The last couple of days Kyle and I had the pleasure of heading down to Atlanta, GA for the Run Walk Ride Conference. I don’t know about you, but any conference I have ever been to in my previous life as a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep was often long, mentally draining, and usually left me pretty burnt out post meeting. Fun stuff, right? Yeah, not so much.
For me, this was the first conference I was really excited and energized to attend. It was put on by the Run Walk Ride Council, and like you, at first I thought “who are these people” and “what the heck to they do?” Let me fill you in a bit:
- The organization was formed a few years ago by David Hessekiel to dedicate helping the executives who engage millions of people in athletic event fundraising programs to raise billions of dollars each year….aka people like myself and Kyle who are responsible for growing the Team Fight program and supporting the Ulman Cancer Fund!
- The Run Walk Ride Conference was established to basically compare notes with other organizations (both non-profit organizations, event consultants, and race coordinators): who’s up, who’s down, what’s the latest and greatest, and how is everyone incorporating this to drive their mission and additional funds.
So to say I wasn’t disappointed is an understatement! It was a great couple of days and we will be tweaking a few things from both a participant and organizational perspective only to improve what we already do and how we do it!
Here were some of my key takeaways:
- Unlike 10 or 20 years ago, there are a ton of fish (non-profits/great causes) in the sea! So it makes me TRULY appreciate how many people have decided to support or continue their support with TEAM FIGHT and the Ulman Cancer Fund.
- As far as I could tell we were the only team where you can join the TEAM and be a part of the FUN all year ’round. Members can choose to do as few as 1 or as many as 14 events as opposed to signing up on an event to event basis. Pretty cool!
- 2009 was a very hard year for many non-profits, small or large, primarily due to the economy. When everyone else took a hit, TEAM FIGHT grew 233%!!! We went from about 30 participants to 130 participants and added an additional $90,000 to our fundraising totals! We have only continued to grow since.
So overall…we ain’t doing too shabby!
THANK YOU to all for your CONTINUED SUPPORT to TEAM FIGHT and the ULMAN CANCER FUND in helping us CHANGE LIVES of YOUNG ADULTS everyday!
rachelwiederhold
The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults