More and more, the hallmark of a great organization is not just in providing a great service, but also stepping up for the communities you reside in. This can come in many forms, whether it’s fundraising, donating space or supporting causes near and dear to your members and employees.
A great example of this in practice is the annual In-Shape Fights Cancer campaign, which the organization has held for seven years running. This year’s goal is to raise $100,000, with the money going to local chapters of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The number raised this year will add to the $476,000 In-Shape has previously raised and donated.
“In addition to the impact we can make and the boosting community morale, an organization like In-Shape can use its large platform to raise awareness for these causes,” said Kris Mulkey, the chief marketing officer of In-Shape. “Specifically, with our Fight Cancer campaign, we can also raise awareness and educate our members on healthy behaviors that can help mitigate their risk of developing the disease. We see this campaign as an opportunity to raise money, raise awareness for what the ACS and St. Jude do, and importantly, spread the word about how critical prevention is.”
In-Shape chose to support causes and fundraising relating to cancer due to how common the disease is among the general public.
“Everyone has been affected by cancer, whether you’ve personally battled the disease or you’ve supported a loved one going through treatment, or lost someone to it,” said Mulkey. “The In-Shape Fights Cancer campaign in an opportunity to say thank you to our members in a meaningful way — in a way that directly impacts the communities we serve. We chose to support the ACS and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital because of the direct impact they make in the lives of patients and caregivers.”
When fundraising for a cause, Mulkey shared a few keys to success:
- Ensure staff are bringing energy. “Our team gets fired up every October to raise as much money as possible. Their energy is contagious, and I think it really inspires our members.”
- Think about strategies for engaging members as well. “Every year when we start planning the campaign, we think about how we can best engage and motivate our members to participate – from simplifying the process with easy access to donation options, to creating fun fitness events that cater to different members, to mixing things up year on year. But really, the key is our community working together to raise money for a cause that affects everyone.”
- Choose a cause you care about. “Choose a cause that people are passionate about and make it as easy as possible for them to get involved.”
For more inspiration on fundraising activities and strategies, visit inshape.com/fightcancer.
UPDATE: On November 9th, In-Shape announced it successfully reached its goal of raising $100,000 in the month of October for its seventh annual In-Shape Fights Cancer campaign.
“We’re so impressed by the commitment our members and team members showed to our seventh annual Fight Cancer campaign,” said Mulkey, in a statement. “Our community rallied together to support the fitness events we hosted, the fundraising items we sold and the opportunities we provided to donate on their behalf — like using #InShapeFightsCancer in social media or donating for every new member that joined our community in October.”
Stay ahead in the fitness industry with exclusive updates!
Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
