Charity Walks Blog

Charity walks provide many benefits. Some of these are: raising needed funds, increasing the public’s awareness of the organization and cause, and identifying new company partners, advocates, and volunteers.

What Is the Unique Charity Walk Benefit?

The important benefits mentioned above are already worth the investment of time and energy that is required to hold a charity walk. However, there is another benefit that many nonprofit organizations don’t think about. It is possible due to the gathering of so many people who are passionate about the organization and cause. What is the benefit? The ability to interview a large group of individuals for their personal stories and testimonials

Some people are participating in the charity walk because they (or someone close to them) are suffering from something the nonprofit organization is fighting to remedy. There are many personal stories that could be captured from these individuals. Some people are participating in the charity walk because they’ve been helped by the nonprofit organization. Why not record their testimonials? You could collect other interviews from people that might not meet either of these categories and capture their thoughts about why they are supporting the charity walk.

What Can Be Done with Personal Stories and Testimonials

I believe the best way to record the stories and testimonials is to interview the person on video. Why? By recording video, it allows the greatest number of ways to use the information. Here are a few ideas:

• Post the videos on video sharing sites. Include a description of what the charity is all about along with a link to the charity’s website.
• Include some of the interviews in marketing materials, such as video advertisements.
• Use audio from the stories and testimonials for use with podcasts.
• Transcribe the videos into an ebook that can be freely shared or sold to raise additional funds for the organization. The Walk for Healthcare has done this effectively by Dr. Ogan Gurel interviewing people throughout his walk route. I have included one of their resulting documents above to see what they have done.
• Create printed books to use for staff/volunteer recognition and also for giving to VIPs as a part of advocacy efforts. For example, this may be a great tool to put in the hands of politicians to educate them on the importance of supporting the organization and cause.

Thanks,

p.s. Be sure to get your copy of The Walkathon Guide at http://TheWalkathonGuide.com while it is still available at the introductory price.

Technorati Tags: Advocates, Benefit Charity, charity walks, Company Partners, Nonprofit Organization, Testimonials, Volunteers, walk for healthcare

Walk with a purpose! On November 21, 2009, 39 cities around the country will be participating in the Give thanks. Walk. benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®. The nationwide walk will kick off the sixth annual St. Jude Thanks and Giving^® campaign that asks consumers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not.”

Need more reasons to sign up?

• The Give thanks. Walk. is a great way to continue achieving individual fitness goals by participating in the 5K event.
• Make it a family affair! Form a team by recruiting family and even friends for this pre-Thanksgiving walk. Get a head start in burning off turkey and the fixings.
• Registration is free; however, participants are encouraged to raise funds by seeking sponsors. All funds raised support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.
• Get a free T-shirt! Raise $35 and get an official event T-shirt.
• Registration is easy. Log on to www.givethankswalk.org for more information and to register.

Technorati Tags: 5k Event, give thanks walk, Healthy Kids, St Jude, walk events

Set SMART Goals

One of the first things to do when planning charity events is to set SMART goals.

Goals will help the team be able to measure their progress along the way. They can provide a challenge and stimulate motivation.

Goals will also help the team stay focused on what is important. they will help set priorities that will be needed to make great plans and proper decisions.

Don’t create a long list of goals for your charity event. If there are too many goals, they won’t be focused and won’t be remembered as the work is carried out on a daily basis.

Limit the overall event goals to two or three. in addition to the overall event goals, individuals should also have two or three personal goals In support of the charity event as well.

Effective goals are SMART goals.

What are SMART Goals?

SMART is an acronym used by many to represent important aspects of effective goals. Make sure your goals have these attributes:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Timely

Change Goals if Needed

Don’t feel that once goals are initially set, they can never be changed.  Imagine if you had a goal to raise $50,000.00 for a charity event and the goal was exceeded two months before the event took place. the goal is no longer providing a challenge or incentive for everyone to do their best to raise funds. However, updating the goal or creating a new goal can keep the team focused and challenged.

Have you had experience setting goals for charity events? Let me know what you learned and recommend by leaving a comment.

Thanks,

photo credit: ilco

Technorati Tags: charity events, goals setting, smart goals

Lee Garverick, author of The Walkathon Guide

Lee Garverick, author of The Walkathon Guide, will be joining me as my first guest on the Charity Event Success radio show. The interview will take place on Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 2 p.m. Eastern. We will be discussing the topic of Planning for a Successful Walkathon.

There are several ways to listen to the conversation:

• Call (347) 850-8340 to listen to the show live
• Listen to the streamed show from the host webpage at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/charity-event-success
• Listen to an archive of the interview will be available immediately following the show at same host webpage

I am excited about the interview and I hope you are too.

Thanks,

p.s. Be sure to leave a comment on the show page when you visit.

Technorati Tags: Charity Event, charity walks, lee garverick, Radio Show, Success, the walkathon guide, Walkathon