What would you pay for charity?

[TheDisneyDoll]

Absolutely doable if you get the word out enough : ) do they give you the option to select a smaller amount and increase it or are you locked into whichever option you initially choose?

No once you sign up you're locked in, anything you can't raise they charge you for I have a handful of resources that i believe will be beneficial, just have to get out there and work work work! but working is my favorite

 

[starry_solo]

It is certainly doable to raise those amount of funds but to get it from strangers/acquaintances, you will need a compelling personal story

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

It is certainly doable to raise those amount of funds but to get it from strangers/acquaintances, you will need a compelling personal story

i'm not sure my personal story is compelling, but i have dedicated my time and the run to a friend of mine who's battled cancer for the past year. She is a very important person who's seen and done incredible things. She out of anything deserves the recognition

 

[HM]

Is the $3000 ($2500) so that YOU can go to the race? Truthfully, I don't see a whole lot of people going in on this, OP. (I didn't read all the replies....just the OP message and a couple under it).

 

[scrapquitler]

I need a favor from some of y'all if you please. This is not a solicitation I am looking for your genuine advice and thoughts.
I'm raising money to participate in the April Dark Side half Marathon at Disney World, to do this I thought a great way to raise funds would be to design and sell a T-Shirt that fits the theme.
Now i have run into a little problem when it comes to pricing which is why I am asking for your help.
My goal is to raise $3,000 (I need a minimum of $2,500).
The shirts cost $7 with the printing themselves, i have around $3.00 in additional fee's plus $6.00 for shipping all worked into the total price.
The shirts are printed on American Apparel jersey T's, which are a bit softer and nicer than some other options.
So thats roughly $16.00 in fee's.
I'm trying to decide what is reasonable to charge per shirt, and since my main demographic is people trying to save when they can i thought y'all could provide some good insight.
Right now they're at $26.99. I thought since all the proceeds do go to charity it would be okay to charge a little more, but i'm kind of feeling like i am asking way to much, but at the same time the amount raised per shirt needs to be reasonable too.

So i am asking honestly what would you pay for a shirt when you know it costs $16 to produce and that no one is making money it's all going to charity.

again this not a solicitation I have just been staring at this for so long and everything i come up with feels wrong and I need any outside opinion.

None of the money is going to a charity, it's going to YOU, for your benefit, just like if you decided to open a store to earn money. You are not a charity. Someone is making money, and that someone is you. If I were buying a shirt from you and you told me it was for you to raise money for yourself to go to Disney World to participate in a marathon, I'd probably still buy it from you. But if you told me that it was 'for charity' and I found out that you used the proceeds to go to Disney World, I'd be upset. It's not the same as if you were earning money to go on a trip to Haiti to build an orphanage. Just be honest with the people buying them....if you aren't, it's fraud.

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

None of the money is going to a charity, it's going to YOU, for your benefit, just like if you decided to open a store to earn money. You are not a charity. Someone is making money, and that someone is you. If I were buying a shirt from you and you told me it was for you to raise money for yourself to go to Disney World to participate in a marathon, I'd probably still buy it from you. But if you told me that it was 'for charity' and I found out that you used the proceeds to go to Disney World, I'd be upset. It's not the same as if you were earning money to go on a trip to Haiti to build an orphanage. Just be honest with the people buying them....if you aren't, it's fraud.

Nothing from the shirt sales would be going to me. I should have worded that differently I can see that now. The shirts cost roughly $16 to produce and ship, the remaining what is left from that whatever it would be would go to the charity and having their information from a shirt sales means I can put their name on the foundation and they will receive the tax return from donating.
If someone were to donate directly to the charity page, I wouldn't have a way of getting their information to send them something.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say none of the money is going to charity all profits are going to the foundation itself.

 

[SirDuff]

Nothing from the shirt sales would be going to me. I should have worded that differently I can see that now. The shirts cost roughly $16 to produce and ship, the remaining what is left from that whatever it would be would go to the charity and having their information from a shirt sales means I can put their name on the foundation and they will receive the tax return from donating.
If someone were to donate directly to the charity page, I wouldn't have a way of getting their information to send them something.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say none of the money is going to charity all profits are going to the foundation itself.

No. The remaining after paying for your hotel, your race training, the events you can attend, your training, etc. would go to the charity.

 

[HM]

No. The remaining after paying for your hotel, your race training, the events you can attend, your training, etc. would go to the charity.

Yep, that's how I'm reading this too.
You are asking for money to send you to a road race in Disney. (you are not a charitable organization).
If there is any money left over from that, you want to give it to charity. That's not the same as collecting money for a charity.

 

[SirDuff]

Yep, that's how I'm reading this too.
You are asking for money to send you to a road race in Disney. (you are not a charitable organization).
If there is any money left over from that, you want to give it to charity. That's not the same as collecting money for a charity.

Well, it's not quite that bad. The charity set the minimum amount ($2,500) and they know what they are doing, so that is enough for them to get some money to use (they get all the money, it's just that a portion (in my opinion too large a portion) is used for the OP's benefit).

