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The Giving Back Fund’s 2nd Annual Best Practices Fundraising Summit

The Giving Back Fund is a national nonprofit organization that was established in 1997 to provide professional philanthropic management, consulting, and mentoring to athletes, entertainers and others.  The organization will be holding its annual Summit in at the Omni Hotel & Resorts in San Diego, CA on April 21st and 22nd, featuring presentations and panels on the use of technology and social media in philanthropy, how to successfully host a fundraising event, a Q&A session, and a presentation by former sports agent, Jeff Moorad.

Speakers include:

  • KURT ASCHERMANN, President, Charity Partners Foundation. In 2006, Aschermann packaged and helped produce Denzel Washington’s first book A Hand to Guide Me, which has raised close to $1 million for Boys and Girls Club of America.
  • CLAUDIA CAPLAN, As Chief Marketing Officer at Mendelsohn Zien Advertising, Claudia led the new business efforts and worked on strategy for clients. Carls, Jr. CEO Andy Puzder was quoted as saying, “The chain’s turnaround is attributable in large part to a marketing strategy engineered by the Los Angeles advertising agency, Mendelsohn Zien.”
  • CAROL CONE, Chairman and Founder, Cone, Inc. Carol is a pioneer in cause-branding. Her signature cause programs have raised more than $1.2 billion for various social causes.
  • SHARON GELMAN, Executive Director, Artists for a New South Africa. Founded in 1989 by Alfre Woodard, Danny Glover, Mary Steenburgen, and other members of the creative community, ANSA works in the US and South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS. ANSA has raised and granted more than $9 million with the help of their supporters who include Samuel L. Jackson and Carlos Santana.
  • STACIE MANN, Vice President of Partnerships, Network for Good. Stacie is responsible for the website Six Degrees, which features and was started by Kevin Bacon. The site brings a social conscience to social networking.
  • DAN MIGALA, Vice President of Partnership Solutions, San Diego Padres. Dan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for a sponsorship program he conceived and implemented.
  • JEFFREY MOORAD, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Padres. One of the most recognizable names in professional sports, Jeff Moorad brings more than 25 years of sports industry experience to San Diego and the Padres. Moorad was involved in more than $3 billion in athlete contracts, including representing Pro Football Hall of Famers Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon and Thurman Thomas. Moorad was the negotiator on a number of landmark contracts for a baseball client base that included Manny Ramirez, Eric Karros, Ivan Rodriguez, Mo Vaughn, Shawn Green and Raul Mondesi.
  • JAISON MORGAN, Founder, Common Pool. Jaison is an expert on incentive driven models. While Senior Director of Prize Development at the X PRIZE Foundation, Jason built a pipeline of over $300 million in philanthropic competitions.
  • KIM NOVICK, Development Director, Tony Hawk Foundation. Over the past seven years, Kim has put the Tony Hawk Foundation on the charitable map, raising funds through corporate sponsorship, private donations, special events, and foundation grants.

Attendees must confirm pre-existing athlete and celebrity associations before attending. The Giving Back Fund reserves the right to refuse admission to the Summit.

Registration (click here):

  • General Registration – $499
  • Group Registration (two or more) – $449

For questions please call The Giving Back Fund at 310.649.5222

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

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