Our annual audit is performed by Barnes Denning of Cincinnati and has been for the last thirteen (13) years
D. Barnes Denning prepares our Federal Tax Return – 990
FINANCIAL INFORMATION FINANCIAL INFORMATION
F.
Monthly financial reporting
• The monthly bank reconciliation takes place within the first week of the month – President reviews bank statements and approves
• Company credit card reconciliation takes place within the first 10 days of the month
• Monthly balance sheet and operating P/L is sent to President the 15th of each month
• President reviews with CPA. President then reviews with Executive Committee.
• Monthly balance sheet and operating P/L forwarded to Treasurer by 20th of the month
• The monthly balance sheet and P/L are forwarded to the Board for review
• Monthly financial performance is posted to the Sports ETA website after Board review
• The balance sheet and P/L provide an accounting of current performance for that month, performance against the prior year, performance against the approved budget and a YTD tally
• Footnotes accompany financials statements that vary 5% or more from the BOD budget.
• Accrual base accounting calls for revenue and expenses to be posted to pre-paid accounts on the balance sheet and will be released to the P/L the month the activity tied to the income or expenses occur
G. Annual budget development timeline for approval
• We use a modified zero-based budgeting to justify each expense annually .
• Allow for board input or thoughts on budget during the process
• June - Present initial discussion draft to Executive Committee
• June - Modify draft as required from EC input and present the draft of Annual Budget to the Board
• June - Establish a call-in discussion time period with interested board members for further detail
• June – BOD approve Final Annual Budget
BOARD MEETINGS
BOARD MEETINGS
The Sports ETA President and CEO along with the Board Chair are responsible for scheduling and planning each Board Meeting.
Each Board Member will be sent a formal Board packet and calendar invitation at least 48-hours prior to a prescheduled Board Meeting from Info@SportsETA.org.
Each board packet may include:
• Cover Page
• Agenda
• Financials
• Minutes
• President’s Report
• Community / Committee Reports
If you wish to have an item added to the agenda, please announce during New Business portion of the meeting or contact the association President and CEO and Chair.
BOARD MEETINGS BOARD MEETINGS
2026 BOARD TOOLKIT
2026 BOARD TOOLKIT
In this section you will learn about:
• Overview of Sports ETA
• Business Structure
o Mission, Vision & Values
o Articles of Incorporation
o Bylaws
o Talking Points
• Membership
• Sports ETA Staff Roles
SPORTS ETA OVERVIEW
SPORTS ETA OVERVIEW
ABOUT SPORTS ETA
Since being established in 1992, our promise has been to deliver quality education, ample networking opportunities and exceptional event management and marketing know-how to our membersdestinations, right holders, and industry partnersand to protect the integrity of the sports events and tourism industry.
OUR FOUR PILLARS
E.A.R.N
As the non-profit 501(c)3 trade association for the sports events and tourism industry in the United States, Sports ETA is the most essential resource for sports commissions, sports destinations, sports event owners, and industry partners. We believe sports tourism and the events that our members own and host have the power to transform society for the better. Our passion is to help sports events and tourism professionals achieve previously unimaginable levels of performance. We do this by nurturing a diverse and inclusive community of smart, creative, and interesting people: our members.
BUSINESS STRUCTURE BUSINESS STRUCTURE
MISSION
To be the essential resource and leading advocate for the sports events & tourism industry.
VALUE PROPOSITION
We educate, inform, and train our members to generate economic impact, create jobs, promote participation in sport, and enhance quality of life through sports events & tourism.
VISION
To enhance quality of life through sports events & tourism.
BUSINESS STRUCTURE BUSINESS STRUCTURE
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
Click Here to View
BYLAWS
Amended December 2023
Click Here to View NOTES
SPORTS ETA TALKING POINTS
Please use this guideline / reference when speaking about Sports ETA.
Click Here to View
MEMBERSHIP MEMBERSHIP
Membership is granted to an organization that meets the criteria as outlined for the three categories below. Memberships run in conjunction with the calendar year,January 1 – December 31. Beginning October 1, and for the remainder of the calendar year, if an organization joins, they pay a pro-rated amount. If an organization joins between October 1 and December 31, membership dues include a pro-rated amount for the remainder of the current year, as well as membership dues for the following year.
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
Sports commissions, chambers of commerce, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), parks and recreation departments, and other organizations that represent communities which solicit and service sports events, sports organizations, and other types of sports-related activities in their community. Can represent a city or metropolitan area, region, state, or country.
Organizations that providing equipment, services, or attractions to the sports events and tourism industry (i.e., sports marketing companies, consulting and/or architectural firms, sports equipment manufacturers, facility management or food service companies, etc.).
Sports organizations and associations, national governing bodies (NGBs), and other companies that bid out and award sports events to which they own the rights. Organization's must have multiple events available for bid annually and be hosted in multiple regions across the country.
