While the pandemic forced professional sports leagues to find ways for players to compete safely and engage fans remotely, Special Olympics was ensuring 6.5 million athletes with intellectual disabilities weren’t pushed further to the margins.

Special Olympics pivoted to virtual athlete engagement and marketing when in-person sports and fundraising events became impossible, organically positioning the global movement in a niche for individuals and organizations reevaluating their contributions to inclusion and social justice.

Pandemic-driven innovation for marketing and audience engagement reinforced that Special Olympics athletes are the heart of the movement. Join Adweek as we hear from Special Olympics' Kelli Seely on how centralizing athletes’ voices in every initiative successfully solicited user-generated content, created high-performance digital fundraising video assets, executed more inventive partner activations, and stepped boldly into new fundraising spaces.