On June 17, Morgan Vance, the executive director of the Pat Summitt Foundation, spoke to PRSA Volunteer Chapter members about the value in prioritizing strategic brand growth and development. Her presentation, ‘Brand Legacy: Protecting and Growing Over Time’, offered detailed insights into preserving a recognizable brand, while promoting the mission and legacy of Coach Pat Summitt and her fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
Vance brings more than a decade of experience in advancement and nonprofit leadership to her role at the Pat Summitt Foundation. Earlier in her career, she held development positions at the University of Tennessee’s athletic department and at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, where she managed corporate partnerships and fundraising campaigns.
The Pat Summitt Foundation was founded by legendary coach Pat Summitt and her son, Tyler, in 2011 after Summitt’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s. The organization’s mission is to advance the research for treatment and cures, provide support to caregivers and educate the public.
Vance emphasized throughout her presentation that growth is a main priority, but not if it is detrimental to Summitt’s reputation and brand. She stressed the importance of protecting the brand and those it represents over seeking immediate publicity and aligning the organization with an entity that doesn’t share similar brand values.
When Vance first started at the foundation as the director of fundraising, she asked two questions: “Where have we been?” and “Where are we going?”. The Foundation had achieved success in the decade since it was founded, but much of that success centered around the Pat Summitt Clinic, a University of Tennessee Medical Center Clinic that is a separate entity. Vance emphasized her strong support for the clinic but spoke about how the foundation needed to address the audience’s confusion about the two organizations.
In response to her own question, “Where are we going?”, Vance acknowledged a stigma that previously was surrounding the foundation. Some believed that its funding was limited to the state of Tennessee, not benefitting the whole nation. As Vance began strategically planning how to make a national impact she quickly advanced into the role of director of strategic initiatives and advancement. She told attendees that in nonprofit advancement, “you have to wear a business hat” and have something visible and tangible to sell to donors.
Vance explained that the need for a strategic, tangible resource to break the stigma that the foundation only served Tennessee residents, despite their nationally recognized brand and founder, led to the creation of
Pat's Gameplan for Caregivers. The foundation made a deliberate decision to support caregivers in a deeper, more impactful way.
Research shows that up to 40% of caregivers report increased anxiety and depression. In Tennessee, caregivers are about 70% more likely to not follow up on personal healthcare concerns, a concerning trend as 65% of caregivers in the state have preexisting chronic healthcare conditions.
Vance noted that while many great resources for caregivers exist, they are often overwhelmed and don’t address long-term implications. Pat’s Gameplan was created to bridge this gap and support caregivers not just in Tennessee but across the country. As a nationwide initiative, it helped dispel the stigma Vance recognized that the foundation only impacted communities in the state. The program gave the foundation a clear way to show donors how their gifts were making a difference in communities that they truly cared about.
Pat’s Gameplan gives caregivers the opportunity to share their story and find community in their circumstances, a strategic decision made Vance to empower and strengthen community but also expand their community outreach.
Vance concluded her presentation discussing the brand’s strategic plans for late 2025 into 2026, including the release of an in-depth documentary about Pat Summitt in 2026.
Her lasting comments emphasized the importance of storytelling in advancing a brand and driving fundraising. She also stressed the ongoing need to reevaluate strategy to align with new audiences and modern times while still preserving the core values and legacy of an iconic organization.