Charity Walks Blog

Please help bring awareness, education and research dollars to lung cancer! All proceeds from this event will benefit the LUNGevity Foundation. The Boston Area Lung Cancer Walk consists of a committee of individuals who have been affected by this disease in some way. For those who can not travel to Boston for the event, the Boston Walk welcomes anyone who wishes to become a Satellite Walker.

Castle Island
South Boston, MA
November 7, 2009
Registration 10:00 am
Walk starts at 11:00 am

For more information about our event:
http://www.bostonlungcancerwalk.com

p.s. If you would like your charity walk mentioned on the Charity Walks Blog, please send your proposed blog post to roger@charitywalksblog.com.

Technorati Tags: Awareness Education, Boston Area, Boston Ma, Cancer Help, Cancer Walk, Castle Island, Charity, charity walks, Lung Cancer, Lungevity Foundation, South Boston, Travel Boston, Travel To Boston, walk events

Lorraine's Little Angels host a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

There are unlimited ways for teams to raise money for charity walks. This morning I attended a charity event that was hosted by a charity walk team made up of young people. The event was a pancake breakfast.

Applebee’s in Fredericksburg, Virginia opened their doors on a Saturday morning and made plates of pancakes and sausage for the hungry people showing up to show their support. The team, Lorraine’s Little Angels, served the food with a smile.

People showed up who had some involvement with the Arthritis Walks. Some people showed up because they wanted to support a great cause. Others even showed up from the hotel across the street because they were hungry. Regardless of the reason, everyone had a great time and contributed to an important cause.

What are some ways you have used to raise money for charity walks? Let me know by leaving a comment.

Thanks,

p.s. Go to http://llakids.com to learn more about this team and their fundraising activities. Go to http://LetsMoveTogether.org to find an Arthritis Walk in your area.

Technorati Tags: Arthritis, arthritis walks, Charity Event, charity walks, Fredericksburg Virginia, Little Angels, Lorraine, Pancakes, Raise Money, Saturday Morning, Young People

Start of the Walk

A crowd of people gathered to walk in support of a cause. A band was playing to entertain and get everyone excited about the event. Sponsors provided additional entertainment and useful information. A significant amount of money was getting turned in.

During the walk there was additional entertainment and messages about why our participation was important.

The experience above describes a charity walk I participated in.

Does this sound like the start of a great charity walk? Of course. But walks don’t end when the participants start walking.

End of the Walk

When I got to the end of the walk, there was no music or entertainment. There was no one thanking me for participating or congratulating me on completing the walk. There were no announcements being made.

What I did see was many people aimlessly walking around and eventually leaving the site when it was apparent the walk was over.

What do you think the participants were thinking about as they left the site? The great production leading up to the start of the walk? I doubt it. I suspect they were still thinking about the poor finish when the next walk was advertised several months later.

Plan from Start to Finish

Make sure when you plan your charity walks, the entire experience is covered. It will be more difficult to get returning walkers if your event doesn’t end well. They will be anxiously waiting for the announcement of your next charity walk if it does.

Thanks,

p.s. What has been your experience with walk finishes? Do you have some good ideas of things that could be done at the end of the event? Let me know by leaving a comment.

photo credit: Penny Mathews

Technorati Tags: charity walks, Crowd Of People, Music, Participants, Participation, Walkers

When you approach potential sponsors for your charity walks, do you request a “handout” or do you present a well thought out proposal that describes how the business will receive as much or more than they contribute?

Businesses need to make a profit. You need to show them that their sponsorship is important and beneficial. There is nothing wrong with finding ways they can benefit from their generous donations in support of your cause and event.

Traditional benefits provided to charity walk sponsors include printed logos on the walkers t-shirts, a listing of sponsors in the promotional material, and providing sponsor tables at the event. Don’t stop at what has been done traditionally. Be creative.

Consider some of these unique sponsor incentives for your next charity walks:

• Send a press release. Get the attention of the media for both your organization and the sponsor by submitting a press release. Don’t limit your submission to the local media. Make sure it is posted online as well to increase exposure.
• Mention sponsors in newsletter and emails. Your nonprofit organization probably sends out emails on a regular basis to your supporters. You probably send out a newsletter in the mail as well. Another benefit you can provide the supporter, is to mention their generosity to your supporters in these emails and newsletters.
• Add links on your websites. If the sponsor has a web site, the company can receive multiple benefits from you adding a link to their website on your websites. This includes links from your charity walk blog and other online social sites. Your charity walk doesn’t have a blog? It’s time to get one started.
• Offer speeches and workshops. Your organization is making an impact in the world. You know, better than anyone, about the challenges of the cause and what is possible with the support of others. Offer a speech or class on the topic to educate and help the sponsor’s employees. If the topic is not something of general interest, offer to teach a class on topics such as leadership, organization, or public speaking.

Make it easy for the potential sponsor to say “yes” to your proposal to support your charity walks. Show the company unique ways their donation may benefit their financial bottom line in a positive way. Presenting a win-win proposal will better your chances of adding that sponsor as a supporter to your charity walks and keeping that sponsor’s support for a long time.

Thanks,

photo credit: ©FOTOCROMO

Technorati Tags: charity walks, Generosity, Generous Donations, Incentives, Local Media, Nonprofit Organization, Press Release, Promotional Material, Proposal, Speeches, Sponsor Tables, Sponsorship

Charity walks can benefit tremendously from the support of businesses. They can potentially provide money, required products, and volunteer time.

Businesses all around you need new ways to promote their products and services to the community. They also need to continually find new ways to improve employee satisfaction. Supporting charity walks is one great way to do this.

Contact businesses in your area for support. Let them know the impact your nonprofit organization is making, the benefit your charity walk and organization will receive from their business donation, and what benefits they can receive through their generosity.

Make sure you are offering many of the following ways to benefit your charity walk sponsors:

• Mention sponsors on all event promotion material. Let everyone you promote your charity walk to, know who your sponsors are. This is great advertising for your sponsors. Make sure
• Print the logo of each sponsor on charity walk shirts. Participants turn into moving billboards for the charity and sponsors every time they wear the shirt.
• Provide a table for each sponsor on the day of the event. Walkers will be able to visit each sponsor’s display and be able to get their questions answered immediately by the company representatives covering the event. It also provides an opportunity for the sponsor to provide promotion material to the walk participants.
• Provide an opportunity for the sponsors to give samples of their products to the walk participants. They can do this at their sponsor tables. It can also happen by putting together a gift bag for all of your walkers or by using sponsor products as prizes.
• Present thank you plaques or certificates to all of your charity walk sponsors. Many shops and restaurants will display these at their place of business in a location where customers and employees can view them. This can improve the image of the business while also continuing to raise awareness of your organization.

Be creative in finding additional ways for companies to benefit from their sponsorship of your charity walks. The next time you discuss opportunities with a local business, you will be able to share several benefits they will receive for their contribution. It will be a win-win proposal that will help you secure more sponsorships for a more successful charity walk.

Thanks,

Technorati Tags: Charity Organization, charity walks, Employee Satisfaction, Generosity, Incentives, Nonprofit Organization, Nonprofit Organizations, Participants, Plaques, Prizes, Promotion Material, Sponsor Products, Sponsor Tables, sponsors, Volunteer Time, Walkers