The document discusses strategies for registration fees and participant fundraising for charity walk/run events. It presents research showing events with registration fees tend to have lower overall fundraising and fundraising per participant. However, registration fees are still used by some organizations. The document then offers suggestions organizations can take to mitigate the negative impacts of fees on fundraising, such as emphasizing fundraising over participation in event messaging and materials. Panel members from various charities share their experiences and lessons learned.

1. Strategies for Registration Fees
AND Participant Fundraising
A Panel Discussion
Kathryn Hall

2. Recent research indicates that walk/run registration fees
can depress participant fundraising, yet for some
organizations they are a key success factor. Is this
throttling effect inevitable, like death and taxes?
Can we take a proactive stance on walk/run fees and
participant fundraising?
Blackbaud Confidential 2

3. 2/24/14 Blackbaud Confidential 3
Kathryn Hall
Sr. Client Success Manager
Blackbaud
Kathryn.Hall@blackbaud.com

4. Panel Members
Ashley Krieg
Managing Director, Event Strategy and Training
Arthritis Foundation
Shana Masterson
National Associate Director,
Interactive Fundraising & Engagement
American Diabetes Association
Liza Munson
Senior Vice President, Campaign Development
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

5. Overall Fundraising Growth
Runs/Walks
WITH
Registration Fee
Runs/Walks
WITHOUT
Registration Fee
12% 15%

6. Average Online Amount
Runs/Walks WITH
Registration Fee
WITHOUT
Registration Fee
$48 $53

7. Fundraising Per Participant
WITH
Registration Fee
WITHOUT
Registration Fee
$51
$93

8. Fundraising Per Fundraiser
WITH
Registration Fee
WITHOUT
Registration Fee
$228 $328

9. Percent of Return Participants
WITH
Registration Fee
WITHOUT
Registration Fee
17% 20%

10. Good Reasons for Registration Fees
• Ensure a minimum amount from every individual
• Add incremental revenue
• Cut out non-contributors using resources
• Restrain event size / fit within desired venue
• Know how many people will likely show up
• Cover sunk costs for things like event management
and chip timing
• Save coaches time from working with non-fundraisers
• Reduce cleanup, damage and security expenses

11. Events with registration fees tend to have
lower fundraising totals.
This does not mean there’s nothing we can do
about it! Knowledge is power!
How Can We Use This Knowledge?
“Correlation does not imply causation”

12. • Is your messaging about the race /
participation fee or the fundraiser?
• Emphasize the fee, and people
will think they have done all they
need to do for you.
How Can We Use This Knowledge?

13. I didn’t know I was supposed to 17%
No one asked me to 47%
Fundraising seemed too challenging 8%
I didn’t feel comfortable asking for donations 18%
I was only asked to be a team member and
not to raise money
33%
Why Didn’t You Fundraise?

14. Opportunity Cost:
The exchange of value we
accept when we choose one
option over another. Every
action has a cost, even ones
we don’t pursue.
Peace Corps instead of job
after college?
Registration fee or fundraising
dollars?
• $25 registration fee + $51.36 =
$76.36 versus $92.53
• Opportunity cost of $16.17 per
participant?
Transform an Existing Event Series

15. If you have two programs, a run and a walk – do they have
similar % of fundraisers and fundraising per participant?
If not, examine how you message each:
• Could messaging imply that the fee covers participation and there’s
no need to do more? Make sure it’s clear the fee gets you in the
door AND we still want / need you to fundraise.
• Examine the website. Does it focus on mission or race? Could it be
clearer?
Use data to make unemotional decisions
Race or Fundraiser?

16. Race or Fundraiser?
Do you communicate clearly that
fundraising the key purpose for the event?
• “Front door” to the event: Recruitment materials,
website
• Registration process
• Segmented communication plan: Fundraisers, Non-
fundraisers, Team Captains, High Value Individuals
• “Achievers” club for those hitting fundraising
milestones
• Event-day messaging
• Post-event follow-up

17. Every Point of Contact

19. What do you hope to gain by adding a fee?
• If you have 1000 walkers and charge them a $10 reg fee you’ll
raise $10k for that event – does that meet your business goals?
Look at fundraising amounts to figure out an appropriate
fee amount & fee structure:
• $10, $20?
• Are kids free?
• Do we offer limited discount codes to past participants?
Identify a few events to add a fee – test it and see how it
works before adding a fee to all events
Business Case for Adding a Fee

20. Make the Fundraising
Message as Clear as Possible

21. Walk to Cure Arthritis (No Registration Fee)
We expected participants to fundraise, but in reviewing our
collateral and materials, we weren’t ASKING them to fundraise!
• Messages for Walk included: Come join us! Build awareness! And
Network with others who have arthritis!
• Language shift to: Sign Up and Fundraise Today! and Every step counts,
Every dollar matters!
We added a national email platform for consistent fundraising
messaging to key segments for all Walks
• Target groups: Team captains, $0 walkers, fundraising walkers and
mission affinity participants
• Key Messages: How to start fundraising, Impact of $ and why $ are
important, Tools and resources for social media and email asks, Thank
you for fundraising with acknowledgement of fundraising milestones
Goal: decrease % of $0 walkers and raise participant fundraising average

22. Language Shift

23. Jingle Bell Run/Walk (Registration Fee)
Treating everyone the same didn’t work
• We found 13% of participants had a great mission affinity: they declare
their mission connection during registration, self-identify as having
arthritis, are previous fundraisers and/or current, active fundraisers.
• We LOVE our great participants who want to come, have fun and run.
They might run races each weekend and have low or no mission affinity.
Shifting focus to grow 4 groups with greatest mission affinity
• Bless and release runners. We will send meaningful, impactful mission
message, but not repeat fundraising messages.
• Expand relationships with fundraisers and those with mission connection.
We can implement a full cultivation plan for this segment to increase the
average $ raised for these participants.
• Cultivation plan will include personal phone calls, emails with targeted
messages, revised incentive levels and tie in with 30th anniversary.
Goal: Focus on fundraisers with mission affiliation, grow their average $ raised

24. Discounts
and Promo Codes

25. Fundraising Per Rider
FREE
Promo Code
PAID
Full Fee
$242 $291

26. Online Conversion Rate Per Rider
FREE
Promo Code
PAID
Full Fee
61% 85%

27. Additional Donation at Registration
FREE
Promo Code
PAID
Full Fee
20% 51%

28. What Wasn’t Working…
• PANICKING
• Offering free registration at health fairs/events
• Too many discounts available throughout the year
• Inconsistent discounts
• Sending email only
• “Riders call asking for a discount code.”

29. What Was Working
• A solid plan from launch to event date.
• Sliding scale of registration fees, no discount codes.
• Discount codes are never as good as the one offered previous to it.
• Less>More
• Multi-channel communication plan.
• Offering “free” registration only to top fundraisers, teams,
sponsors.
• Custom discount codes (not free) for large teams/
companies
• “The registration fee helps us cover XYZ and ensures more
funds will go towards the fight against diabetes.”

30. Business Case for
Registration Fee

31. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Experience
Light the Night
• Considered switching to a Light The Night registration fee
during the time of Champion For Cures
• Decided that for us a better route was to engage every
participant in fundraising to have greatest mission impact
Team In Training
• Participants need skin in the game and have a fundraising
minimum commitment level to achieve.
• Program has a standard $100 reg fee.

32. Connect fundraising to
your mission.
Consistently encourage
fundraising as part of
event participation.

33. Kathryn Hall
Kathryn.Hall@Blackbaud.com
512-813-7026
@KathrynHall
For more information, resources,
and conversations, visit:
blackbaud.com/research
npEngage.com