Hiking for a Charity

[Dodds1990]

April 2013 I am setting out to thru-hike the AT. I attempted a thru-hike this past year but had to get off the trail in Glasgow, VA because I ran out of money because I budgeted incorrectly. I've learned from my mistakes and I am going back out with plenty of cash to last me through Katahdin. However, I am setting out this with a bigger purpose than just hiking the AT. Turn back 2 years, my brother was deployed to Afghanistan and was wounded in combat. He received severe shrapnel wounds to the lower body and had nerve damage to in his left foot. When he returned home shortly after being wounded he received a lot of support from an organization called the Wounded Warrior Project. They saw to it that he got the treatment he deserved and he has made a full recovery. Now he is going to Green Beret Special Forces Training and who knows where else afterwards.

I am very close to my brother, so the help that the Wounded Warrior Project gave my brother effected myself and the rest of my family very deeply. The point of all this is that I want to give back to the Wounded Warrior Project for all the help and support they gave my brother. I have been thinking for a few months to hike the AT and raise money for a charity. I wanted to really think about the charity I chose because I wanted it to be something that has effected me in my life. I could've donated to a million different organizations but I want to chose the WWP.

I have a few ideas about people sponsoring me on the hike. For example, someone could donated $0.10 a mile which would approximately be $218 toward the WWP when I get to Katahdin. $0.10 is just a random number. I could be anything from a penny a mile to whatever someone wanted. I want to raise as much money as possible.

I have been thinking of ways to advertise what I am trying to do. My first idea is to post a video on my Youtube hiking channel (DDodds1990). I also am going to reach out to the local newspapers and news channels. I also have an idea to contact the owner of the casino I work at and see if I can work something out with him where he would donate a small percent of the casinos profits for one night towards the charity.

If anyone else has any ideas about how I should advertise this trip or just any ideas about the trip and what I am trying to do in general please drop me a line. Thanks everyone and happy trails!

The link to the Wounded Warrior Project's website is below:
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Cheers,
Cyborg

[atmilkman]

Don't forget to try the radio stations and try printing up some flyers and putting them in storefront windows.

[WingedMonkey]

What happens if you don't make it again?

[The Cleaner]

What happens if you don't make it again?.....+1.......ten characters

[Rocket Jones]

If you solicit milage donations, then finishing it a bonus. The farther you go, the more money you raise. There was a recent thread though discussing the danger of the charity aspect taking over the hike, ruining the fun in it because you feel compelled to keep going.

[swjohnsey]

Get the CEO of Wounded Warriors to kick in. He can probably afford it makin' $200k/year.

[doritotex]

"I ran out of money because I budgeted incorrectly. I've learned from my mistakes and I am going back out with plenty of cash to last me through Katahdin." So...you came up with a plan to "hike for charity? How much of the donations will be going to charity and how much will fund yet another attempt to be on the trail all summer?

[johnnybgood]

The donations should be handled directly through the charity so that he is out of the loop. A pledge is made in advance of his hike but no money is collected until he finishes.

[Dodds1990]

Thanks everyone for sounding so supportive. So if someone tries to do something good you automatically assume the worst? Thanks everyone

[oldbear]

Somewhere in the back of big bad head is a recollection of reading that the kind of walkathon that Dodds1990 is proposing violates the laws of the ATC.
So he may want to run it past the ATC first
He may also want to run it past the IRS to figure out what's the maximum percentage of revenue that a charity is allowed to devote to administrative costs

[Rocket Jones]

Thanks everyone for sounding so supportive. So if someone tries to do something good you automatically assume the worst? Thanks everyone

Don't take it personally. Every year there are a few people who announce "charity hikes", and upon closer inspection, one or two are scams designed to get others to pay for a hiker's vacation.

You got some good advice in reply to your question. Reread them without the chip on your shoulder and give it some thought.

