Recently, spinning has become a popular way to burn off the fat and get healthy! This year, consider hosting a trendy fundraising event that takes advantage of new exercising fad: a Spin-a-Thon! There’s no better way to show you care than donating to a good cause and burning some calories while you’re at it! A Spin-a-Thon is just like a walk-a-thon, only participants cycle on stationary bikes in a facility rather than walking around a track. Cyclists gather in teams and members trade off cycling (sometimes over the course of twenty-four hours) to raise money through sponsors.
If you’re thinking of hosting a Spin-A-Thon fundraising event for American Heart Month (or any health-related cause), take a look at the fun ways to get donators involved below. From music to buffet food to door prizes, there are many ways to draw in donators and draw the attention of news outlets. Also, make sure to check out our Fundraising & Charity Event Ideas and Planning Tools to make the process a little easier.
- Spinning Sing-a-Long: At a Spin-A-Thon, participants cycle for long periods of time, and the last thing you want to happen is for them to get bored. To keep participants engaged, play a popular song every 15 minutes so everyone can sing-a-long, belting it out from their bikes. If your fundraiser is in February, a DJ playing and emceeing songs like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band (Beatles), Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis), Straight from the Heart (Bryan Adams), Total Eclipse of the Heart (Bonnie Tyler), Achy Breaky Heart (Billy Ray Cyrus), Put a Little Love in Your Heart (Dolly Parton) will keep the event hopping. Display the words or music videos on a large projector screen in front of the cyclists so they can follow along.
- Spin-a-Thon Favors: If your event is in February, have a local business sponsor the purchase of heart themed favors to pass out to everyone as they enter. You can find many Valentines favors at the dollar store, and you can choose to either sell or give them away. You might also choose to include a goodie bag that participants can buy to support the cause: water bottles, energy bars, and other donated items are great add-ins. In order to receive the bag, participants must donate an extra $5 over the price it takes to participate, which is a great way to bring in extra fundraising money.
- 50/50 February Raffle: Another option is to have a 50/50 raffle. Everyone who buys a raffle ticket receives a heart favor to wear (like a pin, sticker or headband) so that they stand out from others (a great way to get people to buy into the raffle!).
- Spin-a-Thon Food: Decide whether you are selling food or giving it away. Of course, for a fundraiser in February, you need heart-shaped cookies, cupcakes, or healthy muffins with heart sprinkles on them. Plus, wouldn’t it be fun to have heart-shaped finger sandwiches (easily done using a cookie cutter to cut a slice of bread!). If the event starts early in the day, you could add a small heart-shaped pancake breakfast if the facility allows it. It might even be possible to find a vendor that makes heart-shaped pizzas! Keep in mind, stand-out food adds to the newsworthiness of your event and will increase participation.
- Fundraising Participant Perks: Wouldn’t it be fun to have chair and foot massages for tired cyclists? Contact local vendors to see if they could donate their time or offer a portion of the proceeds to the fundraiser (for example: 50% of $10 for a 15 minute massage). Another option is to rent massage chairs for participants to use. It might also be fun to have someone set up a “make your own smoothie” bar… healthy, hearty, and another money maker.
Good luck planning your Spin-a-Thon fundraiser, and make sure to save a bike (and a smoothie) for the Party Girl!
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