A Slice of America - Through Virtual Fundraising Challenge Events

Seeing the Best (and sometimes the worst) in America

We’re coming up on the season for in-person fundraising challenges that support all kinds of worthy causes. Very soon multiple 5k road races or walks will be taking place in many of the shore towns near where I live. Those events are always great for the local community, and they serve as team-building events if companies choose to provide support and encourage their employees to participate. Those events are typically “one and done” - the event takes place on a specific date, and when the day is over so is the challenge. Fundraising may continue, but for the most part once the pictures have been taken and everyone's social media sites have been updated it's time to move on.

"Bicycle Race" Virtually, that is...

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike, I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like" (Queen)

Given the sophistication of tools like Facebook it’s common to see charities and non-profit organizations planning fundraisers, but instead of it being a single day they extend it to cover the entire month. Since it’s virtual and it runs for an entire month participants have the flexibility to participate when it’s convenient for them. Due to the event's virtual nature the organization running it can appeal to the entire country, and it’s not uncommon to see participants from all over the U.S. Often the participants have some connection (i.e., family member that was afflicted with the illness) and it may hold a special meaning. The riding can be done outside or inside, and it's an honor system when it comes to reporting the miles you've completed.

"Analog Man" - Keeping track of everything

"Welcome to cyberspace, I'm lost in the fog, Everything's digital I'm still analog" (Joe Walsh)

I have two challenges under my belt this year and am currently participating in my third one this month. Two of the three have used a company’s software platform (Good United) to keep track of the participants’ progress and fundraising efforts. When set up correctly (on the user end) it's a pleasant user experience. Typically, a participant would ride their miles (keeping track through Strava or some other app that has a GPS tracker) that day then go into the Facebook Messenger app to record their miles. The app provides an updated cumulative number, and then the participant has the option of going to Facebook and sharing an update if they choose.

Accomplishments - "Down to the Wire"

"...cause you know you're getting tired, Can you feel it getting down to the wire?" (Neil Young/Buffalo Springfield)

These are the people that I'm always excited to see finish the challenge. You know this isn't something that they do often, and you can see that it's a struggle. But, you can see them working to get to the magic number, and you want to cheer them on. Early in the challenge you see people doing the math to figure out how many miles they need to ride each day in order to reach their target number. Some need to ride right up until (and including) the last day of the month to accomplish their goal. Others knock the challenge out in the first couple of days or first week. Below are some sample communications:

Excuses - "The Other 99"

"Everything's not always great, sometimes it's just fine. No one gets ten out of ten, lucky if it's nine." (Big Audio Dynamite)

Sometimes people don't meet the goal. While it may be personally disappointing to them, we are all doing this virtually so we really would have no idea whether they achieved their goal not. Human nature being what it is it’s interesting to see how people feel compelled to explain themselves (sometimes in great detail) as to why they did not accomplish their objective. Personally, I'm just happy to see them striving to do something they may never have done before. To the person who has never ridden a bicycle, riding one mile might be a big deal.

Frustrations - "Shake it Off"

"And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate" (Taylor Swift)

Even in the spirit of doing something nice (raising funds for charity) you get a few that come out of the woodwork and provide a completely different point of view. Frankly, I'm not sure any of the negative posts I've seen are even people that joined the challenge or were actively participating. For that matter I'm not even sure if the comments are genuine or just a put-on. But, alas, it's the world we are living in. When you see some comments it's easy to get amped up and want to respond - until you realize that this exactly what they're striving to get you to do. I commend the organizers because they seem to handle it pretty effortlessly and stay above the fray.

During February the American Heart Association (AHA) held a 100 mile challenge. If donations were collected the participants would be sent a medal. Holy cow! What a mistake that seemed to be. The poor people that were working with the AHA handling the administrative aspects of this challenge fielded so many questions about when the medals were going to be shipped out. The discussion about where the medals were dominated the discussion and I think some people forgot that they were riding for a good cause - not just to receive a medal!

All's well that ends well - The net of all this is that people that participated really enjoyed receiving their medal and wrote to the AHA well after the challenge was over to let the organizers know that they had received their medal and that they were very appreciative.

Is there a downside to these challenges?

Everything I've written so far is about how wonderful these events are. I think there is a downside - you tend to rely on your Facebook friends to reach into their pockets, and that's something that I'm not a big fan of. The attitude I have with bike riding is the same that I have with these charity fundraisers - you do what you can. The last thing I want to do is to turn off people that I'm connected to because I'm always participating in one of these challenges. That's why my messages are infrequent and I probably don't spend as much time focusing on the fundraising aspect of these challenges as the event organizers would like.

Final thoughts...

I first completed one of these Facebook/Virtual Challenges a couple of years ago with the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness. This year I opted to participate in a February event - a 100 mile challenge to raise funds for the American Heart Association. I enjoyed the fellowship and communication with the other riders - it gave riding in February (in New Jersey) a purpose. This also gave me a reason to ride a stationary bike indoors (on days when riding outside wasn't prudent). I rolled into March with the Alzheimer's Association 200 mile ride and have continued in April with the Wounded Warrior Project 300 mile challenge.

Turns out I'm not the only one that enjoys these challenges. There are a few people that I've met that have been going from challenge to challenge too, and there's something comforting in seeing familiar names on these virtual rides. I wouldn't turn down an opportunity to ride in a single day event (i.e., NYC 5 borough bike tour, Bikes and Beers Philadelphia), but I'm enjoying my freedom and socializing with others from around the country.

Maybe I'll see one of you on the road (virtually or in-person) one of these months.

Have a great weekend!

Dave

About David Shultis

I am a B2B marketing and product management pro seeking to return to a position after a period of time that some might call unemployment, but let's just think of it as a sabbatical.

Leadership role? Individual contributor? I'm ready for either one. Management will figure out quickly that I'm capable and I know how to communicate with a team and get things done. Titles don't impress me much anymore, but I am interested in supporting my manager, and frankly, I'm looking for someone that I want to run through brick walls for.

When not in pursuit of my next opportunity you can find me biking in and around New Jersey (or other states), as well as trying to get my walking in with a 15k step goal each day (I've slacked off on that one since I've been spending more time riding).

Photo(s) of the week.

This week has been a weather washout in NJ. Rain every day and sightings of the sun have been few and far between. However, early on Monday morning there was this small sliver of encouragement in Manasquan, NJ.

There is only one reason this apparently random ShopRite sign would be noteworthy. This was the location of THE store that sold the winning Mega Millions ticket that was drawn on Tuesday, March 27th. I guess if anyone were to ask me if I were "close" to winning I could say yes. This location is only 12 miles away from where I live! (wink, wink).