I did Ironman Florida last year via the Children's Tumor Foundation. Did I fundraise to pay for race? Yes and No. I would say YES given I had to raise $5,000 instead of pay $700 race fee. I would say no, because I paid more than $700 out of my own pocket towards the $5,000 (i.e., I could have covered a general entry). My charity path was simply to gain access to a sold out race (not purely an "I cannot afford to otherwise race"); that said, I wouldn't have committed myself to fundraising if it was something that didn't align with something I felt strongly about. Long story short, perception can go both ways (since technically the race fee is no longer the ~$700, but a much larger amount) - so just be prepared for that.
Given your connection to Alzheimer's, I don't believe many would question your intentions (but I'm sure there are still some who may do just that).
To answer your questions:
1. I didn't do matching funds; purely reached out to people in my network (via LinkedIn). Kept the subject line to the point and said I was fundraising; didn't want to mislead people into an e-mail asking for money. Fewer people probably read the e-mail, but those that did were the ones more likely to donate anyhow. I did put in the first few hundred, and added more later on (it was a matching scenario, but the impact was minimal which is why I say I didn't use it as a main way of fundraising).
2. I signed up in January with Ironman Florida in November. Believe fundraising was due October 1.
3. Best methods of fundraising (for me): e-mail via LinkedIn and Facebook. I know others who held silent auctions, received donated gifts for a golf outing, reach out to alma mater (high school) to sell dress down tickets (with 50% going to school, 50% going to charity), and many others. My employer would not assist with monetary donation or allowing e-mail communication to solicit donations - something that likely would have helped tremendously.
4. Going through CTF was great. Helped with fundraising, but the best part was racing with a broader group on race day. Some of the best relationships in the tri community came via this experience (and also met with local non-triathlete people who support CTF and got involved in fundraisers that didn't just benefit my own fundraising initiatives, but that of another local CTF chapter). I urge you to get involved in ways that don't pertain to you race, if not already.
Ultimately, you know your network and can gauge whether the amount is doable. If not, only you know if you are willing to pay the balance in order to secure your spot for the race.
Feel free to PM me with any other questions; hope this was helpful!
Best of luck!
@CycleHeavy
Given your connection to Alzheimer's, I don't believe many would question your intentions (but I'm sure there are still some who may do just that).
To answer your questions:
1. I didn't do matching funds; purely reached out to people in my network (via LinkedIn). Kept the subject line to the point and said I was fundraising; didn't want to mislead people into an e-mail asking for money. Fewer people probably read the e-mail, but those that did were the ones more likely to donate anyhow. I did put in the first few hundred, and added more later on (it was a matching scenario, but the impact was minimal which is why I say I didn't use it as a main way of fundraising).
2. I signed up in January with Ironman Florida in November. Believe fundraising was due October 1.
3. Best methods of fundraising (for me): e-mail via LinkedIn and Facebook. I know others who held silent auctions, received donated gifts for a golf outing, reach out to alma mater (high school) to sell dress down tickets (with 50% going to school, 50% going to charity), and many others. My employer would not assist with monetary donation or allowing e-mail communication to solicit donations - something that likely would have helped tremendously.
4. Going through CTF was great. Helped with fundraising, but the best part was racing with a broader group on race day. Some of the best relationships in the tri community came via this experience (and also met with local non-triathlete people who support CTF and got involved in fundraisers that didn't just benefit my own fundraising initiatives, but that of another local CTF chapter). I urge you to get involved in ways that don't pertain to you race, if not already.
Ultimately, you know your network and can gauge whether the amount is doable. If not, only you know if you are willing to pay the balance in order to secure your spot for the race.
Feel free to PM me with any other questions; hope this was helpful!
Best of luck!
@CycleHeavy