Chance3290 said:
Our local MS150 went from $150 minimum to $200 to $300. At $300 they started losing riders, including me, so they went back to $200.
Another thing to consider is how much of the money raised to research and how much goes to advertising.
If I find a charity that puts more than 50% into research, I'll ride.
Chance at 99cents/dollar I'll expect to see you signed up to ride the PMC next year! I rode last year registered for $150 and had to raise a minimum of $3000. This year my wife and I are riding and along with the same reg. fee pp we have to raise $5600. Each year the minimum is raised by $300. There is no shortage of riders and this year they added 2 new routes and still had to limit the rider amounts.
Here's a cut from the PMC website:
The PMC Philosophy
While there are today many athletic fundraising events, the PMC is arguably the most successful in terms of the money raised and the percentage of funds it contributes directly to charity. In 2005, 99 percent of all funds raised by PMC riders went directly to the Jimmy Fund. Only one cent of each dollar raised through riders' sweat and determination was used for administrative and organizational expenses. The PMC is considered the leanest fundraising operation in the nation today.
Starr's commitment to running the efficient non-profit is testament to his savvy business skills, his organizational fortitude, and that enduring lesson he learned while on that cold, wet walk in the woods. "The success of this event is due to the fact that all PMC riders are encouraged (actually, required) to take their fundraising commitment as seriously as their physical commitment to ride the event" Starr says.
This summer, each of the 4,000 cyclists will commit to raising thousands of dollars for the privilege of being a member of the PMC team. The majority of PMC participants, however, exceeds the minimum contribution and raises more than twice the amount required.
In the same vein, Starr organizes and relies upon thousands of volunteers to orchestrate the three-day event. From mapping the route, to constructing water and food stops, to ensuring medial attention and safety for thousands, 2,222 PMC volunteers commit their time, resources, and energy to the event without financial compensation. The team effort that makes the PMC the success it is today is a product of Starr¡¦s philosophy that those who commit themselves in full are those who achieve results.
In 1993, Starr and the PMC were awarded the Jimmy Fund's highest honor, the Thomas A. and Jean R. Yawkey Memorial Award for outstanding service. In 1997, the pedestrian bridge connecting Dana-Farber's new Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Research Laboratories to its Dana Building was dedicated in honor of the event's contribution to the advancement of cancer research as the "Pan-Massachusetts Challenge Bridge to Progress." A graduate of the University of Denver, Starr earned a masters degree in education from Northeastern University in 1978. In 1998, he received an honorary degree from Babson College and in November 2004, Dana-Farber gave Starr the Sidney Farber Medical Research Award for the exceptional contribution he has made to reduce the burden of cancer on society. "The PMC has made what we do at Dana-Farber possible," said Dana-Farber President Edward J. Benz, Jr., M.D. "When they write the history of how cancer was conquered, the PMC will be in chapter one."
The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge
The PMC, presented by the Boston Red Sox and Overstock.com, is the nation¡¦s first fundraising bike-a-thon and today raises more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. On August 5 and 6, 2006, 4,000 cyclists will travel eight different routes, logging between 70 and 192 miles over one or two days, through 46 scenic Massachusetts towns. Their goal is to raise $24 million. For more information about the PMC, call 800-WE-CYCLE or visit
www.pmc.org.