[garlic08]

I hiked the AT with a partner who raised over $15,000 for two organizations doing medical research, both of which were supporting sick family and friends. All he did was send emails out to friends and family, got some free business cards on an internet deal, and talked to people along the way. He did not handle a penny, except for a few cash donations made along the way. It was an excellent experience hiking with the knowledge for that every mile we hiked, $7 was going to a good cause. Good luck with your project.

[WingedMonkey]

What happens if you don't make it again?

My question was asked in regard to your per mile to Katahdin statement.
toward the WWP when I get to Katahdin

I will say however, I am a bit confused on your statement that you now have plenty of money to finish a thru hike. It was just a short time ago that you started a thread about how bad your college loan debts were and that was what stopped your last hike.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?88270-2013-Thu-Hike-with-College-Loans&highlight= (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?88270-2013-Thu-Hike-with-College-Loans&highlight=)

You stated in that thread:


With that being said, I want to get back out there this year. I know I can save the money to cover the trip expenses but I won't have enough to cover the loans as well. I want to try and fund raise to cover the loan payments. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to go about something like this? I feel like it could work if done the right way but how?

[HikerMom58]

Oh yes, I remember, now. Great memory you have there, WM.

Still looking for ways to support your hike, Dodds1990?

[Dodds1990]

What happens if you don't make it again?

My question was asked in regard to your per mile to Katahdin statement.
toward the WWP when I get to Katahdin

I will say however, I am a bit confused on your statement that you now have plenty of money to finish a thru hike. It was just a short time ago that you started a thread about how bad your college loan debts were and that was what stopped your last hike.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?88270-2013-Thu-Hike-with-College-Loans&highlight= (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?88270-2013-Thu-Hike-with-College-Loans&highlight=)

You stated in that thread:


With that being said, I want to get back out there this year. I know I can save the money to cover the trip expenses but I won't have enough to cover the loans as well. I want to try and fund raise to cover the loan payments. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to go about something like this? I feel like it could work if done the right way but how?



So I guess you missed the part in there when I said I will have the money? I don't even need to do this, I just thought it was something nice to do. I wasn't even planning on handling the money at all. Haha it's funny, if you had cancer and I was proposing a hike to raise money for cancer research would you be saying the same thing? If you knew me you wouldn't be implying that I'm trying to scam people in giving me money.

[hikerboy57]

So I guess you missed the part in there when I said I will have the money? I don't even need to do this, I just thought it was something nice to do. I wasn't even planning on handling the money at all. Haha it's funny, if you had cancer and I was proposing a hike to raise money for cancer research would you be saying the same thing? If you knew me you wouldn't be implying that I'm trying to scam people in giving me money.
so we get a bit cynical when it comes to hiking for charity.and we always wonder whether its more about the hike or more about the charity. my own opinion is there are probably better ways to raise money off the trail than on it, but if you can successfully combine the two, well god bless. i agree any monies should go directly to the charity.and i hate to sound like some mystic on the mountain, but if thats what you really want to do, and your heart is in the right place, the way will present itself to you.
and did you really think youd get great money raising ideas here? come on youve been around here long enough.
good luck.

[WingedMonkey]

If you knew me you wouldn't be implying that I'm trying to scam people in giving me money.

I never said anything about a scam.

But if you expect to ask for charity you finances will be scrutinized here and on the trail.

You are funding a tru-hike, college loans and a charity walk all at the same time.

Expect scrutiny.

[generoll]

hey Dodds, instead of hiking why don't you get a job and donate your hiking fund to the WWP?

[Dodds1990]

hey Dodds, instead of hiking why don't you get a job and donate your hiking fund to the WWP?

I have a job...and why are people trying to make this seem like a bad thing? The money is going to go directly to the WWP. I'm hiking in the woods. It's a normal thru-hike. I'm not doing anything different from any other hiker.

