Fangowolf

Ok I'm tired of the fundraiser requirement on rides. Okay I get the big rides that are two days and thousands of entrants, but there are 12 rides I have seen locally and 10 have fund raising requirements of $250+ and $40-50 entry fees. 3 of the rides do not even offer 60+ mile routes and one will shut down after 4 hours.

If you aren't one of the "big" rides, you really need to think more about the fundraising requirements. Do some of you really ask people every month for donations to ride in these?

TrojanHorse

If it's a big charity I believe in then I'll do it (Tour de Cure). I'm not going to hit up all my friends for donations to something I don't feel particularly strongly about though... I'm sure you've noticed as soon as you hit people up, you're fair game for their charities - it's like selling stuff at work (cookies etc) I don't do it.

There's a ride near me I'd really like to do but it's got a $3k fund raising requirement. Oy!

DoubleTap

I ride a lot of these event rides, and the numbers you quote above do seem high. Most of ours are $75 entry fees and no fundraising, or $25 entry fee and something around $150 minimum in fundraising. The highest I've seen this year is the BikeMS Oregon, and it was $250 minimum with a small entry fee. I am passionate about one cause (Tour de Cure) and serve on the organizing committee. For that ride, I solicit donations and go all out to raise money. For all the others, I write my own check for the minimum and consider it part of my charitable contributions/recreation budget for the year. I'm not going to solicit donations for all the 15 or so events I ride each year. I don't mind paying the minimum out of pocket to support good causes and for a good bike ride.

xbrizzax

Yeah, I am pretty surprised how many rides even the little ones now require a "minimum pledge goal" that is 3-10x the entry. My guess is they are trying to copy the Big Ride formula hoping to generate more $$$ without doing the extra work that makes those rides successful.

PhotoJoe 

THIS! I have to say I had a hard time raising the money to ride in the TdC. Now, my wife rode it, too, which didn't help. We had to raise $550 if memory serves me right. With two high school kids that have been in sports for quite a while, I'm tired of sticking my hand out looking for donations. I'm at the point that if I can't afford to pony up the entire tab, I won't ride the ride.

BTW, I have some really good Cinnamon Apple suckers for sale. Only 2 for $1.

TrojanHorse

Do you happen to have any mint & lamb flavored clif bars?

I forgot about all the stupid school fundraisers, we usually do the cash opt-out if there is one. It's less expensive than opening yourself up to all the reciprocal fund raisers out there!

cyclokitty 

In high school we had a fundraising 25k walk and we were shamed if we didn't raise $100 each (this was back in the mid-80s). There was even a wall of shame for people who raised less than $50 and I was always on it because my mom's work was a hotbed of fundraising. Cookies, chocolates, read-a-thons, marathons, Girl Guides, Scouts, Air Cadets, etc etc etc. Pretty sure I skipped the walkathon after gr. 10 because my group of friends always came last and there weren't any hot dogs, or cake or pops left for us. The next couple of years we skipped school after home room and went to the mall.

I did give the neighbour's son $10 for his cross country event thingie. His team did well and he was very happy.

lenny866

I do one fundraising ride per year. I used to do them but they keep asking for more and more. I'd rather pay a flat fee and ride. I skipped them all this year and will do the local bike club ride in Sept. At least it goes back to the local club. I don't want to fund raise to pay for not-for-profit fundraisers salaries and way too many mailings!!

cyclokitty 

My post above had a point but then I heard a strange noise and with 3 cats, strange noises must be investigated. Turned out the old, sick cat (but is much better now) decided to climb up a chair and jump into a box I was saving and couldn't get out. Good times.

My point was, if the target amount isn't big and fits in my "donations budget", I'd rather donate the amount and do the ride or walk. Having to bug already money exhausted neighbours and friends just doesn't appeal to me.

CandSAdventures

I like doing the charity rides, I always have a good time. The only one I sign up for that requires fund raising is the TdC. Like several others of you, it is the one that means something to me. By the end of the year, my total charity rides will be 8. The other 7 have entry fees from $25 up to $40, they all local events but the number of riders on some of them was close to 2K this year and up from the year before. Well, the HHH cannot be called small but you know what I mean. It is not just cycling, one of the walking events is going to require a $1200 commitment next year.

longbeachgary

Am I the only one who hasn't done a charity ride?

