Running the Boston Marathon for Charity: A Personal Fundraising Initiative (Update)

With only a few days to go before the 109th Boston Marathon, it’s a good time for me to follow up on the four-part, 2,637-word article I posted here in A Fine Kettle of Fish a couple of months ago on my experiences running this legendary race for charity. If you read my original piece, you know that I’ve participated in the Boston Athletic Association’s Boston Marathon Charity Program three times already, once for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (in 1996), and twice for The Home for Little Wanderers (in 2002 and 2003). And less than a week from now I’ll be doing everything I can to successfully complete the long, laborious 26 miles and 385 yards from Hopkinton to Boston once again, but this time around for a different charitable organization, Children’s Hospital Boston.

Let’s recapitulate. Since early February, I have mailed 112 homemade, heartfelt direct mail fundraising packages to my friends, relatives and colleagues, asking them to “please sponsor by Boston Marathon run with a gift of $25, $15, $50 or more to Children’s Hospital Boston.”

In the letter I wrote and enclosed in this package, I told the story of a courageous, young child named Hailey (my patient partner):“Your generosity will help Children’s Hospital Boston help children like Hailey, a cute, little girl living with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare genetic disorder – characterized by bones that break easily, often from little or no apparent cause – for which there is not yet a cure.”

“Imagine, Hailey is only six, but she’s already suffered 47 broken bones and undergone a number of serious surgeries,” I explained. “Thanks to Children’s Hospital Boston, however, Hailey’s OI is under control, and she’s making the most of her young life.”

Also enclosed in this package were a reply form and pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope as well as a snapshot of Hailey with the following caption (in her own handwriting):“Please help Bob raise funds for Children’s Hospital Boston! Thank you!”

In addition to mail, I sent the same message by email to many of my industry colleagues, people who are accustomed to hearing from me online and would be predisposed to making a charitable contribution that way. Writing about this personal fundraising endeavor in A Fine Kettle of Fish has been another method of engendering interest in – if not contributions to – my campaign.

The Results

The response – so far – has been overwhelmingly favorable. Sixty-nine people have participated in the campaign, donating a total of $2,537. Of those donations, six were a result of the blog and another eight were triggered by email. That means 55 people, or 49% of my audience, made a charitable gift to Children’s Hospital Boston after receiving the appeal in the mail. These 55 kind souls gave a total of $1,991, yielding an average gift of $36.20.

True to form, the response rate this year is remarkably consistent with those of my three previous Boston Marathon Charity Program fundraising campaigns – right around 50%. The main difference so far is that the average gift is less than it was in 2002 ($41.22) and 2003 ($45.89), but still higher than it was in 1996 ($33.95).

There’s Still Time to Sponsor Me

But my 2005 campaign is not over yet. Gifts are still coming in – thankfully – and I have no plans to close the books on this one until a few days after the marathon – say, Friday, April 22. So there’s still time to raise that average gift and reach my goal of raising $3,000. Hint, hint….

Yes, if you haven’t already, you can help me help Children’s Hospital Boston make dreams come true for more boys and girls. To sponsor my marathon run on Monday, just click here first before clicking on the Sponsor a Runner button. Charitable gifts of any amount are welcome and greatly appreciated. Thank you.

My Random Observations

Finally, I’d like to share a number of random observations I’ve made during the course of this campaign, details and idiosyncrasies I might never have had the chance to notice without having embarked on such a personal fundraising endeavor.

* Those most inclined to respond with a gift are those who either have a current, close relationship with you (the one who is asking for a donation) and/or the nonprofit organization you’re representing.

* About 20% of the gifts to this campaign have been made online.

* About 10% of my donors mailed business, not personal, checks.

* Very few people will give without being asked; it’s extremely rare to receive an unsolicited gift, even from your closest friends.

* By and large, though, people are glad to be asked to give to nonprofit organizations because they feel good about themselves when they’re able to help others less fortunate than them.

* More women than men wrote the checks and took the time to write personal notes which they included along with the donations they mailed to me.

* You can’t necessarily count on the same people from year to year. Their financial circumstances change, as does their view of you – for better or worse – and the cause for which you’re raising funds. So prepare yourself for such turnover.

* If people are going to give anyway, they feel even better giving through someone they already know, someone who is going to show them genuine appreciation for their support and generosity. That’s the beauty of pledge-based, fundraising events – due to their affinity with participants, the donors are extremely warm prospects.

* Giving to charity is a very personal, warm gesture. It’s different than paying for a product or service. It’s an emotional act of benevolence triggered by a dramatic plea for assistance. In most cases, people give of their hard-earned money for no other reason than altruism. So it is incumbent on those of us doing the asking to treat our donors like royalty. We need to thank them promptly and profusely. And we need to acknowledge that they’re going above and beyond the call of generosity to help us help others.

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