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Nate Baldwin
Community & Inclusion Focused Sports Programmer, Speaker, Writer & Advocate.
Nate Baldwin is the Associate Executive Director at Emerald Kidsports, a youth sports organization based in Eugene, Oregon.12 He has extensive experience in program creation and development, including vision casting, strategy development, implementation, and communications.2
In his role at Emerald Kidsports, Baldwin is involved in various aspects of the organization's operations and events. For example, he recently helped organize the inaugural Justin Herbert Celebrity Softball Game, which took place in July 2024.3
Baldwin has a background in youth sports administration and has previously worked for Appleton (WI) Park & Recreation and LeagueApps.4 He is also the leader of Red Ball Nation, an organization focused on youth sports development.6
As part of the Emerald Kidsports leadership team, Baldwin is involved in the organization's expansion efforts. He has been working on a project to develop new sports facilities, with a phase projected to be ready for public use by November 2024.5
Baldwin is active on social media platforms, sharing insights and updates about youth sports. His LinkedIn username is nate-baldwin-9b10706, as mentioned in the query.2 He can also be found on Twitter under the handle @nbaldwin75.4
Highlights
Last Saturday, we (Emerald Kidsports) had the pleasure of hosting our inaugural Justin Herbert Celebrity Softball Game at Jane Sanders Stadium on the University of Oregon campus! What began as a crazy idea back in January, (inspired by the 20+ year success of the Green Bay Packers Charity Softball Game) and was accelerated by a great conversation about event execution with a former colleague at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (thanks Aaron!), became an incredible reality for the Eugene/Springfield community on July 13. Thanks to tremendous buy-in and support from Kidsports alum Justin Herbert, the LA Chargers players and social media team, the University of Oregon events team, and a seemingly endless list of sponsors, donors, game participants, event partners, and volunteers, this event was able to raise enough money for more than 2,000 kids to access youth sports opportunities who might not otherwise have had the financial opportunity to do so.
I'm SO proud to have helped lead the game day logistical team that made this game happen (especially my right hand person, Katy P), and am so thankful to all of those who I extended personal invites to who gladly gave of their time and energy to make the day successful (Jim, Eric, Kevin, Payton, Kinley, Brian, Carrie, Dan, Annie, Kenny, and many others... thank you!).
What I'm most proud of, however, is of the fans who showed up and showed out! You all believed in this event, bought the tickets, brought the energy, and kept the buzz going LONG after the final pitch! The event was SO. MUCH. WORK.... but the day of the game was SO. MUCH. FUN, and the smiles on your faces, the laughter, and the good vibes were worth every ounce of energy we put into it. We can't wait to bring this event back next year and beyond!
(photo credits to Eric Evans)
#youthsports #eventmanagement #eugeneoregon #lachargers #sportsmanagement #charity
Having led participation based sports programs and businesses for the past 22 years, I can tell you that the absolute, NUMBER 1 key to success, growth, retention and IMPACT is a vibrant, defining program culture. In a nutshell, your CULTURE is your organization's core values IN ACTION through it's full complement of stakeholders... staff, coaches, officials, parents, participants.
What culture IS: Clearly defined core values, expectations, clarity about what your organization IS and stands for, as well as clarity about what your organization is NOT, and stands against. Actions & decisions are guided by and uphold those beliefs and expectations. Leaders deliver transparency, clear communication and attention to detail.
What culture IS NOT: Trying to be all things to all people, hesitancy to state your organizational beliefs & values out of fear of turning people away, malleable stances on right vs. wrong, lack of transparency and communication, and an unwillingness to hold stakeholders accountable and turn people away who do not align.
You can ALWAYS determine a youth sports organization's strength of culture by the prevalence of conflict. Where culture is WEAK, stakeholders feel entitled to their own agenda and value set, are suspicious of the motivations of other coaches & parents, lack confidence in the decision making of staff, and conflict (and it's resulting clean up) reigns. Where culture is STRONG, stakeholders are aligned, beliefs and values are shared, and conflict is minimal. Everyone knows what the organization stands for ahead of time, and they've joined that organization because they intensely align with those beliefs and values, and are advocates in the mission.
To deliver a program of impact, where stakeholders are aligned and actively advocate on behalf of the mission, where conflict is minimized and administrators can focus on quality instead of clean up, be loud and proud about who you are (and are not), and focus on putting your core values into action ----> CULTURE.
#youthsports #culture #coaching #sportsmanagement #sbyd #sports
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Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
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