June 2012 
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Greetings!  

 

Back in 1985, Gordy Klatt, a Tacoma colorectal surgeon spent 24 hours running and walking around a track and got friends to pay $25 for the privilege of accompanying him.   He raised $27,000 for the American Cancer Society and planted the seeds of Relay for Life, the #1 program (by far) on the Run Walk Ride 30 list. 

 

For many years, Relay for Life had the relay concept pretty much to itself.   Lately, we've observed some interesting experimentation going on in the relay category.  For example:  

 

THE LONGEST DAY: On June 20, the longest day of the year, supporters of the Alzheimer's Association participated in a sunrise-to-sunset relay to raise awareness and funds.   Teams organized their own activities and pledged to have at least one member in motion throughout the 16 hours of daylight on the longest day of the year.    Each team member pledged to raise a commitment fee and was asked to raise a minimum of $100/hour of activity (suggested minimum: $400).  RWR 10 Top

 

Piloted in 2011 and launched in a modest way this year in order to continue testing, the program attracted about 200 teams and raised more than $200,000, according to Lynn De  Hoyos, the association's director of constituent events.

 

Over time, The Longest Day has the potential to become a major signature program with strong fundraising economics because of its "do-it-yourself" format and largely virtual support, said De Hoyos. 

 

RUN TO THE SUN RELAY: Launched in 2011, this 95-mile overnight relay in Austin has raised over $500,000 in two years for the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation.

 

RWR 10 TopTeams of six to ten people with their own vehicles divided up the 4-to-7-mile legs of the course.   There was an $85 registration fee per participant and each team was asked to raise at least $5,000. This year 26 teams registered. The top group raised over $13,000.

Program consultant Rachel Armbruster said that by creating a "once-in-a-lifetime experience," the foundation was able to have a high fundraising minimum while keeping the event "simple and focused on the mission."

THIRD-PARTY ENDURANCE RELAYS: The number of relay races is increasing and so are opportunities to enter fundraising teams.  The Ragnar Relay series has gone from 1 to 15 events since 2004.  The New Balance Reach the Beach Relay grew from one to three races in three years.GOTR Relay Team

My friend Chris Mann recently was part of a team that ran 200 miles in the Massachusetts Reach the Beach event to raise $8,553 for Girls on the Run.   He's the one guy in this picture!

I expect Relay For Life will long reign as the king of all thon fundraising programs by leveraging its massive volunteer network and signature elements such as highly touching luminaria ceremonies.    

 

It is exciting, however, to see how the power of the team-based relay concept is inspiring our industry to develop new ways of engaging participants and donors. 

 

 

David Hessekiel

President

Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council

7/26 Webinar Walk Now for Autism Speaks RWR 10 Top

Product of the merger of two organizations, Walk Now for Autism Speaks is the nation's largest grassroots autism walk program with over 400,000 individuals participating in 95 markets in the US and Canada. Only six years old, the program hit #17 on the 2011 Run Walk Ride Thirty list by raising $30.1 million.

Join us on July 26 at 1:30 pm as National Walk Director Paul-Irwin Dudek shares the story behind the program's rapid growth and strategies it has adopted to tackle challenges.

Price: $99 or free to RWRFC Members

What to Do About Zero-Balance Participants Event 360 logo

For most events, a majority of the lower-performing participants don't raise a dime, according to Meghan Dankovich, Event 360's fundraising strategy vice president.

Check out her recent blog post on converting more of these folks from zeros to heroes.
We're Expanding Our Team
The Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council is looking for a part-time communications and marketing pro to help take our offerings to the next level.   Learn more
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In This Issue
Insights from Walk Now for Autism Speaks
Dealing with Zero-Balance Participants


 

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