2024 Open Door Café Stuffed Strut 5k Run Walk or Roll A-thon

What is the Stuffed Strut A-thon?  

The annual event activates runners, walkers, para-athletes, and kids to raise money in the fight against hunger. It operates using RunSignup.com, an online race management and peer to peer fundraising platform. All proceeds benefit HOPE, Inc. and the Open Door Café, the first donate-what-you-can restaurant in Southwest Virginia. Open Door Café serves 17,000-20,000 meals annually, with 82% of individuals receiving a subsidized, healthy, locally sourced meal. 

The annual Thanksgiving Day race promotes the Open Door Café and subsidizes per plate meal costs. Supporters come together to raise funds and support their favorite Stuffed Strut entrant or business team, helping them win additional incentives and recognition. The Strut is a signature community event, garnering widespread publicity on local and regional social media channels from participating runners, walkers, business supporters, and sponsors via a concentrated marketing and communications campaign.

What is the Run-Walk-Roll A-thon’s potential to amplify individual giving?

The A-thon creates a new opportunity for incremental event revenue growth through peer-to-peer fundraising. Assuming 100 entrants register, incremental forecasts detailed below range from a modest figure of 30% entrant adoption to a more ambitious target of 80% adoption in future years. The 10th anniversary goal has been set slightly above 50%.

What is the goal? 

The A-thon platform supports Open Door Café and its patrons by funding subsidized meals. It makes it easy for friends and family members to financially support café meals, provides sponsors clear advertising benefits, and further demonstrates the value HOPE, Inc. offers donors and community supporters alike. Other goals include:

• Educate local constituents about the Open Door Café’s community impact and social value
• Find and cultivate new donors and sponsors through public awareness raised by the event
• Activate volunteers, staff, and board members as peer-to-peer advocates leveraging their networks
• Create new, more diverse revenue streams for HOPE, Inc.
• Provide patrons an opportunity to receive subsidized meals through funded tokens
• Convert post-paid meal revenue to prepaid revenue through token credits

What support does HOPE, Inc. provide?

In addition to targeted marketing campaign activities across earned media channels (radio, TV, newspaper, print) and owned social media properties, HOPE, Inc. provides benefits and support to participating donors, businesses, and sponsors:

• Web meeting support and troubleshooting
• Best practices, step-by-step guides, and online tutorials regarding profile page setup, features, and configuration
• Regular electronic updates and communication regarding features, incentives, and sponsors
• Online promotion for fundraising teams
• Social media tips, tricks, tools, templates, and tutorials
• Promotional toolkits including sample press releases, graphics, case statements, story boards, etc.
• Access to technical support via the selected platform partner (RunSignUp.com).

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