Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
The School of Kinesiology
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
The intentional use of sport as a vehicle for community impact rather than individual athletic achievements is commonly referred to as the Sport for Development (SFD). In recent decades, since the United Nations recognized the potential of sport to contribute to sustainable development, the SFD has evolved from a movement to an institutionalized and professionalized field with practitioners across all inhabited continents. Together with the formalization of the sector, SFD has received increased attention from researchers across disciplines, such as sport management, sociology, and nonprofit studies. However, the current scholarship remains primarily concentrated on established organizations, leaving the formative stages and how SFD entities come to existence as one of the key knowledge gaps. The purpose of this dissertation is to address the existing knowledge gap by exploring the process of nonprofit venturing, defined as the creation of nonprofit organizations, in the SFD field. The following research questions guided this dissertation: (RQ 1) What is the current state of knowledge regarding nonprofit venturing? (RQ 2) How do nonprofit entrepreneurs experience launching SFD ventures? (RQ 3) What do nonprofit entrepreneurs do when launching SFD ventures? RQ1 is addressed by a scoping review on nonprofit venturing, the first one to synthesize the scattered knowledge on the topic. To address RQ2 and RQ3, for a period of six months, the author collected qualitative data with nonprofit founders currently engaged in building SFD organizations. More specifically, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 entrepreneurs from 18 organizations at the beginning and at the end of the six months. Between the interviews, participants submitted audio diaries, resulting in 350 recordings from 18 founders. Findings demonstrate that founders spend most of their time connecting with others, paperworking, planning/preparing, and promoting, rather than executing core activities. Three most challenging areas for startups were also identified as formalizing a venture, incorporating the new venture into founders’ lives, and co-creating a new brand from ground zero. We further discuss theoretical and practical implications, including the role of time in entrepreneurship practice, the irrelevance of age as a measure for early-stage organizations, and methodological approaches for unpacking venturing in progress.
Date
3-25-2026
Recommended Citation
Khokhryakova, Olga, "Nonprofit Venturing in Sport for Development" (2026). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 7010.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/7010
Committee Chair
Svensson, Per G.
LSU Acknowledgement
1
LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment
1