Individuals, including high school and university students, who are not employed by or own an entity that would otherwise qualify for membership under a different category. Individual Members shall not have
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART ORGANIZATIONAL CHART
JANIS BREEDLOVE VP of Events & Experiences
REBECCA MYLES* Sponsorship & Advertising
MEAGAN GRAU Director of Marketing & Communications
JOHN DAVID President & CEO
MICHELLE WESSELS Director of Membership & Engagement
CHRISTINA VELASQUEZ Director of Education & Research
CAROL COURTNEY* Special Projects
VINCE TRINIDAD* Facilities, Strategic Partner
JACKIE REAU* PR Support
DIANE MEYER* Graphic Designer
LINDSEY WANSTRATH* Manager, Marketing & Communications
GLEN SCHORR* Rights Holder Representative
BRIAN GRAHAM* Destination Representative
AUSTIN LONG* Member Support Specialist
JENNIFER PACHECO* Instructional Designer
SCOTT ELLSWORTH* Finance Director
* Subcontractor
STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES
STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES
FULL TIME EMPLOYEES
JOHN DAVID, STS
President & CEO
John@SportsETA.org
David manages the strategic & financial direction, while overseeing events, education, marketing & communications, membership, & sponsorship.
MEAGAN GRAU, STS
Senior Director of Marketing & Communications Meagan@SportsETA.org
Grau is responsible for all digital and physical association marketing & communication collateral.
CHRISTINA VELASQUEZ, STS
Director of Education & Research
Christina@SportsETA.org
Velasquez is responsible for onsite (event) and online education and association research projects.
JANIS BREEDLOVE, CMP, STS VP Events & Experiences
Janis@SportsETA.org
Breedlove is responsible for the strategic direction and logistics management of all events, creating meaningful experiences that reinforce the association's mission and vision.
MICHELLE WESSELS, STS
Senior Director of Membership & Engagement Michelle@SportsETA.org
Wessels is responsible for membership recruitment & retention, fulfillment of member services and supporting all business operations including, the BOD, and event registrations.
STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES
STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES
GLEN SCHORR*
Rights Holder Representative Glen@SportsETA.org
Schorr assists Wessels and is focused on rights holder recruitment and retention for both membership and events. Contract expires: August 31, 2025.
BRIAN GRAHAM*
Destination Representative Brian@SportsETA.org
Graham assists in Wessels and is focused on destination recruitment and retention for both membership and events. Conract expires: August 31, 2025.
AUSTIN LONG*
Member Support Specialist Info@SportsETA.org
Long assists Wessels is responsible for overseeing member serves and inquiries through the info box – updating member accounts and processing and generating invoices.
JEN PACHECO*
Instructional Designer
Pacheco assists Velaquez and is responsible for overseeing the STLI and STRI websites.
LINDSEY WANSTRATH * Manager, Marketing & Communications Lindsey@SportsETA.org
Wanstrath assists Grau with marketing and communications – focusing heavily on social media campaigns and website updates.
REBECCA MYLES* Sponsorship & Advertising Rebecca@SportsETA.org
Myles manages all sponsorship and advertising, as well as association technology services.
VINCE TRINIDAD*
Facilities, Strategic Partner Vince@SportsETA.org
Trinidad oversees Sports ETA’s annual Facilities Summit held in conjunction with the Symposium.
JACKIE REAU* PR Support JReau@GameDayPR.com
Reau assists Grau in all marketing and communication efforts.
DIANE MEYER* Graphic Designer
Meyer assists Grau with all design projects including event signage.
2025 BOARD TOOLKIT
2025 BOARD TOOLKIT
In this section you will learn about:
• Operations
• Style Guide
• Value Creations
• Sports Tourism Learning Institute
• Badging Program
• Communications
• Committees
• Communities
• Partnerships
NOTES
SPORTS TOURISM
SPORTS TOURISM RESEARCH INSTITUTE
INSTITUTE
THE STRI
Our team is dedicated to exploring and analyzing the intersection of sports events and tourism, examining how sports events and activities impact local communities and economies. With a focus on providing in-depth analysis and data-driven insights, we aim to inform and educate both industry professionals and sports enthusiasts alike.
Our research covers a wide range of topics, including the economic impact of major sporting events, the role of sports in destination marketing, and the challenges and opportunities facing sports tourism in today’s global landscape.
Click Here to View Value Creation
Click Here to View
SPORTS TOURISM LEARNING INSTITUTE
SPORTS TOURISM LEARNING INSTITUTE
THE STLI
Take a deeper dive into the Sports Tourism Learning Institute, a product of Sports ETA, the Sports Tourism Learning Institute (STLI) is the leading-edge education institute for the sports events and tourism industry via the link below.
Click Here to View
NOTES
BADGING
BADGING
WHAT IS A BADGE?
A badge is a digital graphic that is earned when members engage with Sports ETA. In a rapidly evolving industry like sports events and tourism, earning digital badges through Sports ETA's program is more than just a symbol—it's an opportunity to gain a competitive edge and help advance a member’s career. These badges validate accomplishments, skills, and expertise, providing concrete evidence of a member's dedication and knowledge.
HOW TO EARN A BADGE
Badges are earned from any number of engagements in Association offerings by members such as attending Sports ETA events, participating as a community group leader, completing STS courses, and even updating your Sports ETA profile. When a member completes certain activities/engagements, a badge is automatically be added to their member profile.
Distribution:
Distribution: All Members – Every Thursday
Distribution:
SIDELINE
Distribution:
PARTNERSHIPS PARTNERSHIPS
