Resource fairs put sponsors in direct contact with potential customers. As part of our sponsorship structure, we offered a table at the resource fair to any business that donated at the $500 level or higher. This gave sponsors the chance to display information about their products and services and meet potential customers face-to-face (I should note that sponsors did not actually sell products or services during the event). This benefit was often more enticing to sponsors than having their logo on our promotional materials because of the direct contact with a targeted population.

Resource fairs give participants something to do after they register. Have you ever arrived early at a charity event, only to zip through registration and then have nothing to do for the next 30-60 minutes until the event begins? We found that the resource fair was most crowded during the registration period because people liked to browse the tables while waiting for the walk to start.

Resource fairs draw people to your event who might not have otherwise attended. If you advertise the resource fair alongside the charity event, you could attract people who come specifically for the resource fair but end up participating in the event and/or donating to your cause. At Memory Walk, most of the sponsors were long-term care facilities, home health care agencies, hospice agencies, and other organizations that provided services to older families. Some of the sponsors offered free blood pressure checks or similar services, and all of them provided valuable materials about health and healthcare issues. This was a huge draw for retirees, many of whom ended up joining us for the walk even though that wasn’t their original reason for coming.

Resource fairs educate the community about your cause. Don’t forget to set up your own table with materials that raise awareness about your cause and offer additional ways to get involved in the organization year-round. I recruited many new volunteers this way, which helped make the following year all the more successful.

I highly recommend adding a resource fair to your event if you don’t already offer one. I’d also love to hear your ideas about organizing resource fairs, including what’s worked well for you. Post a comment to this blog, or start a new discussion in the forum.

We talk a lot about event planning for timed 5Ks and 10Ks and we’ve even discussed one-mile fun runs, but often the benefits and potential of a non-competitive walk get overlooked. There are many reasons why this could be the best choice for you, especially if this happens to be your first year planning a charity fitness event.

There is something relaxed and fun about non-competitive walks that appeal to both participants and planners. While it’s not to say they are less work, the planning itself can be less stressful as well as utilizing fewer players in the actual process. Also, with so many run/walk events out there today as a non-competitive walk, yours may end up being just the thing some participants are looking for.

One of the main reasons this event can be easier to plan is that there is no need for fancy finish-lines. Non-competitive also means non-timed because you won’t not need to classify your participants based on their finishing times in order to award prizes. During planning this means you won’t need to hire a company to run the finish line or rent equipment if your organization does not already have it.

You still want to have a finish line set up to welcome your participants at the end, but you have much more flexibility in how you design this. Not having to hire a company or rent equipment means cost savings for your organization. In addition, you’ll have the option of putting together an event more quickly because you won’t have to work around the availability of such assistance.

This leads to the need for less people around your planning table. While it is good to have lots of minds at work to generate ideas, less people to organize or contact can work in your favor. In addition to not needing an outside company, you also may need fewer volunteers to pull off the event especially if a significant portion of them were assigned to the start and finish. Less of your energy can be placed on medical assistance as well. You still need access when hosting a walk, but the nature of the event is less intense so you can usually get by with only minor assistance.

Along with a simplified planning process, the event itself will appeal to a different population in your community. You can pull in new exercisers by advertising it as a beginner event, attract families or promote the event to corporate teams. What participant numbers you miss out on with competitive athletes you will likely gain and even exceed with casual exercisers.

The idea of a non-competitive walk is all about fun while supporting a cause so be sure not to strip the fun away as you cut costs and reduce your planning committee. Still plan on having refreshments, games, t-shirts and consider giving away your prizes through a raffle in which all participants have a chance to win.

Photo by Trailnet

After reading yesterday’s post about about planning a charity fitness class maybe an example of this type of fundraising event would be helpful. The Charity Pumpkin Bootcamp offered by Yun Fitness Boot Camps in Columbus, OH is a class for a cause which also incorporates the Halloween season.

The class takes place on Saturday, October 17^th, 2009 from 9:15 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. at Dexter Falls Park in Columbus, OH. Participants can register online and the cost is a $15 donation per person. All of the proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Greater Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana– Central Ohio Region.

Oh yeah, you will need to bring along a pumpkin. The fun twist on this event is that the class will take you through an 8 to 10 station circuit utilizing your pumpkin during the workout! In addition, participants are welcome to dress up in their Halloween costumes.

