Here are five more stories relevant to my beat: the charity side of health and fitness.
- “How ACTIVE Employees Are Helping Get Kids in the Game”
- Author: Scott Brown
- Date Published: July 21, 2016
- Summary: This story focuses on a different type of charity: giving children access to extracurricular activities who otherwise would not have the chance to do so. The story tells how ACTIVE partners with nonprofit organization Kids in the Game, lists featured events, and gives a testimonial.
- “How Do I Raise Money for Charity While Training for a Race?”
- Author: Team Women’s Running (non-credited)
- Date Published: March 20, 2015; Updated March 2, 2016
- Summary: This post is more of a blog than a story, but it does give very useful info on how to raise money while training for a race, including establishing benchmark goals, being creative with how you engage your audience (and potential donators), and holding a fundraising event or party.
- “Top 100 Fundraising Ideas”
- Author: not listed
- Date Published: April 4, 2013
- Summary: This article comes out of the UK, and like the previous one, is more of a blog than a story. The difference with this one is it organizes its top 100 fundraising ideas by Type of Fundraiser. It also includes helpful categories including Easiness Rating, Fundraising Target, and Time Scale.
- “In Long Run, Do Charity Races Pay?”
- Author: Trevor Hughes
- Date Published: April 8, 2013
- Summary: This cautionary article from USA Today argues that charity runs may not bring in all the charitable funds they aim or claim to. In fact, many fun runs are “woefully inefficient ways to raise funds,” according to nonprofit rating service Charity Navigator’s Sandra Miniutti, and races and other special events were “the least efficient method of raising money, when you look at dollars raised versus dollars spent,” according to a 2003 study by Indiana University’s School of Philanthropy. Miniutti argues such events are more about brand/charity awareness than fundraising. However, the author does report on better aspects of charity races than simply fundraising, including community goodwill and donor cultivation.
- “Charity Running More Competitive Than Ever”
- Author: Michelle Hamilton
- Date Published: July 2, 2013
- Summary: Rather than targeting runners, this article focuses on how charities compete to participate in races, especially big ones like the Chicago Marathon. The story mentions how the Marine Corps Marathon added 30 charities to its roster in 2013, hitting a record high of 131, with 28 more on their waiting list. “In the past, there was one or two” said Marine Corps public relations coordinator Tami Faram. The article goes on to mention the growing field of charity racing, as well as its benefits to charities including developing a revenue stream, increasing public visibility, and strengthening relationships with the communities in which races are hosted.