Making Your Walkathon Doable

Posted on March 26, 2010 by walkathonguide

Today’s blog from Seth Godin is about Fear of Philanthropy.

(Photo originally uploaded by RoguePoet)

My summary won’t have the same impact on you, but the main idea is that people might just do nothing if they fear that the only way to make a difference will be too hard.

If you are a walkathon planner:

  • You don’t have to be in charge of the Avon Breast Cancer Walk to be doing something important.  A  handful of walkers earning just a little bit of money is still making a difference.  A school or club out walking is spectacular. Whether the event takes three days, 24 hours, or one hour in the school gym, it’s making a difference.

For your volunteers:

  • Should you ask for one or two hours vs the all day commitment?  What is the right level of commitment for the people on your team?

For your donors:

  • Should you put out a message that just a little is enough?  Sometimes a minimum donation can mean more donations all together.

Filed under: goals, maximizing funds, setup, walkathon planning in general | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mist Tent for a Hot Walkathon Day

Posted on March 14, 2010 by walkathonguide

Hot Sun, Originally uploaded by bredgur

If you expect hot weather, add to the fun and keep your walkers cool.

Many thanks to our good friend Randy Harr for supplying these instructions for building a mist tent at your walkathon. Go ahead and download.  It’s a PDF file.

These are specific to the school our kids attended and the supplies we already had, but I expect that one of your talented volunteers will be able to run with them as is.

If you (or your talented volunteer) have any questions as you apply these to your own situation, feel free to ask away by sending me a note or adding a comment on the blog post.

Filed under: advanced preparation, setup, technology, volunteers, walkathon planning in general | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Fourteen Ideas to Make Your Walkathon Fun for Kids

Posted on February 24, 2010 by walkathonguide

Happy Walkathon WalkerHow will you keep your walkers entertained, especially if most of them are kids?  A few walkathon entertainment ideas:

  1. Do things ahead of time to get the walkers engaged in what’s to come.  For example, if you will have special event T Shirts, get your principal, pastor or another beloved figure to show up wearing the shirt a few weeks before the event, then give a speech about the event.
  2. Have special awards for milestones reached during the walk.  The kids can collect them.  For example, we’ve used colored ribbons for each mile walked, and we’ve also used very thin, rubber band-like jelly bracelets.  The kids love to compare collections.
  3. On the same vein, you might like to look at my walkathon lap card product for tracking distance.  If your route isn’t a loop we could design something similar based on other milestones.  The kids love to look at how many holes they have punched in their cards.
  4. Set up a PA system and have a DJ.  Play music and use the system for announcements.
  5. Have Karaoke.
  6. Have an orange slice station – a table stocked with orange slices and water.
  7. Have little fun things to do along the route, like “kick a soccer goal”, etc.
  8. If it’s hot, have volunteers stationed with misting sprayers (about $1 from Target), who also help keep an eye on things
  9. Set up a “mist tent” right on the course, with misting hoses attached.
  10. Have a photographer.
  11. Have a raffle.
  12. Have a live band.
  13. Have a “pocket lady” – a nice mom or grandma figure who wears an apron covered with pockets.   Each pocket holds a different trinket.  Walkers can pay 25 cents to choose a pocket and get a surprise.
  14. Have concessions.  You can often get food donations in exchange for publicity for the donor.  Give away one free item per walker, such as a popsicle or hot dog.

Learn more about The Walkathon Guide book.

Learn more about Lap Cards.

Filed under: concessions, counting laps, notes, useful stuff, volunteers, walkathon planning in general | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Readathon Opportunity

Posted on February 10, 2010 by walkathonguide

Raise a Reader ProgramWe’re going to deviate from walkathons and talk about readathons.   A readathon  (or read a thon) is geared to kids ranging from the earliest readers all the way through high school.  Readers gather pledges based on how many minutes they read, much like walkathon-ers gather pledges for laps they walk.

Schools and other groups wishing to to host a readathon should definitely take advantage of the Raise a Reader Program, sponsored by the International Reading Association, Parents magazine, and Parents.com.  While technically not designed specifically for readathons, the program happens to be ideal.  Benefits:

  • The program allows students to log their reading minutes as they devour books throughout the spring, using a free service provided by BigTent.
  • Students who log reading minutes will be entered for individual prizes
  • The free program includes a personalized school page where you, your students, and parents can watch your school’s progress
  • One winning school with the most logged minutes per student will receive a $5,000 library grant.

Click here to get more info and sign up before February 28. The reading begins on March 8.  Raise funds, raise readers, raise school spirit all at once.

Filed under: maximizing funds, technology, useful stuff | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Poll: When is your Walkathon?

Posted on January 30, 2010 by walkathonguide

This is an anonymous poll, just because I am curious…

Thank you for your help.

Filed under: advanced preparation | Tagged: | Leave a Comment »

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