By: Amy Bean Napier
One of the clients that we manage is the Foundation for Dental Laboratory Technology (FDLT). Their mission is to advance the profession of dental laboratory technology through education.
Like most non-profit organizations, they are constantly looking for out-of-the-box ways to raise money to ensure the continued success of the organization and their goals. Last year, FDLT held their first ever Race for the Future event in which volunteers agreed to participate in the ITU Triathlon in Chicago, IL to help raise money for the Foundation.
This year, the Foundation repeated the event with the Race for the Future 2.0. On Sunday, July 
26, 2015, 19 individuals in the dental laboratory profession came together to participate in the 2nd Annual Race for the Future. The event was the Music City Triathlon in Nashville, TN. Another 20 individuals, who consisted of friends, family and others in the dental laboratory community, were on hand to cheer on the racers.
All participants trained hard for months in advance to ensure their success at this event. Read more about how one of the participant’s and their onsite fan prepared for the event here: http://bit.ly/1RV6SMp
The racers, ranging in age from 32 to 66 and coming from as far as California, displayed courage and commitment. For eight of the participants this was their first ever Triathlon. And their efforts paid off as the Foundation raised over $60,000.00 this year! The money raised came from both corporate sponsorships and individual contributions to support specific racers. Plus all the racers came away from the event healthier and feeling more accomplished. And many are already planning to participate again next year!
Plan to incorporate these quick tips in your next fundraising event to help your organization raise funds and get healthy:
- Think Out of the Box – No idea is bad and sometimes the most “out there” idea can turn out to be the best. We never thought that a triathlon would be popular but in 2 years, we’ve raised almost $100,000!
- Options are Key – Find an event that offers options to ensure the maximum participation. Triathlons offer participants many options including the full triathlon (swim, bike run), the sprint (half the distance of all 3 events), the relay (where 3 people team up to each do one event), etc.
- Competition is Healthy – Everyone loves competition so whether you are competing to win the race or raise the most money, everyone wants to be the winner.
- Healthy is Contagious – Everyone is always trying to get healthier. So by combining fundraising with something healthy, it’s a win win for the individual and the organization.
What fundraising ideas have been successful for your organization?