This class is being cross promoted through Boot Camps with a Purpose. The BCWAP began in May 2007 through Elite Personal Training in Exton, PA. Now fitness centers and studios around the country (and even a few international locations) participate by hosting their own charity boot camp classes. The organizer of the event selects the charity of choice and 100% of the proceeds go to support that charity.

 You can submit your event online by including your contact information and details about your upcoming class along with information on your selected charity. If accepted into the BCWAP system you will be given a full webpage devoted to the promotion of your specific class. You will also have the option to seek sponsorship for the opportunity to order BCWAP t-shirts for your event.

 If you are looking for a new way to raise funds for your organization creating your own boot camp, such as the Charity Pumpkin Bootcamp, is a great way to do it, and organizations like the BCWAP can help support your efforts along the way.

 Photo by mikebaird

If organizing a race isn’t something you aspire to take on, by thinking outside the box you can still incorporate health and fitness into your fundraiser. Hosting a charity fitness class is one way to do this.

For this type of event you will hold a class for the public for a set amount of time. Part, or all, of the participant registration fee goes to benefit the charity. In addition, you can require fundraising minimums and promote team participation.

Fitness classes can be just as appealing as a race and follow the same principals when it comes to planning. However, the logistics of putting together such an event tend to be less complicated. First you’ll need a planning committee, a few volunteers and sponsors. Once you are ready to start planning you can incorporate the following steps.

Select a day for the event, preferably on the weekend such as a Saturday morning.

Determine the length of the event. Some events last only one or two hours, others are more like fitness-a-thons that can last the entire day or through the night. If planning an extended event consider registering teams and allow members to alternate their participation throughout the event, exercising for a half hour or hour at a time.

Choose the type of activity you prefer. Popular classes for these types of events include boot camp, kickboxing, indoor group cycling and Pilates. You can choose one, or make it a day full of several different types of classes.

Consider your budget. Costs will include giveaways, refreshments, hiring an instructor if you cannot find one to volunteer his or her time and renting a facility if necessary. From there, you can begin to seek sponsors just as you would for a race to help offset costs for your organization.

Determine how you will garner funds for the charity. Set a registration fee, about $15 to $30 for a one to two hour class. Also consider setting a minimum for fundraising for individual participants or teams such as $100 per team.

Find a qualified instructor or group of instructors to teach the class. This type of event provides a great opportunity to join forces with a local fitness center. By partnering and utilizing their staff and facility you can both make a difference and support a worthy cause.

Decide on giveaways. Much like a race you can provide t-shirts, goodie bags and even door prizes for those participating.

Plan to make it a party. Whether the event is a few hours or all day, plan to provide food, drinks and keep the music pumping. For longer events, incorporate breaks to refresh and refuel.

Incorporate prizes by holding a raffle or awarding those raising the most funds. You can also award prizes to encourage your participants and create fun atmosphere.  For example at the end of the day give awards for the most enthusiastic, best costume, most energetic, or most motivating.

Local law enforcement plays a key role in the race planning process and involvement is essential if you hope to include roadways in your course. If you are using an outside source to help you implement the event and are holding it at a local park or another location away from traffic, the role may be less prominent. However, approaching this group during your planning process is one task that needs to go on your to-do list.

It is a good idea to have some details set before approaching your local police department. This will save you both time and you will be less likely to neglect asking important questions during your initial meeting.

Your first step is to place a phone call to the department. Explain that you are hoping to hold a race and find out who you need to speak to. In some cases a phone call and quick discussion is all you will need. This is especially true if you live in a community where runs and walks are planned on a regular basis. Otherwise, you will likely have to pay their offices a visit and meet face-to-face.

These are a few things you will want to have narrowed down before your phone conversation or meeting.

Proposed route. Know what your ideal route would be. The law enforcement representative may steer you in a different direction based on safety and traffic flow patterns, but have one or two routes in mind going in.

Number of participants. This is always difficult when planning your first event, but do your best to estimate. Ask for numbers from other organizations who have planned similar events and evaluate the attendance numbers for other fundraisers you have hosted. Use these resources to come up with some kind of realistic estimate. This is especially important from a planning perspective when it comes to parking. You’ll want your start and stop line to be accessible to participants.

Extra security. You can work out necessary traffic regulation at stop lights and along roadways with the officer, but you’ll need to determine if you extra security is necessary. Will you be setting up tents and tables outdoors the night before the event? Will you and your staff be arriving or leaving early or late when it may be dark out? Will you have a large amount of cash on you at the event from race day registrations? All of these situations may warrant extra security from an officer even if it only requires that someone swing by and check in.