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

No. The remaining after paying for your hotel, your race training, the events you can attend, your training, etc. would go to the charity.

All the money donated regardless of that still goes to the charity. I've not been misleading in what i receive from the foundation, i just want it to be clear i'm not keeping some kind of profit from donations beyond what the foundation promised.
I think we're trying to say the same thing, but i just want to make it clear i'm not benefiting from anything other than what the charity offers. If i were to raise $5,000 the value of what I am receiving remains unchanged. I'm not getting some kind of kickback or increased benefit. Calculating it as a percentage the charity receives 77% of $3,000 should i meet that goal, if i exceed the fundraising amount their percentage grows, it does not remain equal.


I'm not sure why you think i am paid for training though? Nothing about training time has even been mentioned that i've seen.

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

I can see why the original post is misleading now, honestly i didn't put a lot of care into the way i was writing it. I was just trying to see if $26.99 is to much to charge for a T-shirt, when the proceeds to go charity. I was not doing any long math i was hoping to get a quick yes or no answer, especially since I was not trying to solicit the item here and would never do that. It wasn't my intent to mislead anyone here on how the fundraising or benefits work, i was hoping someone would say Yeah i'd spend $26.99 on a t-shirt or no $26.99 is a bit high.
I only tried to explain how the pricing worked because sometimes when you know what things cost you can understand the price point.
It wasn't my intent to mislead anyone here, I didnt think that all the details were necessary here as I mentioned I am not selling anyone here the product. It wasn't me trying to ask for donations or making fraudulent claims. I was hoping for a quick answer so I had a basis of knowing the price point of the people i'm trying to target (the budget conscious) so i could put my item for sale.

I will not be selling shirts for charity anymore. I'm sorry if you were mislead by the post or if you're confused, that wasn't the intention.

I should add that the people who were going to purchase the product were aware, or would have been made aware of what I received. The information was included in the listing information on the store.

 

[SirDuff]

All the money donated regardless of that still goes to the charity. I've not been misleading in what i receive from the foundation, i just want it to be clear i'm not keeping some kind of profit from donations beyond what the foundation promised.
I think we're trying to say the same thing, but i just want to make it clear i'm not benefiting from anything other than what the charity offers. If i were to raise $5,000 the value of what I am receiving remains unchanged. I'm not getting some kind of kickback or increased benefit. Calculating it as a percentage the charity receives 77% of $3,000 should i meet that goal, if i exceed the fundraising amount their percentage grows, it does not remain equal.


I'm not sure why you think i am paid for training though? Nothing about training time has even been mentioned that i've seen.

I didn't mean you were paid for training, I meant that training (coaching) is included in the package (and costs the charity, reducing the amount that actually get used).

This minimum fundraised amount includes:

• One registration for the Star Wars™ Dark Side Challenge which includes both the Star Wars™ 10K Saturday, April 16, 2016 and Star Wars™ Half Marathon – The Dark Side on Sunday, April 17, 2016.
• Two room nights at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort* (Friday, April 15, 2016 – Saturday, April 16, 2016) and transportation to the race start.
• Admission for two to our exclusive Team Noah event.
• Team Noah runner accessory package – including a running tech shirt.
• Personalized coaching via our partnership with Jeff Galloway Training.
• A Team Captain to guide your race journey.
• All the benefits provided by runDisney.

Where we disagree is on what "it goes to the charity" means. If I say that, I mean the charity gets the money to use for its activities. Not just that a cheque is made out them (and then part of that is spent on me). I get that your benefit doesn't increase based on how much you raise, however, I still feel that it is disingenuous to say that the charity gets all the money above what your t-shirts cost. I get that you disagree.

 

[TheDisneyDoll]

I didn't mean you were paid for training, I meant that training (coaching) is included in the package (and costs the charity, reducing the amount that actually get used).



Where we disagree is on what "it goes to the charity" means. If I say that, I mean the charity gets the money to use for its activities. Not just that a cheque is made out them (and then part of that is spent on me). I get that your benefit doesn't increase based on how much you raise, however, I still feel that it is disingenuous to say that the charity gets all the money above what your t-shirts cost. I get that you disagree.

I guess it is my opinion that the charity made the decision in themselves to offer this, so it would be an activity they see fit, though i understand why you disagree with that.
I just wanted it to be clear I wasn't keeping some other form of compensation than what I have said. Again it doesn't bother me to say what my benefit of using the charity is, but to say it is fraud; as someone previously said, is not true.

And to add the Jeff Galloway coaching and transportation is for everyone it is not something exclusive to the charity. They're both provided to anyone staying at a Disney Resort, it's not exclusive to runners or charity participants, it's just something they say to make it more desirable to use their service vs someone elses. The Jeff Galloway training information is free to anyone at rundisney.com, I didn't mean to say it wasn't included though I hadn't realized they said that. This is my first charity run through this organization and ive been using that free information for a few years.

I should have added: I'm not implying the training doesn't have a value, i'm just saying the value doesn't cost the foundation a monetary amount.