[Dodds1990]

so we get a bit cynical when it comes to hiking for charity.and we always wonder whether its more about the hike or more about the charity. my own opinion is there are probably better ways to raise money off the trail than on it, but if you can successfully combine the two, well god bless. i agree any monies should go directly to the charity.and i hate to sound like some mystic on the mountain, but if thats what you really want to do, and your heart is in the right place, the way will present itself to you.
and did you really think youd get great money raising ideas here? come on youve been around here long enough.
good luck.

Thanks for the one positive feedback on here.

[Dodds1990]

I never said anything about a scam.

But if you expect to ask for charity you finances will be scrutinized here and on the trail.

You are funding a tru-hike, college loans and a charity walk all at the same time.

Expect scrutiny.

I was able to lower my loans down from $650 to $500 with something called Graduated Repayment. I wil have no problem saving for the trail. Funding a thru-hike and a charity hike is the same thing. I'm thru-hiking while raising money for a charity. Second, It is ridiculous how quick people jump to conclusions without even asking any form of question. I hiked with a guy this past year for 500 miles who was raising money for charity. Also another guy I was hiking with met another hiker up in Vermont that had already raised $37,000 while on trail. There is a book called "A Walk for Sunshine" written by Jeff Alt about how he hiked for charity. So where is the problem? Please, I would love to hear? This is more about what happened to my brother than anything else.

[atmilkman]

Thanks for the one positive feedback on here.
Did you happen to check out my post? #2. It doesn't get any more positive than that. And, it was brief and to the point.

[Dodds1990]

Did you happen to check out my post? #2. It doesn't get any more positive than that. And, it was brief and to the point.

Haha sorry man, it was hard to see through all the negativity. Thanks for the idea though, I will definitely give that a shot as well!

[hikerboy57]

Haha sorry man, it was hard to see through all the negativity. Thanks for the idea though, I will definitely give that a shot as well!
the milkman delivers

[Boondoggle]

Cyborg,

I will be starting my thru hike in April as well. I will be retiring from the Navy after 30+ years. What a great organization to raise money for. Let me run this by some of my buddies out here at Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Wa.....Hope to see you on the trail....I will be hiking light and fast.....want to finish the hike while I am still collecting a full paycheck while on Terminal leave.....

Boondoggle

[HikerMom58]

Boo to the negativity... sorry to hear about ur brother. I think ur first post raised a few eyebrows but you explained ur situation well. We were just wondering about this charity but once again you've shown ur good intentions... go for it!

[Dodds1990]

Cyborg,

I will be starting my thru hike in April as well. I will be retiring from the Navy after 30+ years. What a great organization to raise money for. Let me run this by some of my buddies out here at Naval Submarine Base Bangor, Wa.....Hope to see you on the trail....I will be hiking light and fast.....want to finish the hike while I am still collecting a full paycheck while on Terminal leave.....

Boondoggle

Thanks for the positive feedback, and thank you for your service. It does mean a lot to me. I will hopefully see you out there! When in April were you planning on leaving?

[Train Wreck]

A suggestion -
Once you get a solid fund raising plan together, then invite the CEO and/or other representatives of the organization to join you for a short day hike to help promote your cause. Make it as easy as possible for them to participate (and difficult to decline) by leaving your calendar as open as possible. Offer multiple options for dates, locations, length of hike, etc. Be persistent. Why wouldn't they want to help in a fundraiser that isn't going to cost them a cent as far as outlay? Once you have a date set with them, contact the local media near the portion of the trail where the day hike will take place. You might get more free PR that way. Local papers and news stations like this kind of story.
Good luck with your hike.

[Dodds1990]

A suggestion -
Once you get a solid fund raising plan together, then invite the CEO and/or other representatives of the organization to join you for a short day hike to help promote your cause. Make it as easy as possible for them to participate (and difficult to decline) by leaving your calendar as open as possible. Offer multiple options for dates, locations, length of hike, etc. Be persistent. Why wouldn't they want to help in a fundraiser that isn't going to cost them a cent as far as outlay? Once you have a date set with them, contact the local media near the portion of the trail where the day hike will take place. You might get more free PR that way. Local papers and news stations like this kind of story.
Good luck with your hike.

