Over the last two years, the EquiTy Collective has partnered with Team IMPACT to create a lasting impression on student-athletes across the country.
Started in 2021, The EquiTy Collective, led by Morgan Stanley, is a diversity-driven collaboration between 27 wealth and asset management firms. Similar to Team IMPACT, they are committed to educating, developing, and empowering the next generation of diverse leaders in their industry.”
To advance this commitment, we have been working hand in hand to harness the collective impact and power with each respective communities, bring our mission to life in two primary areas: general support to continue our work, and targeted events supporting student-athletes.
Inspiring and Engaging Future Leaders
Multiple firms within the EquiTy Collective partner with Team IMPACT campuses to create inspiring events that help student-athletes as they think about their career.
Last March, FS Investments made the trip from Philadelphia to State College, PA to participate in Penn State Football’s 2023 Career Night. Representatives from FS met with Coach Franklin and 120 members of the Penn State football team to discuss their future, and how Team IMPACT has helped expand their outlook and leadership in life. Just a few weeks later, representatives from both FS Investments and Macquarie came together to help Temple Athletics prepare their student-athletes for an upcoming trip to New York City.
Team IMPACT ensures that student-athletes are building lifelong skills that will help them become community leaders in and outside of the workplace following their college careers; the EquiTy Collective builds off this foundation to bring new and exciting opportunities to learn about different industries and help them navigate employment opportunities. It’s a win-win for everyone involved!
“Thank you for your support in preparing our students for our Owls Take Manhattan trip! The trip went very well, and our students were extremely prepared, representing themselves and Temple well throughout the day! This is in large part due to your time and efforts two weeks ago during our NYC Prep Workshop. The coordinator of the morning panel was very appreciative of their preparation and even noted their questions were some of the best he’s heard from this group over the years. Shoutout to FS Investments and Macquire for the swag as well! The notebooks, pens, padfolios, and journals were all very much in use.” – Alyssa Drachslin, Coordinator for Leadership and Professional Development, Resnick Academic Support Center for Student-Athletes at Temple University
Generating Awareness
Firms engaged in the EquiTy Collective have supported important regional events including a recent golf tournament in Philadelphia. The Vincera Children’s Classic Golf Tournament benefiting Team IMPACT raises important funds for our program in the Mid-Atlantic area, serving both local children and student-athletes at nearby campuses. Increased funding in the area creates more matching opportunities in Philadelphia and beyond, ensuring all program participants are building relationships on and off the field, and Macquarie Group and FS Investments both joined in to support the event.
Some firms have welcomed Team IMPACT into their offices as well. This past June, Hartford Funds in Wayne, PA, invited Team IMPACT to join their firm for breakfast to share about the difference that Team IMPACT is making for families in the community. Harford Funds followed up that presentation by inviting a Team IMPACT student-athlete to join them for a day of shadowing and professional development.
“As an organization committed to developing college athletes into the next generation of leaders, the EquiTy Collective has been a game changer for Team IMPACT. Not only are our EquiTy Collective partners helping prepare the student-athletes to lead, they are educating them about opportunities they had not previously considered and opening doors for them to start their careers.” – Josh Walker, Team IMPACT Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic
Meeting our Fellows
This past July, Team IMPACT brought more than 120 of our student-athlete fellows from around the country together for our Annual Fellowship Summit [add link to Fellowship Summit post]. The culminating event at the Summit is a large networking event for the student-athletes, and the EquiTy Collective was there to greet them.
Representatives from EquiTy Collective member firms, FS Investments, Hartford Funds, Invesco, John Hancock, Morgan Stanley, PGIM, PIMCO, Putnam Investments, and Touchstone Investments, were all on hand to meet with, educate, and be inspired by our Team IMPACT student-athletes. With more than 200 fellows nationwide, Team IMPACT looks forward to continuing to connect these student-athlete leaders with our EquiTy Collective partners around the country in the year ahead.
Moving Forward
The Equity Collective continues to be a partner that both believes in our mission here at Team IMPACT to empower the next generation of leaders and brings tangible benefits to our student-athletes to ensure our mission is reached. Through this consortium, members of all diverse communities will have an opportunity to see themselves – together – in careers across the industry in each of the partner companies. We are thankful for the tremendous opportunities to create new pathways for our student-athletes nationwide and look forward to creating a lifetime of impact for these individuals.