 

[Sagginit]

I have an acquaintance that does a lot of runs including 100 mile runs and triathlons. I also know others who occasionally do a a run or a bike ride here and there. Being in NYC it is very popular. I have never seen anyone sell a shirt, pretty much everyone asks for money on social media or by word of mouth. I have never seen anyone sell anything and I understand your idea that you want to give a gift to thank them for their donation. The thing is I only donate through a link and have never seen anyone ask for money anywhere else. Your intention is good, but people would be wary if directed to give money elsewhere if they are familiar with these type of events. I also fall into the camp of people that hate tshirts or stuff with logos like this, there are more out there than you may realize Now if you are an artist or graphic artist you may be able to make the money you need by just coming up with an original design that people would buy whether a charity was tied to it or not.

I second the idea of having a bake sale, garage sale, or car wash. I hate the process of finding where to donate items. I think if you asked for a donation or let's say a donation of stuff to hold a garage sale to raise some of the funds you might get a better response than you think. It also shows more clearly the work you are putting into raising the funds and you could post that at your garage sale as a defense to people trying to haggle down to almost nothing. Also I think the key to raising donations is to show you are working because from your point of view it is charity but the fact of the matter is if you wanted to you could just send the organisation a check. Instead you are asking for the funds to go to Disney to run and yes a lot of people will decline because they would in fact be paying in part to sponsor your trip and hobby.

Also, hang in there. The boards can be rough, particularly the budget board when it comes to matters of money. Leave the bad vibes behind and take the good ideas with you.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I 2nd Sagginit and the other poster who mentioned doing bake sales, car washes, garage sales, etc. You are asking people to help support your personal charitable act...it's like a lot of teens work at Churches doing spaghetti dinners and car washes to fund their summer volunteer trips (where they get to go somewhere and work as a volunteer). These trips are not free b/c the teens have to be transported, fed, and housed, so teens can either pay the trip fee or do more charitable work to raise funds to help pay for the fee in part or in full.

That's how I see your run. You have volunteered to pay the charitable fee - now the question is whether you will do more work for others to help pay for your fee in part or in full. I think others would happily come by and chip in a few bucks for a cupcake and coffee every week or month to help you reach your goal...and it's that "chip away" through work that is most needed.

 

[sibesx2]

All the money donated regardless of that still goes to the charity. I've not been misleading in what i receive from the foundation, i just want it to be clear i'm not keeping some kind of profit from donations beyond what the foundation promised.
I think we're trying to say the same thing, but i just want to make it clear i'm not benefiting from anything other than what the charity offers. If i were to raise $5,000 the value of what I am receiving remains unchanged. I'm not getting some kind of kickback or increased benefit. Calculating it as a percentage the charity receives 77% of $3,000 should i meet that goal, if i exceed the fundraising amount their percentage grows, it does not remain equal.


I'm not sure why you think i am paid for training though? Nothing about training time has even been mentioned that i've seen.

I don't think anyone thinks you are keeping a profit but you are gaining a room at Disney and entry fees that are paid for with the donations. I think you should ask for people to sponsor you in the race instead of donations to charity.

 

[sk!mom]

It's not really a lot It includes the registrations for 3 runs, and the hotel for two nights. It's the only fundraising plan they offered I could pick for all three runs though, and they can kind of charge what they want the run is sold out.

Plus $2,500 isn't much if you've ever looked up the fee of some other charity runs, it's pretty reasonable.

So basically participants get a couple of night's vacation too. Wow, I would never donate to this. It reminds me of the constant solicitations that I get for Mission Trips- 3 friends are currently in fundraising mode and two of those are perpetually there as they start raising for the next trip as soon as they return. In my opinion, if you want to raise money for cancer research, Haiti, Africa, or anything else- you raise the money and donate 100%. You do not take a vacation with a portion.

If you want a vacation you pay it all yourself.

I get why the charity is doing it, they need to raise money and people will be enticed to participate with the Disney aspect. However, I think participants should pay the whole cost not raise it under the guise of donating when a good portion will never make it to the charity.

As far as the shirtss, I wouldn't donate to this so it's hard for me to say but typically these type of event shirts are usually $10 max.

 

[jrmasm]

In the situation described, I would pay $0.

If I was asked to purchase a shirt and I was told the proceeds were going to charity, I'd probably be willing to pay $15-$20. If I found out that it was actually the situation described, I would be pretty ticked as I'd feel misled.

 

[okeydokey]

I wouldn't phrase it as going to charity. I would offer it as an incentive for people to sponsor your participation in this race. The overhead for these kinds of "charities" is very high and the money you raise will be going mostly to overhead.

As far as what would pay for a t-shirt like this. I would pay no more than 10.

 

[D&D's Mom]

To answer your original question, the cost of the T-shirt is too high whether proceeds benefit a charity or not. The least questionable way to raise funds to benefit this organization is to utilize the fundraising link they provide you so that donors are acknowledged and receive the appropriate documentation for their tax records. Good luck with your fundraising!