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THE LATEST IN PEER-TO-PEER FUNDRAISING NEWS
 
IN THE JULY 2014 ISSUE:

 
 
 

Given the athletic nature of so many peer-to-peer fundraising programs, health clubs and gyms are natural partners for nonprofits to reach out to.  Examples include:
  • In their first three years of operation, Iron Tribe Fitness customers raised more than $500,000 for clean water wells and military veterans by hosting annual Workout of the Day (WOD) fundraisers. Both Iron Tribe's WOD for Water, which benefits nonprofit partner Neverthirst, and WOD for Warriors, benefiting Team Red, White and Blue, have recently expanded to new cities across the country.
  • Gold's Gym invites members and non-members to organize teams to train for and participate in Tour de Cure to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. The gyms regularly organize training events, like this spin-a-thon in Washington.
  • Life Time Fitness supports St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by reserving slots in their popular triathalons for individuals to fundraise as a St. Jude Hero. The relationship expanded in 2013 with the addition of four new events.   
On August 13, we're thrilled to offer an inside look at one of the fastest growing collaborations between a health club and a cause - Cycle for Survival.  Founded in 2007 by Jennifer Goodman Lin and her husband, Dave, this indoor cycling event has grown to include nearly 17,000 riders who raised more than $20 million in 2014 via high-energy rides held at Equinox clubs in 13 cities. Click here to register for our Insider Insights webinar with Cycle for Survival on August 13.

Is your group partnering with a gym or do you have interesting cases of other types of businesses collaborating with nonprofits on real or virtual fundraising? Please let us know
 
Best,

David Hessekiel

President

Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum

 

PS. Have you saved the date for our 2015 conference on February 24 and 25, 2015 in Orlando, Florida? Details to come early this fall
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Expert

ASK AN EXPERT

  

Event Planning from 

Patrick Riley, Event 360

  

Patrick Riley
Wondering how to pull off a flawless event? Curious what tools and strategies can help you be successful and prepare for challenges? Here are some tips and best practice ideas from Patrick Riley, vice president/account director at Event 360. Click here to read the entire interview.

 

Q: What are the most useful event planning tools that every organization should be using?
  • Basecamp This is my preferred project planning tool because it is low cost, easy to set up, has collaborative features, integrates with any email system and is replicable. But there are many other tools out there. Choose one that is easy for everyone. Don't get seduced by fancy bells and whistles that only one person your team knows how to use. More important than which tool you choose is that you build a project plan and actually use it.
  • The Thank You card Strong relationships are the most important tool in your toolbox. Call your Department of Events contact on their birthday, drop a note in the mail thanking the fire chief for coming to your event, send a cookie to your site contact when he/she gets a promotion. Most importantly, do this when you don't actually need something from them.
  • Dynamic check-in with mobile credit card readers Registration and check-in are your first chance to make a positive customer service impression. Don't make this process labor intensive for your participants. There are great technology systems that allow you to quickly register people, accurately collect their data, track and reward fundraising and assign bibs on the spot with a tablet or smartphone. We like ChronoTrack Live and Square but there are many options out there.
  • Google Earth has fundamentally changed the way we work. You can virtually scout your site, measure distances, plan a course, draw up accurate and to scale site plans, and develop local resource lists including jurisdictions, vendors and site contacts.
  • Smartphone This one is almost too obvious to list, but your smartphone can do a lot these days. I sign contracts on the go with DocuSign, access my files in Dropbox, pull together a quick site plan in Skitch, check the weather with AccuWeather, get notified of local jurisdiction activity with Nixle, and most importantly take pictures of EVERYTHING (risk management evidence, keeping receipts, social media marketing and site maps) using my smartphone. 
Visit our website for answers to more burning questions including ideas to help your event stand out, how to react if things don't go as planned during an event and tips for dealing with difficult participants.
 

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Want more? Simply visit our Ask An Expert archives.  
Got a question for a future column? Send it our way.  
Research
FOCUS ON
Recruitment

  

If not for enthusiastic participants, peer-to-peer fundraising wouldn't exist. Check out some ideas for successfully recruiting participants provided by Brenda Miele, Creative Director for Charity Dynamics.

 

Use these three tips to improve your recruitment efforts: 

  • Multichannel recruitment strategy: Develop a multi-channel recruitment plan that includes email, social, digital advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) to increase the number of participants.
  • Engaging website: Highlight your mission and provide clear calls-to-action to drive registration and fundraising activities.
  • Responsive registration form: With approximately 20% of would-be participants trying to register on a mobile device, a form that isn't optimized is a game-ender. To capture the most participants possible, make sure your registration forms work on all or many devices. 

For more recommendations on recruiting event participants and helping them reach their full potential, see Charity Dynamics' free ebook, Peerless Fundraising.

 

Got a big or small idea that's working for you? Send it our way and we just might feature you in an upcoming issue of our monthly newsletter.  

 

Content sponsored by

 

  
Spotlight
Peer-to-Peer Spotlight

 
Congratulations to Christie Madsen, Director of National Event & Brand Campaigns, Make-A-Wish Foundation, our July Spotlight. Click here to learn more about why Christie loves the fast pace and quick impact of peer-to-peer fundraising as well as get some insight into Make-A-Wish's investment in their Walk For Wishes and Kids For Wish Kids efforts.

Each month we go up close and personal with peer-to-peer fundraising professionals to learn what motivates them, how they got their start and some of the challenges they face every day. 
 
Nominate someone for the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum Spotlight. 
 
Webinar
  

   

Insider Insights: Cycle for Survival
Wednesday, August 13 at 1:30 pm EDT 

 

We're proud to present a behind-the-scenes look at one of America's fastest growing peer-to-peer fundraising programs, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Cycle for Survival. Started as a grassroots team indoor cycling event by a cancer patient in 2007, Cycle for Survival engaged nearly 17,000 riders to raise more than $20 million via high-energy rides held at Equinox clubs in 13 cities.

 

Join us for this unique opportunity to hear Marissa Nelson, Assistant Director of the program, share key success strategies, tactics and stories of the challenges and triumphs the Cycle for Survival team has experienced while building this breakthrough program.

 

Price: $99 or FREE for Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum members  

 

 

 




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