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Smaller Charity Walks and Runs Report Gains; Big Events See Declines

By  Timothy Sandoval
February 24, 2016
“Peer-to-peer fundraising,” in which supporters solicit donations from friends, family, and colleagues, show very different revenue trends depending on a campaign’s size.
Don Campbell, The Herald-Palladium, AP Images
“Peer-to-peer fundraising,” in which supporters solicit donations from friends, family, and colleagues, show very different revenue trends depending on a campaign’s size.

Some of the largest charity walks and runs continued to see large drops in revenue in 2015, while smaller, so-called peer-to-peer fundraising drives continued their rise, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Diabetes Association, the ALS Association, and Susan G. Komen saw more than 20 percent drops for their walks and other athletic fundraising events in 2015. Collections for Autism Speaks and Movember Foundation fundraisers declined by more than 10 percent, and other groups saw smaller losses, according to the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum, which compiled the data.

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Some of the largest charity walks and runs continued to see large drops in revenue in 2015, while smaller, so-called peer-to-peer fundraising drives continued their rise, according to a report released Wednesday.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Diabetes Association, the ALS Association, and Susan G. Komen saw more than 20 percent drops for their walks and other athletic fundraising events in 2015. Collections for Autism Speaks and Movember Foundation fundraisers declined by more than 10 percent, and other groups saw smaller losses, according to the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum, which compiled the data.

Despite remaining the biggest revenue generator, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life campaign saw the largest total dollar loss in 2015, with its take down by $27 million compared to 2014.

For programs that slipped, total losses in 2015 added up to $94.3 million, contributing to a 2.6 percent decrease from 2014 for the top 30 campaigns, according to the data.

The numbers in the report come from publicly available data and surveys of campaign managers. Peer-to-peer efforts have traditionally included fundraising walks, runs, and bike rides, but broadly are those in which supporters solicit donations from friends, family, colleagues, and others on behalf of a charity.

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Programs with the largest total dollar decreases in 2015 were:

Organization Event Total Raised in 2015 Change from 2014 Percent change from 2014
American Cancer Society Relay for Life $308,000,000 -$27,000,000 -8.1%
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training $40,500,000 -$17,985,000 -30.8%
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Series $86,440,436 -$8,845,141 -9.3%
The ALS Association Walk to Defeat ALS $24,000,000 -$8,024,969 -25.1%
American Diabetes Association Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes $16,800,000 -$6,990,000 -29.4%

Source: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Thirty

Biggest Jumps

Still, many campaigns are on the rise, with Cycle for Survival, which benefits the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, seeing the largest percentage increase. That drive raised $25 million, a 25 percent jump over 2014.

Next was the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, with an 18.4 percent increase for its Out of the Darkness Walks, which raised $14.8 million. The Alzheimer’s Association had the third-biggest gain, a 14 percent increase for its Walk to End Alzheimer’s, which raised $77.5 million.

The campaigns with the largest total dollar increases in 2015 were:

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Organization Event Total raised in 2015 Change from 2014 Percentage change from 2014
Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s $77,464,687 +$9,532,880 14.0%
American Heart Association Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart $78,965,000 +$7,740,107 10.9%
American Heart Association Heart Walk $117,100,000 +$6,265,115 5.7%
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Cycle for Survival $25,000,000 +$5,000,000 25.0%
Pan-Mass Challenge Pan-Mass Challenge $49,299,000 +$4,499,000 10.0%

Source: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Thirty

Long-Term Trends

When the first peer-to-peer report was released in 2006, the top programs accounted for a large majority of the total revenue for all campaigns, said David Hessekiel, president of the forum. That’s no longer the case.

“It’s very much a mixed bag,” Mr. Hessekiel said. “The overall number between 10 years ago has grown, but its distribution has changed.”

Four large drives alone — the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, March of Dimes’ March for Babies, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, and the Susan G. Komen 3-Day — saw a total decrease of $254.5 million in fundraising from 2006 levels.

Those losses came as some other organizations increased their revenue many times over during the past decade. Programs with the largest percentage gains since 2006 are:

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Organization Event Total Raised in 2015 Percentage change, 2006-2015
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of the Darkness Walks $14,800,000 +1,061.5%
The American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital St. Jude Heroes $14,000,000 +976.9%
St. Baldrick’s Foundation St. Baldrick’s Head Shaving Events $36,927,839 +193%
American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure $27,269,780 +172.7%
Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s $77,464,687 +154%

Source: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Thirty

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Fundraising EventsDigital FundraisingResults and Reporting
Timothy Sandoval
Sandoval covered nonprofit fundraising for The Chronicle of Philanthropy. He wrote on a variety of subjects including nonprofits’ reactions to the election of Donald Trump, questionable spending at a major veterans charity, and clever Valentine’s Day appeals.
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