Greetings!
Now that you can have a virtual face to face conversation on your phone with nearly anyone anywhere, I sometimes worry that people will stop attending professional meetings.
Reading the evaluations from this month's Run Walk Ride Fundraising Conference -- the largest in our seven-year history -- calmed my nerves.
The most common comment: "Give us more time for small group discussions and networking." The technology has yet to be invented that replicates the thrill of personally connecting with someone who understands your work challenges and has some practical tips to share. 
That hunger for human contact and community is also good news for the thon fundraising industry. The mix and scale of our programs may look very different a decade from now, (Mud run anyone?), but people will continue to flock to those that provide them with meaningful and enjoyable experiences.
Now excuse me -- it's time for a brainstorm on new ways to pair peer-to-peer professionals at RWR14!
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Thon Fundraising Down Slightly in 2012
 In Atlanta, as part of the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Conference, we launched our annual benchmark survey - the Run Walk Ride Thirty. Our survey ranks the nation's largest event fundraising programs by revenue - and this year incorporates information from nearly 100 programs across the U.S. and Canada.
So what did we find?
- Revenue for top 30 programs dropped 1.1 percent in 2012 to $1.68 billion
- Among the top 30 programs, 12 saw double-digit decreases in revenue
- 11.9 million people took part in 35,950 athletic fundraising events in 2012
- Komen's 3-Day for the Cure program experienced the largest one-year decline in the study's history: $26.9 million or nearly 32 percent
- The program registering the largest dollar increase was the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer which brought in $7 million more in 2012 than in 2011 to reach $68 million
- The fastest growing program in 2012 was Pelotonia, which expanded nearly 29 percent to $16.9 million
The Run Walk Ride Thirty is based on survey responses from the professionals who manage major athletic event fundraising programs, publicly available data and estimates when nonprofits decline to participate.
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Julie Weiss Named 2013 Cash, Sweat & Tears
Award Winner
Julie Weiss was devastated by the loss of her father in 2010 to pancreatic cancer. Determined to honor her father and combat the disease that took his life, she set herself an audacious goal: Run 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise money and awareness for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Julie completed the Los Angeles Marathon, her 52nd, on St. Patrick's Day.
Each year, the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council invites nonprofit organizations with athletic event fundraising programs in the U.S. and Canada to nominate one inspiring participant for the Cash, Sweat & Tears Award.
Every nominee is recognized with a certificate of merit. This year, Julie Weiss received a trophy, a commemorative running shirt documenting her achievement created by GoodThreads, a package of apparel and athletic footwear from New Balance, and a $1,000 contribution to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network underwritten by Blackbaud.
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Industry News 
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Tips for Securing More Sponsorship for Your Event
Following one of our pre-conference workshops, "Improve Your Thon's Sponsorship Performance," Maureen Carlson, from Good Scout Group, shared the following tips for strengthening your organization's approach to sponsorship:
- Make sponsorship a priority - not an afterthought.
- Sponsorship money is marketing money - how does your event provide valuable ROI or experiential marketing opportunities beyond T-shirts and banners?
- Do your homework to understand the potential sponsor's giving platform, business priorities and current advertising messages.
- Listen to the companies you are pitching to customize a package that meets their needs.
Click here to learn more about improving your thon's corporate sponsorship
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Do you have news you'd like us to share?
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Check out industry opportunities
Run Walk Ride Job Board
Interested in free access to our webinars and recordings, online promotion of your organization, a copy of the RWR Thirty CD and much, much more?
Join the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council today!
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