Fitness Events
When I first added this to my list of ideas for the blog, I was thinking solely of events. As a devoted walker, I’ve participated in many charity walk/run events, including fund-raisers for our local humane society, for an anti-human trafficking organization and for HeroSearch.org. These events raise money in different ways – some through entry fees and some through donations solicited by participants.
I learned about most of these events from the organizations themselves. Some events are heavily advertised; our Animal Humane Society’s walk is promoted on billboards and buses. You can also search for charity fitness events online. Fitness magazine offers a list of events for several different causes. Most of these are for walkers and/or runners, but there are a couple of events for cyclists, a Nordic skiing event, and even an extremely difficult challenge for climbers. You can find a similar list of events on The Balance.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t direct you to an article questioning the effectiveness of these events. My personal feeling is that fitness events can be a way to raise funds that people might not otherwise donate. They can also raise awareness; as the article notes, if you’ve ever been in the vicinity of a large charity event, you can’t help but notice it. That said, the most effective donations are direct donations that aren’t tied to an event. You can also choose to direct your efforts toward events with lower overheads, like the CROP Hunger Walk.
Apps
As I started to work on this post, I was reminded of another way we can exercise for charity: through phone apps. Our humane society’s occasional magazine informed me about Walk for a Dog, which allows you to pick from many rescue organizations and shelters. Advertisers and sponsors donate money to the different organizations selected by walkers based on the number of active walkers for each organization.
Walk for a Dog is far from the only app of its kind. There are several options, the most popular of which seems to be Charity Miles.
If you’re motivated by doing good things for others, exercising for charity may just be the kick in the pants you need… or it may simply be a way to give a new purpose to your workouts. Look into an event or an app, and start using your exercise time to raise money for a cause.