I wanted to dedicate my next Ironman 70.3 race to MS, but it seems like the only way to do this is through the Ironman Foundation (http://www.ironmanfoundation.org). Has anyone had any experience with this process? It seems costly and inefficient compared to other charity run/bike events. Are there other options available? Thanks!
Here’s what you do, write a check to ironman for $650 and enter their race. Then write another check to the MS foundation of your choice for whatever you can afford. Cut out the middle man and more of your money will got to the actual cause. Then tell all your friends you are dedicating your race to the MS cause…
I used this platform last season at IM AZ to fundraise. Very easy to use and customizable. I have fundraised through several marathon/triathlon fundraising platforms and this program is very similar to all others out there. This platform charges a $25 registration fee, the last program I participated in charged me a $100.00 fee, so the IM Foundation program is much cheaper to register. They do also have a transaction fee that is assessed. I also asked this question when I participated and feel that the fee is inline with most other programs that I have participated in. You can direct any program specific question to the IM Foundation at info@ironmanfoundation.org. They were very responsive to any questions that I had.
Do you like the color purple?
Anyways. Years ago I got a community fund slot into IMLP. Fact of the matter is that I could care less about the charity, NAS I think had the same mindset. As Monty said - there are two checks (but he meant it tongue in cheek). You pay more for the event. You get to write off a fraction of the cost as a 503c deduction. You (in the past) got some really shitty shorts and a shitty jersey that you would never wear on race day. You got your name on some list someplace and other than that - it is what it is. I paid more because I missed online entry, no altruistic reason beyond that. When you look up the information on the actual (former) way they did it - most of the money was spent collecting the money and very little went to “charity”. I want to say that at the time the end recipient was some cheerleading team or some such other bother. I think Heather Fuhr was in charge at the time, I would be incorrect about that as well.
If you really want to give to a charity, do what Monty said and then write a check to Virgina Tinley.
Thanks for the info. I agree that the best way for an individual to give support is to donate directly. However, this limits any contribution to only what I can afford. By working with an organization, you have the opportunity to raise awareness to the network of people that you know, and potentially raise financial support from those same people. I also feel selfish with all the training, time, and money I spend on the sport - no one benefits but myself (if you can call it a benefit, more of a suffering for 5-6 hours). They take out about 8% for processing which isn’t too bad.
FYI: I’m registered now - feel free to donate! I will be riding for National MS Society, as Multiple Sclerosis has affected more people in my life than it should. Follow This Link