Think Run/Walk/Ride fundraising events are just for the big guys? Think again.

Today's guest post was written by Mike Spear of StayClassy. StayClassy's focus is making online fundraising tools that are powerful enough to meet all of your needs but that are also easy and fun to use.

If you’re not with us here in sunny Southern California, you’re probably looking out your windows at the aftermath of the polar vortex - frost, snow flurries, and at the very least friends and neighbors donning several layers of wooly insulation.  Endurance sporting events are probably the last thing on your mind.  But look at the bright side!  All this cold weather means that spring is just around the corner, and now is the time to start planning your run/walk/ride fundraising events if you want to stay ahead of the game. 

If you work at Susan G. Komen, American Cancer Society, or Project Concern International, this is all taken care of, and you’ve probably been thinking about producing your next great event the day after the last one ended.  However, if you’re anything like 99% of the other nonprofit organizations out there, doing a run/walk/ride fundraiser may seem like somewhat of a challenge. 

If that’s the case, then you’re in luck!  Endurance fundraising can work for any organization - the keys are careful planning and execution, and of course, taking advantage of available technology to make your lives easier.  With that in mind, we’ve broken the endurance fundraising strategies down to 3 basic types:

1. NPO-Hosted Events – This one can be expensive and burdensome, and not for the faint of heart.  It can be a huge fundraiser of course, but these things are generally best left to the established pros who have been doing it for ages: Komen, ACS, and the like.
2. NPO-Driven Fundraising – This method is much easier, as it allows you to piggyback off of existing races like the Rock and Roll Marathon series, Spartan Races, and Tough Mudders.  Inspired by Team in Training, Team Challenge, and others, your organization builds and maintains a race team that trains together, fundraises together, and competes together at an established event or events.
3. Supporter-Driven Fundraising – This requires the least effort on the part of the nonprofit.  Assisted by fundraising platforms such as StayClassy, your supporters sign up to fundraise on your behalf, for any race event they may be interested in doing on their own time, in their own communities.  They’ll do all the work.  All you have to do is prove the fundraising tools and motivational support!

If you’re a once-per-year fundraiser like Movember, then this information probably isn’t for you.  However, if your organization relies on periodic fundraising, and sustained revenue sources to fund its programs, then you absolutely should be taking advantage of one of these types of fundraising.  Regardless of how large or small your organization is, you’re likely to have at least some supporters interested in having some fun this spring and summer, and looking to support your cause if they can.  In fact, many of them are probably looking for an organization to support that offers this type of program – so why shouldn’t they fundraise with you? The keys to success with this type of fundraising are pretty straightforward.

1. Do something.  No matter how big or small your organization, you can make one of the above strategies work.  Just pick the one that’s right for you, and go from there.
2. Leverage peer-to-peer fundraising.  Having someone purchase a race registration is great, but it stands to reason that getting them to raise another $500 from their network amplifies the affect of their $50 purchase.  Why not at least make the option available to them?
3. Among all the commonly talked about considerations in fundraising, authenticity is probably the most important and least talked about among them.  Whatever strategies you employ this spring, make it fun, memorable, and consistent with your organization’s mission and values.

Here's an example of a fundraising page using StayClassy:

If you’d like to know more about this type of fundraising, and learn some key strategies you can use to make any active fundraiser a success, please watch their recent webinar.