Other events. Maybe your race is just one part of a bigger event. For example, will you have an after party, music that requires a stage, or a large health fair? Some of these types of events may require permission of entities within your local government and law enforcement.

Once you have these details set, get in touch with your police department as early as possible in the planning process. In some cases your organization will need to hire an officer to do the work and this is something that you will need to include in your event budget.

Photo by Dawn-Pink Chick

We’ve talked about it before on Charity Mile. A creative name can help your event stand out among others. When potential participants are reading the long list of races available, while a creative name isn’t a guarantee they’ll participate, you can bet they will likely give it a second glance. Chances are this will lead to a click to learn more.

So when the time comes to pick your race name, don’t be afraid to be creative. Open up the table for discussion and brainstorm with your planning committee. These are a few tips to keep in mind.

List the charity or condition benefiting. This may go in the name or as a subtitle starting with “to benefit _____________.”

Be funny, but don’t cross over to offensive. Think about the words you are using and consider different groups within your community including cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, etc. We can’t please everyone but we can do our best not to offend and turn people off from participating in our event.

Keep generating ideas until you get a new one. Thanksgiving turkey themes and Halloween focused names have been overdone. Find a new angle to avoid getting confused with other events being offered around the same time.

Here are a few upcoming races that definitely caught my attention! Some don’t benefit a specific charity, but that doesn’t mean you can’t support one yourself through participating. They are also great to get the ideas flowing for naming next year’s event.

Reggae Run – Cincinnati, OH on October 3 – To benefit the Make-A-Wish-Foundation

Haunted Half Marathon – Cookeville, TN on October 24

Jack-O-Lantern Jog – Corbin, KY on October 31

Worth the Wait 5K for Adoption Awareness – Lexington, KY on November 3

Upchuck 50K – Chattanooga, TN on November 14

When choosing a fundraising event for your organization you have several options to choose from. Just one of many is hosting an athletic charity event. But maybe you are thinking, “Our organization isn’t really focused on physical health. Is an athletic event such a good idea?”

The short answer? Yes!

Let me tell you why.

Charity organizations with every focus under the sun have successfully hosted fitness events for fundraising. Races support causes related to domestic violence, addiction, the environment, education, church youth groups and animal shelters. The truth is regardless of the direct focus, deep down, most causes are related to health in one way or another whether it is physical, mental or spiritual.

However, if your organization does not have a focus on a physical ailment such as cancer, heart disease or arthritis perhaps you still shy away from the idea of a fitness event for fundraising. So let me plead my case and attempt to convince you to reconsider.

Connect with New Groups

An athletic event will motivate you to connect with new groups within your community which could foster new partnerships. Perhaps you’ve never worked with a local recreation center or the parks department. Planning a fitness event will require that you do so and could open more opportunities regarding awareness and fundraising for your cause.

Appeal to New Audiences

You will reach a different subset of the population when hosting a fitness event. These may be people who would have never been interested in a fundraising sale, dinner or car wash. However, their interest in exercise can lead them to your event educating them on an organization and a cause they may not have previously known about.

Challenge and Variety

Any time we challenge ourselves to take on a task we aren’t familiar with we learn and grow. In many ways the process for planning an athletic event will reflect the process used for other fundraisers, but in many ways it will be very different. You’ll have to generate new ideas and develop new skills for working with others. Hosting the same type of event year after year can be a bit monotonous as well. If you feel you are in a fundraising rut, the variety of a new option may be just what your team needs to renew motivation and excitement.

Ready to plan your athletic event? We’ve got all the resources you need right here. Just check out the planning category of the Charity Mile blog.

Photo by striatic

What is a tech shirt?

These are t-shirts designed specifically for exercise. They are made of a moisture-wicking fabric, which there are many to choose from such as Coolmax, Dryfit or Poly-Dri. These types of tees are more comfortable and functional during physical activity.

The Good

Because cotton tees are heavy and can weigh you down during exercise, it is unlikely your participants will wear them during training or workouts. On the other hand, the tech tees are designed for exercise which can increase the chances that your participants will actually wear them boosting the marketing of your event.

Many participants enjoy receiving this kind of t-shirt because they already have a drawer full of cotton tees and this is something a little different. You’ll still want to keep design, colors and graphics in mind though. Simple designs in more neutral colors are best because they appeal to a larger range of style preferences.

The Bad

The cost is what prohibits many race coordinators from providing this type of shirt. A regular cotton tee costs about $3 to $6 each depending on the quality, color and brand. I haven’t been in a position recently to order tech tees on my own, but from the information I’ve gathered it looks like they come in at about $10 to $12 each.  That’s a significant increase and many organizations can’t afford to purchase them.

