Meet Mark Almanzor of MGA Fundraising LLC

Esports Connected With Megan Van Petten

Why did you get involved in esports? What was your entry point and what is your current role?: I view esports as a terrific way to engage a vibrant community and audience for fundraising. My entry point was watching the Starcraft championships in South Korea. As a video gamer, it's awe-inspiring to see stadiums filled with people who want to watch a competitive video game tournament. Currently, I serve as the livestream gaming SME at Doctors Without Borders USA.

Why did you decide to become a member of ESTA?: I felt that the ESTA's wealth of experience in esports could be a source of learning for both my company and at Doctors Without Borders USA

Tell us 3 fun/unexpected facts you would like us to mention when we introduce you?: 1) As a Twitch streamer, I've raised over $7K for orgs, and about 75% of that was from donation incentives for eating Beanboozled jelly beans; 2) I was a member of the American Homebrew Association and livestreamed how to make beer; 3) Found out that the #2 biggest lie in competitive video games is "I'm bad at Mario Kart"

What is your expertise/niche and how do you see that changing relative to the esports industry? What are you doing now? Where are you making an impact?: My expertise is in utilizing livestream media, specifically gaming, as a vehicle for fundraising. I see more esports events organized as a fundraiser for various organizations. For example, Dreamhack does plenty of events for charity. What I am trying to do is to make connections between organizations and esports organizers to try and get more fundraising events on calendars. Since my venture is new, I haven't had any impact yet, but I hope to start making an impact at college esports, in particular at my alma maters Rutgers and Seton Hall, who have established esports programs.

Since you’ve entered the esports industry, what has been the biggest industry change or trend that you’ve seen? Have you felt the impact of this change?: The biggest change is the growing level of acceptance. Gaming in general has grown from being viewed as a hobby and is now viewed as a full-blown industry. The impact of this in the fundraising sphere is an increase in corporate giving either via event sponsorships or by direct donations to nonprofits.

What is your favorite esports title, genre, and/or esports passion?: Overwatch We are all about making a real connection - not talk about just business - what’s the most FUN or craziest thing that happened to you this past year?: The most fun was attending TwitchCon. It was great to meet up with colleagues from across the nonprofit industry, as well as seeing friends I've met on Twitch and hanging out with them in person for the first time.

Tell us about a situation that you can look back on and say that it defined, or really influenced you as you are now or doing what you are doing now? A “fork in the road” moment?: 6 years ago, at my last job, I was told to watch Summer Games Done Quick - a speedrun event to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. For years, organizations had been looking to engage younger audiences and failed. Now, I see an org that has embraced gaming and seeing the dividends pay off. I was inspired by this and I tried to get a similar initiative started at my last job, but alas my pleas fell on deaf ears. When a job opened up at Doctors Without Borders, even though it wasn't related to gaming, I jumped on it and it's where I am today. Though I still work at Doctors Without Borders, I am also able to work with other organizations and their gaming fundraising initiatives. It's so refreshing to be involved with folks who understand the gaming world and are always trying to figure out how best to utilize it as a way to raise funds as well as for advocacy.