Thanks for the advice! I like that idea a lot. I'm going to start getting things together and start working on the details. Thanks for the suggests so far.

[turtle fast]

As someone who is "in the know" for charitable marketing programs and implementation I would suggest first talking to the casino marketing team/person. They are more likely to hear a pitch from someone who works at the casino for an idea. You have to talk to a representative of the Wounded Warrior Project to see if the idea appeals to them as the casino would want the official go ahead from them and be able to use the Wounded Warrior Project logo in printed advertisements. (As well as donation logistical issues) From a Public Relations standpoint its a win-win situation as I mean who is against wounded veterans.... It also shows that the casino cares about the community and puts them in a positive light. I would first bounce the idea to the the Wounded Warrior Project and then get a plan together....then approach the casino marketing with a plan. Good luck!

[Don H]

I hiked for charity. My son's scout troop had friends and family sponsor me for a penny a mile. They signed up about 30 people and made about 700 bucks for the troop. They collected the money when I finished, I didn't handle any of the money.

I hiked the 100 Mile Wilderness and summited with Buckeye Flash who raised $75,000 for charity for medical research.

[prain4u]

Not being negative here...just being practical on a few points.

1) Check with the the key people at the charity before going very far with this. Some charities want to be VERY MUCH in the loop if you are going to do fundraising on their behalf and use their name etc.

2) Legal issues. Legal issues. Legal issues. Check with a lawyer before you get very far with this idea. There are LOTS of places to "mess things up" when doing something for charity. Off the top of my head--I would make this just an INFORMAL hike for charity. Use the hike as a way to help RAISE AWARENESS of the Wounded Warrior Project and simply ENCOURAGE folks to make their own donations directly to the charity. Anytime that you get anywhere near handling the actual money or whenever you get involved with actually soliciting money--the potential for "issues" to arise is BIG. (Don't be surprised if someone accuses you of pocketing some or all the money or accuses you of misrepresenting how the money would be used etc.). Some places even require you to get a local or State permit in order to solicit funds for a charity. See a good lawyer--and try to stay as far away from the money as possible.

3) Related to # 2---The IRS (and some State taxing departments) sometimes LOVE to scrutinize such charitable things and find ways where you "messed up" and should have been giving them their portion in the form of taxes, permit fees, or fines. In addition to seeing a good lawyer--you may even want to run things by a good CPA--to make sure that you are doing everything is such a way as to not open yourself to any tax liability.

4) Doing this for charity can also increase your "need" to keep people posted regarding your progress and give you an "obligation" to continually "advertise" your hike and your cause. Such things can quickly become a pain in the butt and start to feel like a job or a burden. ("Dang, I am tired and really just make dinner and go to sleep-but I probably ought to update my webpage or my trail journal before I go to bed"). It has the potential to suck the joy right out of the hike.


I appreciate your desire to do this for charity---but it has the potential to really complicate your hike and/or even blow up in your face. I know that I would not personally turn a thru hike into a hike for charity. I would find other ways to help the charity.

[WingedMonkey]

Two vets did the AT last year for Wonder Warriors. Did a big PR blitz and worked with VFW groups in the towns near the trail to promote it and raise funds.
They are now promoting the National Geographic film to raise cash (or as the ATC refers to as membership) for the ATC.

http://www.warriorhike.com/Warrior_Hike/Welcome.html

[WingedMonkey]

Two vets did the AT last year for Wonder Warriors. Did a big PR blitz and worked with VFW groups in the towns near the trail to promote it and raise funds.
They are now promoting the National Geographic film to raise cash (or as the ATC refers to as membership) for the ATC.

http://www.warriorhike.com/Warrior_Hike/Welcome.html


Correct that to Wounded Warrior, although Wonder works too.