No matter what your current situation is if you are reading this I guarantee there are millions of people worse off then you today. For a few simple reasons; first you can read, second you are on a computer and third you must have a roof over your head in order to be on a computer.
This time of year makes us all think about family, friends and great times. It is also a time of giving to these same people as well as to charity. I have mentioned several times that Nikki and I also own a training studio, Momentum Fitness, and we have been actively involved in charity fund raising events and donations for over 10 years. To date our gym has raised over $40,000 and donated over $50,000 in services to charitable auctions, charities from the local SPCA to larger cancer and heart and stroke organizations.
| Every year in December we put on a Train the Trainer event. The work and effort that we have to put forward is minimal compared to the amount of good and assistance it provides.
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Our clients and friends that contribute have a great time watching all of us get tortured! It is fun, enjoyable as well as healthy so it is win win for all people involved.
How do you do it?
Here is an example of Momentum's annual charity event that we run this time of year.
Event: Train the Trainer
Charity: Room to Read
Date of event: December 19th 2009
How it works:
Clients buy:
- 5 minute time blocks for $50
- Single exercises for one trainer for $10
- Group exercises for all the trainers for $100.00.
The clients that have made a donation get to put their trainer of choice through any exercise(s) of their choice. For the group exercise all the trainers get together and do whatever is asked, some popular group choices have been group pushups, rowing completion and bench press competitions. Usually the clients choose the exercises they despise the most or ones they didn't think could be done and even a few that can't.
Some clients have a hard time and do not want to come across as mean to their much loved trainer, no problem, we can have another trainer decide the exercises that would be most suited to that trainer. Nothing like a trainer picking on a trainer to get some competition going!
| We then have an open house style event where we put out drinks and snacks and invite all of our clients and their families down to see us get put through the paces. Whole families show up and watch the fun, have sushi and talk with other clients and trainers.
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We like to add a group challenge like Sumo Suit wresting or a team obstacle course where we pit the trainers against each other. The best part is kicking back, raising money for a great cause and sharing a few laughs with clients.
All proceeds that we raise are going to Room to Read, we can choose which country and even how the money is used. Another reason that we chose Room to Read is that it is non denominational, this is good for our business as we have a wide variety of clients from many different faiths. We also looked at what is the money used for, Room to Read builds libraries, stock them with books in local languages and provide educational scholarships for locals to gain an education. The final thing that made us go with them is that they have a very low percentage of the donations being used to run the charity. That means that every dollar we raise is making more of a difference.
Here are some tips for you to use:
1) Choose a charity, make sure you take into consideration your clientele and staff to find a charity that the majority will resonate with
2) Determine the event this will include the date and time as well as the format
3) Determine the denominations for the donations eg $50 for 5 minutes
4) If you have time contact local businesses for donations and hold a silent auction to boost revenues.
5) Contact the charity and find out how you can collect the donations. Each charity will have different rules for donations as well as the amount for clients to receive tax receipts. Make sure you follow these guidelines.
6) Arrange any fun activities for the day of the event and if children are invited have something for them to do or a person to keep them busy.
All of these tips will get you started on your next big fund raiser as well increase your profile in your community, great for marketing and building your business not to mention that you are helping a great cause. Your staff can get involved without having to donate money, a hard thing for some part timers but this is a way for them to give and have fun.
Thanks for your time now get out there and start to raise money and awareness by getting involved. Any suggestions or examples of what you are currently doing will help other in developing events so please make a comment.