Originally Posted by
merlinextraligh
I don't care for charity rides, particularly the idea of hitting up people for money so I can go ride my bike.
I also question the efficiency of these endeavors. There is substantial cost in putting on these events. Why not just donate the money directly to the cause, and avoid the overhead?
If I do one, such as this year's Tour de Cure which I'm going to have to do because my wife is on the ADA board, I self sponsor for at least the minimum donation, and don't ask for contributions.
There's no way my donors would go as big as they do if they didn't know I was busting my butt on a bike for a weekend. I raised $10,250 last year, FWIW. Also, a lot of goods/services are donated toward a ride.
BTW, OP--send out a post-ride e-mail that describes your experience. A lot of my donors have expressed that they like having that followup instead of just "kthxbye" after their donation.