Walk 101 - Why Have A Walk Event?
Walk events have been a staple of event fundraising for decades. The reason? They bring in a lot of money. And Walks have far reaching benefits for your organization in the long run. Here are three reasons that Walks can be an important part of an organization’s fundraising portfolio:
Walks Have No Barrier to Entry
Walks are the great fundraising equalizer – we are inviting anyone who cares about our cause to join the event, no matter how rich or poor they are, or where they are in their journey with our mission. They could be the patient that was just diagnosed last week, or the veteran who has been at this for 20 years. Everyone is welcome.
Because we are inviting everyone it is very important that there are no registration fees or minimum fundraising requirements for a walk. We will go into more detail on this in a later post.
Walks Build Community Around Your Mission
Walks are the first stop for many people as they learn about your organization’s mission. Walks are where new mamas meet experienced mamas, how new patients meet long term survivors.
Walks provide a way that extended families can show support for each other when they don’t know what else to do.
Walks give a way for companies to support employees who need acknowledgement or help or hope.
Seeing people from all walks of life at a walk event creates the sense that someone is not alone.
Walks empower people to feel that they can do something in the face of loss, grief, being overwhelmed, and sadness.
Walks are the Gateway Drug to Your Organization
Walks are often the FIRST way donors interact with your organization, but often not the last. They will move on to other events, other volunteer opportunities, other ways of giving with your organization. Today’s first time walker could end up tomorrow’s Gala Chair.
Don’t evaluate a Walk simply based on the income from just this year – it is about the lifetime value of your walk participants.
