This document discusses how to create and market a virtual challenge event to raise money and engage supporters. It provides examples of virtual challenges, outlines how to set up a virtual challenge on the GiveSignup or RunSignup platforms, and recommends strategies for marketing a virtual challenge through email, referrals, teams, Facebook ads, and influencers. It also previews upcoming features for virtual challenges like multi-goals, milestones, and participant photo uploads.

1. Virtual Challenge Events
Raise Money and Engage Supporters

2. Agenda
▷ What’s a Virtual Challenge?
○ Let’s see some examples
▷ How to Create a Virtual Challenge on GiveSignup/RunSignup
▷ Marketing a Virtual Challenge
▷ What Features are Coming Next?
▷ Q & A
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3. Virtual Challenges
Raise money and engage supporters

4. ❖ Multi-day or multi-week activities with
goals (either set by individual or
challenge goals)
❖ Can include multiple activities
○ Push ups, sit ups, and pull ups
○ Fiction and nonfiction books
❖ When you have an idea that can engage a
community over a period of time
❖ Not limited to endurance - you can get as
creative as you want (we’ll show some
examples in this presentation)
❖ Single event
❖ Do a virtual event for an already
established event
○ Opportunity to raise money because
people want to support you
○ People are used to doing that event and
you are giving them that continuity
○ Continuity so that come back next year
❖ Special day (like July 4th or a Turkey Trot)
❖ Typically a run/walk/ride
Virtual Challenges | Virtual Events
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5. Virtual Challenge Samples
▷ Superhero Good Deeds Challenge
https://www.givesignup.org/SuperheroGoodDeeds
▷ Support Utah National Parks Challenge
https://www.givesignup.org/supportutahparks
▷ Across the Country to Fight Hunger
https://www.givesignup.org/acrossthecountrytofighthunger
▷ Summer Reading Challenge
https://www.givesignup.org/MoorestownLibrarySummerReadingChallenge
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6. Create a Virtual Challenge
How to create and customize

7. www.givesignup.org
www.runsignup.com
▷ Click Get Started Free >> Create Run/Walk/Ride or Create Race
▷ Use your RunSignup login or create an account
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8. Race Wizard
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9. Race Day Tools >> Enhanced Virtual Race
>> Set Up
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10. Virtual Challenge Checklist for Nonprofits
▷ Customize Race Location
○ Race >> Race Page >> Race
Location
▷ Customize Donations
○ Donations >> Setup
▷ Enable Fundraising
○ Fundraising >> Individual
Fundraisers
○ Fundraising >> Team Fundraisers
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▷ Enable Facebook Fundraising
○ Fundraising >> Facebook Fundraisers
▷ Edit confirmation email
○ Race >> Notifications >> General
Settings >> User Registered

11. Website Customization Checklist
▷ Customize Race Theme
○ Race >> Race Page >> Race Theme
▷ Design Cover Page
○ Donations >> Race Page >> Cover
Page
▷ Add custom domain
○ Race >> Race Page >> Domains
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▷ Add custom content
○ Race >> Race Page >> Custom
Sections
▷ Update custom content display
○ Race >> Race Page >> Custom
Content Display
▷ Add Email Capture
○ Email Marketing >> Manage Lists
○ Email Marketing >> Email Capture

12. “Cover Page Data Components that your challenge website can use

13. Maps
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❖ Maps are optional - KML File Upload
❖ Many tools to create maps -
MapMyRun, Google Maps->Your
Places->Maps, etc.
❖ If you are using a popular route (i.e.
Appalachian Trail, Oregon Trail, etc.) -
google the route’s name and “kml file” -
you will likely be able to download for
free

14. www.givesignup.org/challengeplatform
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15. 15
Demo

16. Marketing Your Challenge
What’s the best plan for your nonprofit?

17. The Basics
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❖ Design a website - cover page, domain, content
❖ Offer unique swag that celebrates accomplishment
❖ Create a short promo video that explains challenge (doesn’t have to be professional)
❖ Engage where people spend time - Facebook Group
❖ Pricing: Think about pricing as between $0.75 to $1 per day (i.e. $40 for 6 weeks)
○ Fixed costs: Swag + Shipping
○ There will be a higher level of support emails
○ Right now, it may be challenging to find sponsors for challenges, so you need to make
money from the registration fee
○ Donation discounts (and in normal times, fundraiser refunds)

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19. Email Marketing
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❖ Promote your challenge to your email list
○ Nonprofits usually have really big email lists
❖ Use RunSignup’s free email marketing platform
❖ Include a strong call to action
○ Deadlines
○ Time-limited coupon
❖ Highlight exclusive swag

20. Email Marketing
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21. Referral Rewards
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❖ Automate rewards for referrals
○ Refer 5 friends and get $25
○ Refer 10 friends and get an
exclusive hat
❖ Promote referral program to make
it successful
○ Registration follow-up emails with
referral link
○ On website

22. Teams
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❖ Promote teams
○ Team challenge functionality coming later in June
❖ Offer team size discounts
○ Get 10 members and everyone gets a $5 refund/discount

23. Facebook Ads
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❖ Custom Audiences
❖ Targeted zip codes
❖ Feature images with exclusive swag

24. Influencers
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❖ Not every challenge is going to have Laz…
❖ But chances are you know people in your community who
are influencers - leaders of running groups, coaches, Rotary
Club members, etc.
○ Engage them to participate in the challenge and share with their
networks

25. What’s Coming Next
Our Development Pipeline

26. What’s Next
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❖ Multi-Goals
❖ Milestones
○ Certificates
○ Notifications
○ Reminders
❖ Improved UX
❖ Download and API
❖ Participant Photo Uploads

27. Thanks!
Any questions?
If you want to learn more, visit
https://givesignup.org/challengeplatform
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