Out For Blood 5k

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Out For Blood 5k

• A Race to Raise Awareness and Recruit Donors
• on World Blood Donor Day

• Katie McGuire, Director Marketing and
  Communications
• Greater Chesapeake Potomac Region, American Red
  Cross

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Why a 5k Race?

• Running and Road Races have experienced a boom in
  popularity since 1994. According to Running USA
• In 2007 8.9 million people finished a road race
  in the U.S., compared to 3.9 million in 1987.
• 51 of all running events are 5k races
• Over 50 of all participants in road races are
  between the ages of 30 and 50, 19.5 of men and
  33.4 of women cite it benefits an important
  cause as their reason for entering a particular
  race.
• A 5k Race is a fun, unique way to engage donors
  and potential donors in an invested relationship
  with the American Red Cross
• Through sponsorships, the financial cost of
  executing a road race is zero, and the race will
  generate funds for the blood bank.

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Why Leverage World Blood Donor Day?

• Any opportunity for media and publicity! This is
  a story that we can pitch and it provides
  validation for the event.
• Not organization specific, and focuses primarily
  on the donor. Creates a connection to the
  action of giving blood rather than the
  relationship with the specific blood collection
  organization, i.e. the Red Cross
• By celebrating Blood Donors, we are able to
  further the connection to the development of a
  relationship with our organization
• In areas with competition, the recognition of the
  donor outside of the blood bank provides an
  opportunity to engage a non Red Cross donor with
  a Red Cross experience.
• Logistically World Blood Donor Day falls at a
  perfect time of year for an outdoor event (June
  14)
• WBDD at the beginning of summer provides another
  avenue to promote the summer need for blood in a
  fresh and unconventional way.

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The Out for Blood Concept
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Asking Participants to Become Advocates

• The participant as advocate model is not
  unique In many cases, a road race to support a
  charitable event will ask participants to collect
  pledges or financial donations in support of the
  particular cause. Examples Race for the Cure,
  Avon Walk For Breast Cancer
• To match our business model, we ask participants
  to collect pledges of those willing to donate
  blood. We follow up with the pledges after the
  event to secure a blood donation appointment.
• Prizes and Premiums were offered for participants
  who collected the most pledges. Examples water
  bottles, performance t-shirt
• A Grand Prize was given to the participant with
  the most donor pledges premium baseball tickets
  with VIP treatment at the ball park.
• Each registration form had spaces for 15 donor
  pledges, the minimum for prize eligibility was 10
  pledges.
• Pledges were not required to participate in the
  event, and participants could pledge themselves
  as a donor

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Supporting the High School Donor Program

• The Story of the Out for Blood 5k Race
• Money raised above and beyond the race hard costs
  was earmarked for specific use in programs that
  help support high school/young donor education
  and recruitment materials, events, promotions.
• World Blood Donor Day provides us with the
  opportunity to recognize and thank those who have
  made blood donation a priority in their lives.
• For many donors, the first experience with blood
  donation is in High School. For that reason, it
  is critically important that we focus recruitment
  efforts on these young donors.
• In honor of World Blood Donor Day, the Out for
  Blood 5k Race will raise awareness about the need
  for blood in our community, generate interest and
  engagement in the blood program, and support high
  school donor recruitment programs in the region.

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Planning the Event
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Maximize Your Resources

• Form a team engage all areas of your
  organization to assist in aspects of the planning
• Make sure you have a Runner on the team! You
  want someone who has experienced a 5k race or
  other community road race event and can visualize
  the outcome/runner experience
• Work with a local running group or race planning
  group. They will handle the logistics of
  actually setting up the event. Any local
  running specialty store would be able to provide
  a contact for this service.
• Develop a solid template for the event planning
  process, something you can come back to year
  after year
• Assign one Event Coordinator and delegate tasks
  to various planning committees with in your group
• Focus on specific areas Sponsorship, Media and
  Communications, Logistics, and Print/Promotional
  materials when developing a master plan

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Sponsorships

• Ask all of your local vendors everyone from
  your printers, promotional vendors to your
  uniform providers, canteen suppliers, etc. Get
  all departments involved in soliciting
  sponsorships from the various vendors and
  business partners they work with. Leverage
  relationships that you already have.
• Ask Blood Drive Sponsors and Coordinators they
  are already supporters so a financial or in-kind
  contribution may be an easy sell
• Look for in-kind donations, such as printing
  services, post race food, awards/trophies,
  prizes, promotional items, t-shirts. These will
  reduce your cost and can be easier to obtain than
  a check.
• Provide potential sponsors with various options
  for Sponsorship Levels, and the associated
  recognition/promotion they will receive for their
  donation to your event. Put together a formal
  Sponsor Package.

