Volunteer for a startup empowering athletes to lead beyond the game! 🏅

Sports Social Work Network (SSWN) helps low-SES and BIPOC college athletes leverage their athletic identity into sustainable careers, mentorship, and long-term wellbeing.

For many student-athletes from low-SES and BIPOC backgrounds, sports are framed as the only viable path to upward mobility. This often leads to "identity foreclosure," where an individual's entire self-worth is tied solely to athletic performance. While these athletes are overrepresented in high-revenue sports, they remain disproportionately underrepresented in sustainable career outcomes. When their athletic career ends—whether due to injury, graduation, or deselection—they often face "identity crisis," underemployment, and economic instability because they lack the professional networks and social capital needed to navigate the traditional workforce.

SSWN disrupts this cycle through a holistic, equity-centered framework focused on the transfer, translation, and transcendence of athletic identity. We empower athletes to transfer the discipline and resilience developed in sports to new domains, translating their athletic achievements into tangible career competencies and professional narratives. Our solution integrates culturally responsive mentorship, individualized career planning, and a "club-style" peer model where athletes build the social capital and professional exposure necessary to navigate high-value career pathways. By leveraging athletic identity as a launchpad for broader personal growth rather than a limitation, we ensure that the same drive that fueled their success on the field leads to sustainable purpose, economic mobility, and psychological wellbeing in life after sports.

Role (Volunteer, unpaid): Social Enterprise Business Strategist

Role Description: We are seeking a Social Enterprise Business Strategist to help ground the business model for **Sport Social Work Network ****(SSWN) (Athlete Career & Transition Network)**, a mission-driven organization focused on expanding career pathways for postsecondary athletes from low socioeconomic status (low SES) backgrounds.

SSWN is being developed from doctoral research examining how strong athletic identity can limit awareness of career opportunities beyond sport. Our goal is to build a national and international network connecting athletes, professionals, and organizations to support identity-informed career development.

The strategist will help translate this research-driven concept into a sustainable social enterprise structure.

Key Contributions

The volunteer will help:

• Refine the SSWN membership model

• Clarify revenue streams and service offerings

• Help structure core programs and partnerships

• Provide strategic guidance on early-stage growth and sustainability

Essential Skills

• Social enterprise or startup strategy

• Business model development

• Experience with membership or platform-based organizations

• Strategic planning and systems thinking

Desirable Skills

• Experience in sports, education, workforce development, or nonprofit innovation

• Experience launching early-stage ventures

Impact

Your work will help build a network designed to expand career awareness and opportunity for athletes whose identities are often shaped exclusively around sport.

What You’ll Gain

• Opportunity to shape a mission-driven startup grounded in academic research

• Collaboration with a founder with expertise in social work, athlete identity, and career access

• Professional recognition and recommendation for your contribution

Time Commitment: Volunteer 4-6 hours per week for 3-5 months remotely 💻

If you want to make change happen, apply to volunteer with Sports Social Work Network now!