CHARITY PROGRAM FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
General
Q: How do I apply for the Blue Line Charity Program?
A: To apply for the Blue Line Charity Program, the charity must fill out the application.
Q: Is there a cost involved in this program?
A: There is no cost to the charity to participate in the Blue Line Charity Program.
Q: What is the benefit of being a Blue Line Charity Partner?
A: The Akron Marathon offers a free, turnkey fundraising opportunity for your organization. The top three charities that raise more than $5,000 as part of the Blue Line Charity Program will receive a donation from the Akron Marathon Charitable Corporation. Donation amount will be dependent on annual proceeds.
Q: My organization is not a 501(c)3, can we still participate?
A: Organizations must be a 501(c)3 to participate in the Blue Line Charity Program.
Q: When is my application due?
A: There is no specific due date, however the sooner you register the sooner you can start fundraising.
Q: Is the Blue Line Charity Program a part of all Akron Marathon Race Series events?
A: No, the Blue Line Charity Program is only part of our flagship race, the FirstEnergy Akron Marathon, Half Marathon & Team Relay event held at the end of September annually.
Q: When will I find out if my charity has been accepted?
A: All 501(c)3 organizations will be accepted. Once you have completed the application, Katie Riley will reach out to you with next steps on how to set up your fundraising page and your organizations payment profile.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of charities accepted into the program?
A: No, we welcome all local organizations to use our race as a fundraising opportunities.
Q: How will the charities be chosen?
A: All charities that apply will be accepted into the program if they have 501(c)3 status.
Q: How will the Akron Marathon promote their Charity Partners?
A: The Akron Marathon will promote Charity Partners on the Akron Marathon website, on the Akron Marathon social media channels, through emails to runners, and in printed materials that are disbursed race weekend.
Getting Started
Q: How do I get started?
A: Once you have completed the application for your organization, you will then be sent instructions on how to set up your organizations fundraising page on Race Roster. Click here to view articles on how to set up your fundraiser.
Q: What is the best way to recruit runners to fundraise on our behalf?
A: A great place to start is with your existing support system. Encourage your board members to run and have them encourage their friends and family to do the same. Reach out to your loyal supporters, encourage them to run the race and fundraise for you.
Q: When do all my runners have to be registered by?
A: There is no specific date that charity runners must be registered. But the sooner your runners register, the sooner they can begin fundraising for you.
Q: Will registration spots be held for Blue Line Charity Program participants?
A: No, we are unable to hold registration spots.
Q: Will our runners get a discounted race entry as part of the program?
A: No, there is no registration discount for Blue Line Charity Program participants. However, the earlier you register, the better the registration rate will be.
Q: What is the best way to promote our partnership?
A: View our toolkit here. Any way you can! Promote your involvement in the Charity Partner program through social media, your website, email campaigns, word of mouth, and any other way you can think of.
Q: Are there any special hashtags or handles we should use on Social Media?
Fundraising
Q: Does the Akron Marathon keep any of the money my organization raises?
A: No, all funds raised go directly to the charity through Race Roster.
Q: Does my organization have to use Race Roster?
A: Yes, to participate in the Blue Line Charity Program you must fundraise through Race Roster. When runners register to run, they are automatically created a fundraising page. The runner can decide which charity they would like to fundraise for.
Q: How will we receive our donations?
A: When you become a Blue Line Charity Partner you will set up your fundraising page on Race Roster and you will create a payment profile. The payment profile will include your bank information that will be used by Race Roster to electronically send you the donations you receive.
Q: Do I have to set up a payment profile? Can Race Roster just send me a check instead?
A: Yes, you must set up a payment profile. Race Roster needs to know where to the send the funds and due to compliance, the funds must go directly to the charity. When Race Roster receives the donations, they are held in a holding account until the charity provides the banking details so they can release the funds. No checks can be issued by Race Roster.
Q: Are there fees associated with using Race Roster?
A: Yes, Race Roster charges 6.5% + $0.85. These fees cover the administrative costs and credit card fees that Race Roster incurs for providing this service.
Q: Some of our donors prefer not to donate online, do their donations by cash or check still count?
A: Absolutely. You can manually log those donations on Race Roster so they are reflected in your total. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to log offline donations.
Q: Is there a minimum that must be raised?
A: No, there is no minimum.
Q: How should my runners fundraise?
A: When runners register to run, they are automatically created a fundraising page in Race Roster. The runner can decide which charity they would like to fundraise for. With Race Roster, a fundraiser can email potential donors, post to social media sites, and keep track of the funds they have raised.
Blue Line Charity Partners should ultimately rely upon their runners for the bulk of fundraising efforts. The beauty of this program is that the Akron Marathon provides non-profit organizations a platform to fundraise without having to do a lot of work. We suggest creating incentives for runners to fundraise on your behalf.
Q: Do my runners have a fundraising requirement?
A: No, there is not fundraising requirement for runners. However, runners will be incentivized based on the amount of money they raise.
Q: What are the fundraising incentive levels for runners?
A:
$500
- Badge on fundraising page
$1,000
- Badge on fundraising page
- Free medal engraving
$2,500
- Badge on fundraising page
- Free medal engraving
- VIP Packet Pick Up
$5,000
- Badge on fundraising page
- Free medal engraving
- VIP Packet Pick Up
- Race Entry to 2025 race of choice
Q: When do fundraising totals need to be turned in?
A: Fundraising will through Race Roster will remain open through October 31. All offline donations must be logged on Race Roster by October 31.