Igniting leadership through charitability: Ignite Visibility.
Every Kid Sports is thrilled to have been chosen as a beneficiary of Ignite Visibility’s Charitability Fund! Ignite Visibility, a premiere digital marketing agency, has made a generous $10,000 contribution towards the Every Kid Sports, “We Pay. Kids Play.” national fundraising campaign in February. We met up with Krish Coughran, Co-Founder and COO of Ignite Visibility, to learn more about the organization’s giving initiative and his own experience playing sports as a youth.
“When John (Lincoln) and I launched Ignite Visibility, we knew we wanted the organization to be united in purpose: give back to the community and be a positive force in the industry.” Donating time, talent and treasure, Ignite Visibility supports two local nonprofits in the San Diego area with pro bono work and employees are encouraged by the leadership team to get involved in fundraising events. Since launching in 2013, Ignite Visibility has experienced tremendous growth, becoming a leader in the digital marketing space with over 100 employees and approximately 140 clients. With this success, Krish and John saw an opportunity to make an even greater impact and chose to donate a percentage of their profits to Ignite’s Charitability Fund, with the idea that their employees would determine what nonprofits would receive donations from the fund.
“I understand the power of sports. It is an honor to help kids experience this power for themselves who may otherwise have missed out. Some of the most important life lessons can be learned via sports..”
Senior SEO manager Luz Ellis organized a program where Igniters were encouraged to nominate nonprofits to the fund, and the staff then voted for the nonprofit whose mission they felt most connected to. Ashley Nigro, who works as a Social Media Strategist for Ignite, nominated Every Kid Sports. “I nominated Every Kid Sports because their mission was one I knew the Ignite Visibility team would relate to. I feel a personal connection to their purpose because participating in youth sports shaped me into the person I am today, so I love getting to work with a nonprofit that helps make that a possibility for kids who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to be on a team.”
Krish was delighted that Every Kid Sports was chosen by employees as one of three nonprofits to be chosen as a beneficiary, because of his own experience with sports as a kid. “I understand the power of sports. It is an honor to help kids experience this power for themselves who may otherwise have missed out. Some of the most important life lessons can be learned via sports. Teamwork, camaraderie, self-discipline, tenacity, self-sacrifice, trust & integrity are all traits I was able to forge through playing sports. As a teen, I probably would not have been as motivated to get to school and do well had it not been for sports and the need to remain eligible. And the social aspect was motivating as well. Many of my best friends today were my teammates as early as elementary school.”
As he transitioned from college into the professional world, Krish applied many of the lessons learned from sports towards his success. “Sports shaped my leadership skills and managerial philosophies. I played sports almost every day of my entire childhood and maintained that commitment as an adult. I have always found parallels between sports and business. As my career unfolded, I found myself evaluating my managers based on my experience in sports and interactions with coaches and team leaders. I have tried to emulate the qualities of my best coaches and team leaders within my own leadership style.”
Clearly, Krish’s leadership skills have contributed to his success at running Ignite Visibility and creating a culture where employees thrive. Ignite Visibility was named as one of the Best Places to Work in San Diego and Krish says, “Of all the awards we have won at Ignite this honor is always the most gratifying. We strive daily to create an environment where every Igniter is valued, supported, put in a position to thrive and allowed to grow personally and professionally. Qualities indicative of all great teams.”
Thanks to Ignite Visibility, hundreds of kids will now have the opportunity to thrive through participation in youth sports.
– The Every Kid Sports team