A charity bike ride that isn't

[Spinney]

Article in the guardian...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme...on_types=news.reads&fb_source=other_multiline

 

[TheDoctor]

£61!!!!!
I recently rode an event in France. Not closed road, but for my entry fee I got three energy products at the start, a big 'Depart' arch to ride through, waymarking, motorbike sweepers, food stops, and a sausage baguette, a beer and a new bidon at the end.
That was run by the Ardres cycle club, who I'm happy to plug.
The cost?
3 Euro.
Three. Euro.
And they turn a profit on it (although I'm blowed if I see how).

 

[DCLane]

I'm signed up to do the Etape Pennines and yes, I'd guessed little actually went to the charity itself.
Why? Well, I'd like to do a closed-road sportive in addition to the other events I'll have done this year. The Brian Robinson one (£25 entry) had £15 going to charity for each entrant - which is better.

 

[Kiwiavenger]

I begrudge paying entry fees anyway and the commitment to minimum sponsorship is something i also dont like! I just ran my own 3 day charity ride from bristol to lands end (albeit much much smaller i.e 4-5 people) made it self funded and asked for £15 to cover petrol in the support car!its not too hard to arrange route etc but then if they dont have the time i can see why they would outsource it but even then some (read half) of the entry should go to the charity itself!

 

[mr_hippo]

One type of charity event that I am wary of is the `free 8 day cycling holiday` thingy to keya, Jordan, etc.All you have to do is raise £XXXX, I do not think the airlines fly you for free and the hotels give you free board so how much is the charity really getting?
There are some well-known charities that will never see a penny of my money A charity was set up many, many years ago to aid famine victims - no not that one but I do have my doubts about it - It sent £35.000 to a West African country in 1968, not a huge sum these days back back then it was; the President of the country spent £28,500 of it on his daughter's wedding. Are you a green and peaceful sort of chappie? I know someone who will accept money in any colour of the Rainbow to save the whale, meerkat,oozlum bird, etc but how much is spent on lawyer's fees, court costs, impound fees, etc.? Another popular one, very popular in autimn, at one time spent just 4p in every pound on the cause.
I am trying to get KoratKidzAid off the ground. Admin charges? Run from home, internet is paid monthly whether it is used or not so that is 'free', My time - few hours a day if that - Coronation Street & Countdown can wait! Phone calls to schools,etc. - a few pennies. Transportation of new bikes to schools? I know plenty of people with pick ups who will give their time and petrol free.
Please look at my website and next time you are getting stuff off the internet, think about the kids out here who would like a bike and send us a quid or two via paypal. Thanks

 

[RaRa]

I have a very good friend who works for one of the biggest charities in the country (I won't say the name). Some of the details she tells me are shocking. Charity is a huge business and there is very little governance or checking that takes place. I am now extremely careful over charity donations and tend to pick smaller more local causes instead where I can be a little more certain of the benefits and what the money is used for.

 

[Nebulous]

Hmmm

the blogger is entitled to his or her view, but I never thought my money from the Etape Caledonia was going to the charity. Having said that - last year I had one of the sponsored Macmillan places where I had to raise £250 and I'm sure Macmillan got around half a million in total from it, so it clearly brought them some benefits.

It sells out, possibly faster than anything else, so clearly it offers something to the people who are prepared to pay for it!

 

[robgul]

I posted this at yacf in response to a thread that introduced the same article (the comments are aimed at local/UK events - the "overseas challenge" rides are another can of worms):

I have some experience and knowledge here - organising, this year, 4 events that raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support (the "portal site" that handles all the admin and links back to the event websites is at www.macride-events.org.uk ) A number of members of yacf have ridden in past events ....

When we started out in 2005 we asked a "commercial event organiser" about running it ... they wanted about £20,000 up front to organise a 25 & 50 mile ride - with our estimate of about 200 riders for the initial event ... you do the maths!

A total non-starter - so we thought it all through, designed the business processes and have progressed from a shoebox full of paper and spreadsheets to a fully-functional online transaction processing system that handles payments and does about 90% of the work to produce the on-the-day control sheets, rider numbers etc. - and it's all open-source software running on the web. Last September one event day had nearly 1,200 entrants and raised a shed-load of money.

Most of the big charities that run cycle events use contractors (which makes sense) BUT the costs are horrendous with, as in the OP, nothing of the entry fee (usually between £15 & £30) going to the charity. The actual funds raised on a per rider yield are invariably poor ... with loads of the riders just "paying to ride" ... "I've made my £x entry fee to XYZ charity - that's all good then"

I accept that we run our events as volunteers and beg, borrow resources, supplies, cash donations from sponsoring businesses - that means that only a very small % (single figures) of the entry fee goes in costs - that means we're making a real difference for the charity ... plus the funds raised by riders with paper sponsor forms or through justgiving.

The OP link is at the extreme end of the cost scale but the general position vis-a-vis costs etc is normal. Too many events turn into an ego trip for the organisers - just keep it simple and keep the costs down.

Rob

AND : The MacRide Events "model" works and can be cloned for more events - for leisure rides through to sportives - we are keen to find a few event champions that would like to raise money through cycling for Macmillan ... we have a team of 5 volunteers, loads of automation to make it easy, expertise .. and have a lot of fun doing it!

If YOU are interested do please drop me a PM or send a message via the website.

 

[oldfatfool]

When I decided I wanted to do a tour for charity I was shocked at the amount of money I was expected to raise went to the funding of the trip.

I originally looked at doing London ~ Paris for Action Medical Research, but on closer scrutiny I couldn't justify asking friends and coleagues to sponsor me and effectively pay for my 3day Jolly to see the TdeF finale. Nor could I justify paying that sum out of my own pocket for 3 days.

For pretty much the same amount of outlay I am now taking myself off touring for 3 weeks and offered the 'event' to my favorit small charity I get a holiday and to do my bit, they get every penny that people sponsor me for.

Because the charity is small they had nothing in place for Gift aid or 'just giving'. We where all shocked at the length of time and red tape it took to register for gift aid (despite being a registered charity), and completely shocked at the percentage of the donations and the monthly fees that many sites (Just giving in particular) extract from the charities, donators. The best one we could find is run by BT as a community exercise so the charity have no fees to pay and all the donation and all the gift aid go straight to the charity. The downside is they don't run a 'text £££ to xxxxx" service.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

£61!!!!!.

i would want page 3 girls doing the marshaling for that kind of money...

you pay your money you take your choice so its up to them who do it who do it if they want to spend so much ,

 

[doonhaemer]

But your choice should based on an honest presentation of what is on offer. When the event carries the title of a charity, you expect that the charity is the main beneficiary.
What I don't understand, is why the council doesn't put the organising out to tender, it's they who own control of the main selling point, i.e. the road closure.

 

[Moodyman]

I really can't see the point of organised sportives.

To pay an entry fee for being able to ride on the roads I would be able to ride on anyway just don't make sense. The closed roads argument doesn't hold it for me. If you pick your route well, you can find very quiet roads and ride when you want and for how long you want.

The charity argument is also a weak one. If I feel like giving to charity, I send them a cheque/make bank transfer.

Charities get very little money when you remove the organiser's costs and the 'JustGiving' fees.