How to Raise Money With a Charity Walk
Walking in high heels is a balancing act for any woman. This spring, hundreds of men found out just how tricky it can be. They walked in women’s high-heeled shoes or a good cause.
Following a familiar cliche, “Walk In Her Shoes” is an annual event in the Cayman Islands. The area’s male community members wear elegant pumps and strappy heels to walk down Market Street. Their small parade raises money for the Cayman Islands Crisis Center for abused women.
“It’s not easy walking in these shoes, but it’s fun and it gets the community to talk about […] gender relations and violence against women,” wrote organizer Michelle Lockwood. In a fundraiser called 2018 CICC Crisis Center Walk In Her Shoes, the community raised more than $22,000.
A charity walk is an effective way to raise both money and awareness for a cause. Here are some tips on how to mobilize your community for a good reason.
How to plan memorable charity walk events
“Walk In Her Shoes” isn’t only a fundraiser—t’s also a social event that captures the attention of the entire community. Charity walks are special because of their ability to shine a spotlight on a worthy cause for a day.
But keep in mind that there are a lot of charities out there looking for support. That’s why a successful charity walk isn’t simply about promoting a good cause. It also needs to be fun. Just like high heels in the Cayman Islands, a theme can make your event stand out.
Here are a few fundraiser walk ideas that include a memorable theme.
Act out the cause
When most of us want water, all we need to do is walk to our sink. Not everyone is so fortunate. Globally, 200 million women and children must walk daily (spending up to five hours) to retrieve fresh water. The Water 1st Carry 5 Walk For Water shows participants what it’s like. During the walk, everyone carries a gallon of water for five kilometers. It’s an exercise in raising awareness as much as raising money.
Take it all off
Of all the ways to raise awareness for a cause, few are as eye-catching as Cupid’s Undie Run. Runners raise money and visibility for neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder, by jogging in their underpants. “If you saw a group of people running down the street in their underwear, you’d want to know why,” race organizer Crystal Rains told Washingtonian Magazine.
Help others give thanks
Thanksgiving is a day for being grateful and over-indulging, but for many people, it’s just another day without enough food.. The YMCA Turkey Trot has participants donate canned food while trotting off a few of those Thanksgiving calories. Americans have been holding turkey trots since 1896. It’s a cause that clearly resonates with a lot of people because it’s still the most popular race in America.
Other creative charity walk ideas
- Encourage walkers to show up in costume
- Make it a dog walk and have participants bring their pets
- Sell original charity walk t-shirts
- Offer food or beverages at the finish line
- Make it trickier by pairing it with an obstacle course
- Create a kid-friendly version of the walk for families
A checklist for your charity walk
Like any major fundraising event, charity walk events require a lot of upfront organization. But the right technology can make fundraising easy, even for smaller organizations.
CrowdRise is one of the most successful tools for organizing charity walks. This social fundraising platform helps charities organize events while fundraising. It has helped raise more than $500 million for great causes so far. It could help your organization raise more, too.
Organize your next fundraising event using CrowdRise
Get the word out
Create a CrowdRise account and start a fundraiser. A fundraiser will give donors information about the event, and raise awareness for your cause. Be sure to use social media to amplify your fundraiser. And consider spreading the news of your event through word of mouth, or by relying on promoting your fundraiser offline, like through email or on a local bulletin board.
Develop teams
Competition for a good cause makes things more fun. On CrowdRise, organizers can create fundraising teams for their fundraiser. Teams can compete to see who can raise the most money for a charity event.
Find corporate sponsors
If you’re not sure how to raise money for charity walks, focus on a compelling story for your fundraiser. This may attract the interest of corporate sponsors willing to match team donations. Sponsors may also be willing to help fund activities that will make the event more fun. For example, they could provide t-shirts, food, or photos at the finish line.
Stay in touch and share results
CrowdRise is a social platform first. A fundraiser can help a charity organization stay in touch with participants. You can use it to share photos of the walk, announce the winning team, and send email updates to participants. That way they’ll know when it’s time to sign up next year, too.
Ready to launch your own charity walk? Launch a CrowdRise fundraiser today.