Growth Slows for Charity Walks & Runs, but Still Worth Billions

One form of event fundraising has risen to the top in recent years. That is the "Athon," such as the walk-athon, run-athon, and bike-athon. Thousands of these events take place each year, raising billions of dollars for nonprofits.

According to the Run Walk Ride Fundraising Council, funds raised by the top thirty events topped $1.75 billion in 2008, a growth of 7.6%. That is amazing, given the recession and the dependence of these events on corporate sponsorships.

The top 5 programs in 2008 were:

$430.0 million (+5.9%) - Relay for Life - American Cancer Society
$125.5 million (+0.4%) - Team in Training - Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
$115.0 million (-0.9%) - March for Babies - March of Dimes
$113.1 million (+19.8%) - Race for the Cure - Susan G. Komen for the Cure
$110.0 million (+26.5%) - Breast Cancer 3-Day - National Philanthropic Trust

What has made these events so successful is bringing together people interested in fitness with charitable causes. Adding to the momentum in charity athletic events is the growth in person-to-person fundraising, enabled by social sites for good and the renewed call for service by President Obama.

Athletic events are an easy, fun, and sociable way for ordinary people to support a cause. In addition, they have been a wonderful way for companies to show their corporate social responsibility through very visible sponsorships.

Will the great success of "Athon" fundraising continue in 2009? My guess is that it will, although with less growth. Already, 2008 showed an increase in absolute dollars over 2007, but growth was cut nearly in half.

However, "Athon" event sponsorships are a good deal for corporations and are more likely to be spared cuts than many other corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. And, certainly, individuals are likely to continue walking, running, and biking for the greater good.

Source: CSR Newswire Release

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