2 wheeler

Yes.

codyhmrck

you're not alone brother! I can barely afford my cheap wal-mart bike, let alone the entrance fees for charity rides. lol

BigJeff

The latest one I (was about to) join was a MS160 ride in SoCal.... $65entry+mandatory $350 charity funds.....

I'm all for the cause, but I'm also realizing I can't do the 100 mile drive to an early morning mass-start two days in a row and raise a family.


If I leave the wife and kids at home that's 400 miles of commuting on top of the ride... if I take them with, they equally are unhappy.

Some events are nice, but they aren't getting my support due to geographic undesirability. (and I feel guilty for not supporting... I guess I can donate)

eja_ bottecchia

I have diabetes Type 2 and my Mom died four years ago from complications resulting from diabetes. For that reason, I don't mind raising funds for the ADA's Tour de Cure. I do two TdCs annually, the one in Long Beach and the one in Santa Barbara. Other than that, however, I don't do any other fundraising rides. Like TH and PJ, I hate to be constantly hitting my friends up for money for these events.

Street Pedaler

I've never done one, either. The closest I come is using the Charity Miles App on my iPhone. It's free and all it costs me is the time and sweat that I'd burn doing what I'm doing anyway. I like to hope that it's a way to use my time on the saddle to maybe help a worthy cause. There are several charities on the app that you can choose from whenever you go out to do your thing. Whether it works or not is a debate for somebody else. I use it in good faith and, like I said, it only costs me the time and effort that I'd be expending whether I used the app or not.

MikeRides

Nope. I just started riding and haven't done one [yet]. When I first bought my bike, I saw a sign hanging on the wall of my LBS advertising the tour de cure ride and was thinking about doing the shortest one (30 miles?) but being a beginner I decided to wait, maybe next year I told myself. But if I decide to do it, I don't think I would hassle friends/family for donations but pay the full donation out of my own pocket, seems easier that way and it doesn't leave me obligated to donate to other charities.

longbeachgary

^^^^
Of course I'm not against donating to charity. My wife and I have specific charities that we donate to on a regular basis but when we write the check we don't go to our neighbors and ask for them to join us. We just write the check.

brianogilvie 

I've done a ride where part of the entry fee goes to charity: the 100 Miles of Nowhere this June. And I'm doing D2R2 next weekend.

However, so far I've drawn the line at rides where the riders have to solicit funds from other people. I decide each year which charities to support, and I presume my friends and co-workers do the same. I don't see why I should invite them to contribute to my charity, just so I can ride a bike. It also sends the message that doing centuries or other long rides is some terrible thing that you do only to raise money for a good cause. I ride long distances because I like it!

If I do enter one of those, I'll contribute the minimum donation myself, like cyclokitty and others.

Cyril 

I haven't.

MRT2

Here, the local cycling clubs sponsor supported century rides with no fundraising requirements. Additionally, there are lots of group rides catering to everyone from complete beginners to aspiring racers every weekend, and even a few that go during the week. I imagine if they have things like this in Wisconsin, a metropolis like Houston should have those as well. If you just want to ride, seek out those options.

goldfinch

I do not ask people for money for charity rides any more. I will do the ride if I am willing to pay the entire fundraising amount myself, which is rare. I am on a couple of wildlife related boards and if I am going to ask for money I am going to ask for money for these organizations.

A number of rides I won't do even if I didn't have to raise money because of how the charity spends its money or otherwise behaves. Like a certain cancer foundation.

The whole ride for charity thing doesn't make whole lot of sense to me anyway.

Fortunately, there are a lot of rides in my neck of the woods (in the summer anyway) where no charities are involved, you pay $25 and get a t-shirt.

HelpMeRhonda

My wife, kids and I do the Oregon MS150. We pay the entire fee ourselves. Our motive to do this ride is personal. We have family and friends with MS. It does my heart good to see the sign "Riding with MS" on some of the riders. I figure if these people can live with MS, I can find the money... Expensive - very much so, good cause - very much so (IMO). We have done it for a number of years. I hope we can continue for years to come.

Rowan

Indeed.

And it's a shame that so little of the money raised is donated to cycling advocacy.

guybierhaus

Neither have I. The concept does not appeal to me. Actually I stopped riding any organized rides. Have better roads where I live. It costs me nothing and food at end of ride is better.