Originally Posted by
cyclinfool
I agree - some rides are outrageous. The Pan Mass challenge is one I look at and just shake my head - you gotta be kidding, $170 entry fee and $4,200 minimum fund raising minimum
I ride for the Kennedy's I guess.
So when I do these - and I don't do more than 1/year, I look for ones I feel comfortable if I had to give the full donation myself. If I am prepared to do that than I don't feel bad sending out a no-pressure email to friends/family and a few co-workers just to see what else I can raise. It's low effort and since I usually am close or at my fund raising minimum when I ask the is really no pressure on me or anyone else. Now I must admit - I am lucky because my company matches so I only need to be able to contribute 1/2 the minimum.
So in the case of the ride I am doing in June - I paid $25 entry fee, plus $75 max donation which gets match by my company to make the $150 minimum. However in this case I only needed to put in $50 as my brother but in $50. I then sent out the no-pressure email to friends and co-workers and much to my surprise I had a few more hundred in most of which will be matched.
Pick you battles and your causes - but don't turn your nose up in support of a good one, particularly if the cause is not greedy.
There are lots of rides whose proceeds go to a good local cause. Usually they don't cost a lot and offer the basic services of an event ride. I object to those rides that dictate large minimum donations. One ride I know of has a $5000 minimum but then puts the riders up in a very expensive hotel and throws a pre ride gala in their honor. The cost of all that comes out of the donations people made that they thought would go to the cause and not to wining and dining the participants. It's wrong IMO. When I asked if I could pay say $200 to do the ride and skip the hotel and banquet they said no. What kind of charity turns down $200? I don't care how good their cause might be, their methods are wrong.