If you find yourself with an insufficient budget and still would like to offer tech tees, seek out a sponsor within your community. A hospital, health organization or business may not be willing to provide the full $12 for each shirt, but they might provide enough to offset some of the cost. This will bring the price for your organization back down to the $3 to $6 range.

What has your experience been with tech tees? As a coordinator or racer, are they worth the price?

During the race planning process you and your committee will need to set ground rules regarding participation in the event. These are the rules you will kindly ask your racers to follow and they should be effectively communicated on the race brochure and on your web-site.

What types of rules you set will depend on the audience you intend to target, the event distance you choose, and the course including any safety issues regarding where your participants will be running. Each of these factors will help determine any rules you need to set as well as help you shape your event to include additional groups if necessary.

Are strollers allowed?

If you are planning a family focused event you’ll want to welcome walkers and joggers with strollers so younger children can participate. If you are planning a runners-only event such as a 5K where strollers on the course could cause congestion, a one-mile fun run specifically for families is an ideal way to keep strollers off the 5K course, but still be welcoming to the family audience. For a run/walk consider allowing those pushing strollers to be part of the walking group.

Keep in mind that many avid runners push jogging strollers. If you don’t want strollers on the course at all be sure to state that they are not allowed or else your participants will feel it is not an issue bring them along. Your course also needs to be wide and fairly smooth to facilitate the pushing of a stroller. If it isn’t, it’s best to request that there be none for this reason.

Can dogs come too?

For most races, unless they are specifically considered a dog walk or run, animals are not allowed. Now, personally, I am a dog lover, but I do understand why many coordinators make this rule. There is safety, congestion and even participant allergies to consider. If you welcome pets, require that they be on a leash – no exceptions. In addition, if the event is not solely for dog owners, start this group at a different time.

How about music?

Most 5K and 10K races allow participants to listen to iPods and MP3 players during the event. However, I’ve seen the rules for many events that encourage participants not to for safety. For example, if the music is loud you can’t here other racers around you or even unexpected traffic. Although, from what I’ve witnessed most racers ignore this encouragement and listen to music if that is what they prefer. So this is one rule that is often ignored. If your race is on a more treacherous course though, such as that for a trail run which requires a more alert participant, it is worth it to strongly encourage no headphones in your race rules.

Planned a race? What type of rules do you set?

If you are a participant, do you follow them?

Photo by Ed Yourdone

There is nothing worse than having your training on track only to encounter an injury that slows you down. Hopefully it is only a minor nuisance such as a blister that will quickly heal, but if a more serious condition arises it may require you to take a break which could greatly influence your ability to compete in that upcoming charity fitness event.

According to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) there are four key points along the training timeline when runners are most susceptible to injury:

• First 4 to 6 months
• Returning after an injury
• When increasing distance
• When increasing speed

The good news is that many injuries can be contributed to runner error. This means you have the control to prevent unwanted injury during your training. Here are a few keys to injury prevention.

Avoid too much too soon

Focus on increasing your mileage no more than 10 percent each week. Stretch all your major muscle groups thoroughly after your run (hold each stretch at least 15 seconds and repeat two to five times) and consider incorporating workouts which focus on flexibility such as yoga. Give your body adequate time to rest when you take on vigorous workouts such as an increase in distance, speed or a change in terrain such as the addition of hills.

Invest in good shoes

If you want to be a healthy runner you have to wear the right shoes that will protect you from injury. Consult a qualified individual to assess your needs and determine if you need a neutral shoe or one for stability. It’s ideal to rotate in a new pair about every 500 miles. You don’t have to spend a bundle. Keep your eye out for sales and when you find a good deal make the purchase and hold the shoes back if it’s not time for a new pair at the moment. Look for last season’s styles which may be less expensive.

Remember we are all made differently

Every body is a little different and you might have specific alignment and injury issues which the AOSSM refers to as “anatomic abnormalities”. This can include things such as hip pain, lower back pain, knee cap pain and ankle laxity. You may need to take special care to avoid injury in these areas by icing your knee regularly, taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications, strength training or focusing on flexibility.

Choose your surface wisely

Concrete and rough surfaces can lead to injury. Choose trails or tracks designed for running whenever possible.

What is your best tip for staying injury free?

Source:

American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) Sports Tips: Running and Jogging Injuries

Photo by quinn.anya