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The Sponsor Package

• Offer increasing levels of sponsorship with
  increasing levels of recognition and promotion.
• Be sure to offer things that you know you can
  provide i.e. do not offer a sponsor the
  opportunity to sell goods/services at your venue
  unless you are willing/able to also provide any
  services they might need to support that (such as
  electricity, early set up, space for a table,
  etc).
• Keep it simple inclusion in print advertising,
  radio/tv spots, logo on the t-shirts and other
  race premiums, banners, signage, website links,
  and opportunity to include a catalog or other
  promo item in the race goodie bags are all
  good/easy ways to recognize and thank your
  sponsors.
• Work with in-kind partners to assign an
  appropriate sponsor level based on value of goods
  or services
• Include a supporter level that allows for
  donations at all dollar amounts every little
  bit counts

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Media and Communications

• Tell a STORY about the event what it is about,
  who/what the money will support (a specific
  program or fund). Use that story in all your
  communications.
• Look for a Media Partner to be the voice of
  your event through advertising and promotion, as
  well as an on-site presence the day of the event.
• Added pizzazz for the race participants if a
  local celeb can act as the emcee, give out
  awards, or otherwise participate
• Radio station promotions team can be on-site with
  music/signage/giveaways. This makes it more fun,
  and save you the cost of renting sound equipment.
• Invite all your staff, donors, sponsors, vendors,
  hospitals, and other contacts to participate as a
  runner or walker, and encourage them to form a
  team
• Connect with local running groups, clubs,
  specialty stores, gyms, etc to promote the event.
• Post signs in immediate area of the race coffee
  shops, grocery stores, universities, dry
  cleaners, etc.

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Print and Promotional Materials

• Most of these items can be donated by vendors you
  already work with printers, t-shirt suppliers
• Be flexible in what you are requesting to
  maximize what you can get for free i.e do not
  insist on red shirts if you can get white ones
  donated
• Use email communications to minimize postage
  costs, post registration forms online and use an
  online sign up system
• Postcard mailings are cheap and can direct users
  to your website for more information you do not
  need to send out thousands of race brochures
• Offer various prize levels to participants who
  recruit more donor pledges see what your
  vendors are willing to donate and use those
  items. Order small quantities only.

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Race Day Logistics

• Ensure you have enough volunteers to cover key
  areas/tasks registration, water stops, split
  timing, set up/break down of post race food,
  directing runners to parking/race start, clean up
  and trash removal
• Race Event Management company will handle the
  selection/measurement of the course, timing,
  scoring, finish/start line set up, and will also
  train your volunteers on what they need to be
  doing in various areas
• Make the connection to World Blood Donor Day and
  the story of your event.
• A few words from your CEO
• Testimonial Speaker pre-race
• Signage that recognizes World Blood Donor Day

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Setting a Goal for the First Year Event

• Keep it Simple! Learn from the first year and
  grow, do not try to do it all
• Work with a Race Event Management company to
  estimate a budget and expected runners (average)
  for your area.
• In Baltimore average first year 5k events see
  approximately 75-150 runners. We set our goal
  for 100 runners.
• Depending on the sponsorship structure, number of
  sponsors, entry fees, and number of participants,
  history of the event, etc, a 5k road race can
  generate as much as 100,000 or more in revenue.
• Because our goals was to recruit donors, not
  raise money, we set a very modest financial goal
  to simply cover all the costs of the race through
  sponsorship with entry fees being the additional
  bonus. Cost was approximately 20,000.
• GOALS for The First Annual Out for Blood 5k 1)
  100 runners, 2) Zero cost, 3) A fun event with
  positive feedback from participants

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Results 2008 Out for Blood 5k

• 180 Runners, Walkers, and Volunteers
• Raised nearly 15,000 in addition to covering all
  event costs
• Received nearly 200 donor pledges resulting in
  approximately 55 donations between June and
  September
• Many pledges had already given when we called
  them to schedule an appointment
• Most of the pledges were already donors, only 6
  pledges were brand new donors
• Full advertising schedule in the Baltimore
  Examiner (newspaper) to support the race and the
  American Red Cross
• Coverage on local sports radio (PSA schedule) as
  well as a local sports personality who acted as
  emcee for the event
• Follow up interview with Red Cross blood
  recipient, Brian Boyle, local tri-athlete and
  blood donation testimonial speaker

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Lessons Learned Moving on to Year Two!
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Improvements/changes for 2009 Out for Blood

• Need a better system to track donations received
  from donor pledges.
• Manual process, hard to retrieve accurate data on
  participants/pledges who follow through with
  donations unless they actually make an
  appointment when called. Many pledges may come
  in spontaneously or call to make an appointment
  on their own.
• Eliminated Presenting Sponsor option from
  Sponsor Package. We want to have sole rights to
  the brand/identity of the event. Eliminated a lot
  of fluff from the sponsor package most
  sponsors are not motivated by promotional
  opportunities associated with the race.
• Include Photo Release in race registration
  form. Eliminates the need for separate photo
  release to be signed at registration and for
  later sorting/identification of all photos.
• You can never have too much ice! Especially on a
  hot day.
• Pre-packaged food is best granola bars,
  pretzels, etc. You can pick these up days in
  advance and not worry about spoilage.

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Pictures 2008 Event
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Questions?

• Contact Information
• Katie McGuire, Director Marketing and
  Communications
• American Red Cross GCP Region
• 410-764-4617 mcguirek_at_usa.redcross.org