These P2P Fundraising Events Are Going Virtual

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing a large number of fundraising events postponed or canceled for 2020. Now what? Your organization still needs to fundraise and perhaps more than ever. We detailed some ideas for fundraising during Coronavirus in this post, including converting your P2P fundraising events into virtual events. Sounds great – but there is still some confusion as to how exactly to do that. Does that mean that people run/walk/ride on their own time or all together via Zoom? Is this the same as a No Show or non-event? There are many ways to run a virtual P2P fundraising event – but what will work best for your organization is key.

Here are three great organizations that have successfully pivoted into virtual peer-to-peer events on our platform.

Community Living Burlington

The mission of Community Living Burlington (CLB) is to enrich the quality of life and to promote full and meaningful inclusion in the community of individuals who have a developmental disability. For over 60 years, they have been Burlington’s largest and oldest non-profit organization, currently supporting over 400 children and adults.

Community Living Burlington has held several peer to peer fundraising events with us and is transitioning its 40th Anniversary Walk’n Roll to a virtual event this year. Participants are asked to walk around their neighborhood or home on May 30th. So everyone will collectively walk on the same day, and celebrate this milestone event for CLB.

In this way, the health and safety of the people they support, staff, volunteers and the community is their top priority. In light of COVID-19, organizers are encouraging walkers to follow local social distancing practices (remain at least 2 metres apart) at all times, including during the Walk’n Roll challenge.

All dollars raised for this event will help alleviate the pressures of COVID-19 for Community Living Burlington. The CLB COVID-19 Pandemic Fund will be directed to Virtual Programming, supplies, equipment, technology, and other immediate needs that will help to enrich the quality of life of those supported by Community Living Burlington during this pandemic.

EQUI-KIDS

EQUI-KIDS is a therapeutic horseback riding facility located in Virginia Beach, VA. Their herd of specialized horses brings proven healing to disabled children, adults and military service members from across the Hampton Roads region. At EQUI-KIDS, their goal is to provide, promote and support equine-assisted activities for individuals who have mental, physical, emotional, social or learning disabling conditions. EQUI-KIDS is funded entirely through private contributions. Each dollar donated to the organization is carefully stewarded to ensure it provides the maximum benefit and broadest impact for those served.

The organization goes to great lengths to keep their horses safe and healthy and they certainly want to do the same for everyone. With the recent events surrounding the Coronavirus, they can’t host large gatherings at the farm, including the annual 5K Dog & Pony Run. Instead of canceling, they decided to go with a virtual move-a-thon this year. The event will be held in supporters’ homes, neighborhoods or anywhere participants can maintain a safe, social distance.

Participants can walk, run, dance, do yoga or Pilates, lift weights, jump rope, or any other physical activity. They are encouraging participants to set a personal goal and show commitment to their cause by sharing their customized fundraising page with your network.
The event is held over a period of days – from May 8th at 3:00 pm – May 11th at midnight.

Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation

The Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation was founded by Peter and Victoria Brown in the loving memory of Mattie, their seven-year-old son, who passed away in 2009 after a 14 month battle with multi-focal osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Mattie Miracle is dedicated to addressing the psychosocial needs of children and families living with childhood cancer as well as educating health care providers on the impact of such a diagnosis on children and their families.

As the City of Alexandria canceled the annual Mattie Miracle Walk & Family Festival due to the impact of the Coronavirus, the organization needed to think of a new fundraising idea for 2020. They decided to host a virtual walk, to take place on May 17th.

The psychosocial consequences on children and their families can be even greater during times of uncertainty like this, as families have to worry about rescheduling treatment, the postponement of surgery, and being isolated from one another while in the hospital. That’s why Mattie Miracle decided that 10% of walk proceeds this year will fund the Coronavirus Family Relief Grants, directly supporting children with cancer and their families at Children’s Hospital at Sinai.

Here’s wow the virtual walk will work this year:

There is no physical event. The Walk and raffle are virtual.
Everyone registers as a virtual walker (individual or team).
Registered participants will compete for top fundraising awards.
You can sponsor, donate, and purchase raffle tickets online.
The top four registered walkers with the most steps taken on May 17th will receive a prize.

Conclusions on Virtual Fundraising Case Studies

As you can see, these organizations are having fun and developing new ideas as they go. They all decided to keep with the theme of an active peer to peer event, where individuals and teams can participate and feel involved with the cause. The main thing is that everyone stays safe and distanced while focusing on the cause at hand.

We’re here to help with our new virtual fundraising platform.