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I'd like to know how much money is raised each year by running race charities.
Hi! Thanks for your question about the total money raised each year by charity races. The short answer is that the top 15 fundraisers in charity running raised over $1 billion in 2016 and averaged $339 a head. I've compiled this information into a spreadsheet, and included some additional notes about the charitable race industry. Read on for my deep dive!
OVERVIEW
I based my list on Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Forum's 2016 statistics for charitable athletic events. I sorted the list and compiled the running- and walking-focused events and charities into my spreadsheet and searched for information on average distance and participation information where necessary from each event's website. Most of these events are US-focused, but some, like the Komen Race for the Cure, are international.
Many non-charity race events also allow runners to participate for charitable causes -- most major marathons, like Boston and Chicago, do this. Since these events aren't hosted by charitable organizations, I've left them out of my roundup.
I also did a media search for charitable race industry trends to give a fuller picture of the market for these events, since many of the events on the Peer-to-Peer Forum list are walks.
FINDINGS
Running overall in the US hit its peak in 2012, when charity running events raised $1.2 billion, and 2013, when "just over 19 million" runners participated in races. Both fundraising revenue and overall participation have fallen since then -- revenue is down 8% and participation is down to around 17 million.
Small race events still take place very frequently, but their frequency may be eating into the industry's overall profits: "newer, jazzier events are cannibalizing participants from the older, established pioneers. Three day walks are out, mud runs are in." Also, millennials "don’t want to spend that much time" on events and would rather "do it on a Saturday morning" than participate in a long charity race over a day or two. However, older participants can probably still be counted on to bring in fundraising dollars, as "walkers may be more dedicated to the actual cause, and be somewhat older and therefore have more money, and possibly time, to donate."
The top 15 running- and walking-focused charities raised just over $1 billion in 2016 across 8,600 total events. The majority of these events are 5K races or walks, but some events go all the way up to marathon length and beyond. Click here to see my spreadsheet!
CONCLUSION
The top 15 players in charity running and walking events raised just over $1 billion in 2016, averaging $339 per participant. These numbers are down in both revenue and participation from their peaks in 2012 and 2013, as new players enter the market and millennials and younger people focus their philanthropy on faster, more accessible methods.
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