More than half of the nation’s highest-grossing walkathons, bike races, and other fundraising events reported increased revenue in 2019, according to the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum’s annual survey.
Collectively the top-30 fundraising events, for which volunteers raise money from friends and family, brought in 1.25 percent less revenue for charities last year, marking the seventh straight year of declines in giving to such events. But the overall decline in 2019 was due to a revenue drop for a single event: the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. Without that event, the survey would’ve shown an overall increase in funds raised last year.
Together, the 30 fundraising drives, which include the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk and the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ Dance Marathon, raised a total of $1.37 billion in 2019.
Such events were once fundraising juggernauts, but they have struggled to grow since the Great Recession. Relay for Life, for example, has seen decreases in revenue since 2008. The event still brought in more money than any other event, raising $161.4 million last year.
The charity cut the number of events by more than 300 in 2019, which helped recover some of its losses. At its peak in 2008, Relay for Life ran more than 4,900 events; the cuts last year brought the number of events down to 2,200. This strategy is helpful because some events brought in less than others, said David Hessekiel, president of the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum.
Revenue from Relay for Life fell by more than 12 percent last year, but that was less than the nearly 20 percent nose-dive it took in 2018.
Relay for Life still brought in more money than any other event, raising $161.4 million last year.
“You can still run a successful walk program,” said Hessekiel, adding that of the 16 walkathons in the survey, 10 saw their fundraising levels increase in 2019.
Some charities are seeing success by hosting fundraising events tailored to specific communities, Hessekiel said.
The American Cancer Society is seeing growth in another fundraising event Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. That event, which placed eighth on this year’s list, supplements its walkathon with a campaign called Real Men Wear Pink to engage more men in raising money for its cause. People nominate men in their community to wear pink throughout October and raise at least $2,500 from friends, relatives, and colleagues. They’re also asked to use social media to share information about the disease.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital used a different strategy to boost fundraising 22 percent from its Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer: increasing fundraising minimums. Participants were asked to raise at least $289 for the cause, up from $100 the previous year. This helped the charity raise almost $14.2 million and make the top 30 list for the first time, in last place.
While the survey didn’t ask charities how much revenue they’re bringing in from fundraisers on Facebook, Hessekiel said the social-media site has become an increasingly popular way for participants in walkathons and other events to raise money from their friends and family.
In the past, nonprofits directed supporters to use their own fundraising platforms, but Facebook has interrupted that sense of control. Nonprofits need to adjust to this new normal, said Hessekiel. “It’s clear that people are going to continue to use Facebook to do fundraising, so people who manage peer-to-peer programs should be figuring out what is the best way for them to integrate with their traditional platforms so that it’s seamless,” he said.
The social-media site now offers an integration tool to make sure money raised on Facebook is counted toward a fundraiser’s revenue goal in the nonprofit’s fundraising platform. Fundraisers for the Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike ride that raises money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, had access to this tool in 2019, helping the charity clinch sixth place on the list. By linking fundraising efforts on Facebook to those tallied in the charity’s database, Pan-Mass Challenge reported reaching 30,000 new donors and collecting $3 million in donations.
As the social-media site gains a larger presence in appeals for major fundraising events, Hessekiel said charities need to make it easy for their supporters to ask for donations where they’re already connecting with friends and family: on Facebook. And while this means many nonprofits will have to tweak their fundraising strategies for these events, Hessekiel said the legwork is worth it. “You’ve just got to do it.”
