Posted on 12/05/2019 6:09:58 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Aaron Stevens will run the Boston Marathon for the sixth time in April, and his fifth as part of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute team. For each of the past two years, he has raised $16,000 for the cancer center.
The effort is personal. Stevens lost a cousin in her 30s to colon cancer, and his father survived grueling treatment for bladder cancer that included a nine-week stay in intensive care.
He’s got his two-pronged fundraising strategy down pat—an email list of 500 people get monthly appeals from him, and he can count on at least 100 of those people to donate every year. Typical subject line: Can you donate $1 per mile for cancer research? A friend who also used to run for Dana-Farber (the team is called the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge) did some analysis and believes Monday or Tuesday nights are the best times to send the emails.
Stevens, 42, will also make a 10 x 10-space grid and sell “Super Bowl squares” for $30 apiece. (It’s an opportunity drawing based on the score of the game at the end of each quarter.) That nets him $3,000. He puts half of the money toward prize money for his grid, and the other half toward his fundraising tally. But he invites winners of the prize money to donate a portion of their winnings back to his fundraiser, so he usually raises $2,000 from the game.
And he’s trying something new this year: An ice rink near Stevens’s home in Natick, Massachusetts, donated an hour of free ice time. He is collecting a suggested donation of $10 at the door from friends and family who want to skate. He’s also gotten local businesses to donate some items for him to have as door prizes during the skating party.
(Excerpt) Read more at runnersworld.com ...
That’s funny. I’ve been able to run any distance I’ve wanted without it costing me a dime (except in worn soles).
But if it makes folks feel better, I’ll take donations for charity to run (or not run). Human Fund volunteer over here!
I was at a workplace where they wanted to do this St Baldericks thing. You are supposed to shave your head to get people to donate to cancer or something.
I asked why they couldn’t just go ahead and donate without me shaving my head.
What I’d like to know is how the actual cure for cancer is coming along. :-/
Because basically it’s a math problem.. rogue multiplication. Somebody needs to stop that.
Recently I have pondered the question of “what Is the point of walkathons etc?” Why pay “charity” money to have this stupid traffic-clogging event which you KNOW costs money just to set up?
What is the ROI?
Why not just ask people to give money? Because I see no thrill to signing up for some return visit for $5/mi vs one call for $100 lump.
They do it because it works. A lot of people want to live an active lifestyle so they enroll in the run to hold themselves accountable. Plus, they’re contributing to a good cause so they feel better about themselves.
It works? What is the ROI?
ThornJ56 “They do it because it works. A lot of people want to live an active lifestyle so they enroll in the run to hold themselves accountable. Plus, they’re contributing to a good cause so they feel better about themselves.”
Yes, this is true. This year I got my bicycle out of it’s 25 year storage and, you know, started riding it. I set a goal to ride in The Ben to the Shore charity bike ride. This is a 65 mile ride from the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia to The Showboat Casino in Atlantic City. This particular event, 3000 bike riders, raised 1.1 million dollars ( https://www.fbbcf.org/ ) to support the families of fallen police, fire fighters and EMS in the Philly and south Jersey area.
I personally raised $1300.00 without really trying hard. I’m currently working very hard to take a considerable amount of time off of my ride next year compared to what I did this year, which really wasn’t too bad actually, 4 hours 50 minutes of actual riding time over 65 miles.
There are many charity bicycle rides but I only want to do this one so as to not wear out the good will of my supportive friends, family and co-workers. Plus most liberals shy away from any kind of event that supports police.
I raised over $500 for Athletes Vs. MS at the 1983 Boston Marathon, on 25 cent a mile pledges.
Two hours, 56 minutes, 57 seconds.
I had already qualified and registered to run Boston when I was contacted by Athletes V.s MS and asked to fund raise. Seemed like a good thing to do so I did it.
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