[pct-l] hikefor.com - hiking for a cause

[Mike Douglass]

Well said, Mike - totally agree

On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 6:41 PM, Mike Cunningham <hikermiker at yahoo.com>wrote:

> I hike to hike. This is for my own personal satisfaction. I do not hike
> for charity. If I wish to donate to a charity, I do so. I do not badger
> friends, aquaintances or strangers to donate.
>
> hm
>
>
> ________________________________
>  From: Paul Mitchell <paul at bluebrain.ca>
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 6:33 AM
> Subject: [pct-l] hikefor.com - hiking for a cause
>
> Hi all.
>
>
>
> In 2010 I quickly built and launched http://www.hikefor.com/ a couple
> weeks before
> kick-off time.  Here's what it was all about:
>
>
>
> A)     Hikers sign up and all hike for a single cause.
>
> B)     Sponsors pledge a per-mile donation.
>
> C)     At the end of the season sponsors make their donations based on
> miles
> completed.
>
> D)     100% of funds go directly to the NPO.
>
>
>
> In spite of the limited time to get the word out and no media coverage or
> partnerships, a bunch of awesome hikers took up the torch and collectively
> raised $6k+ for a fantastic cause: Kleiwerks international, an amazing
> little NPO that used the money to "train trainers" in Haiti with techniques
> for building safe, natural housing.  Really, what these people achieve is
> phenomenal; I was so excited to find a charity that I trusted would make
> good use of the money!
>
>
>
> In 2011/2012 I didn't have the energy to put another 100+ hours into all
> the
> necessary upgrades for the site to accommodate new causes & new users, but
> now I'd like to renew the site for 2013, and with a bit more lead time to
> get the word out this year, I think we could raise a lot more than $6k for
> some worthy cause(s).
>
>
>
> I have a bunch of new features and upgrades in mind, including:
>
>
>
> A)     Possibly allowing hikers to pick from multiple causes instead of
> just
> one
>
> B)     Possibly allowing hikers to split their donations between more than
> one cause, for example: 20% to the PCTA, 80% to SPCA (or cancer research,
> or
> whatever)
>
> C)     Hikers automatically receive a business card design they can get
> printed so they have cards to give out to people they meet along the trail
> (I had a bunch of Hike for Haiti cards printed and some sent out in 2010,
> but I can't afford to cover all these expenses myself this time)
>
> D)     Improved journaling features
>
> E)      Hike planner
>
> F)      Partnerships hopefully with PCTA, MEC and REI, more peeps on the AT
> side, etc. to get the word out
>
> G)     Get hikefor certified as an NPO so donations can be made directly to
> hikefor and passed on to charities - trying to track all the donations once
> they were finally made in 2010 was almost more work than building the site
> in the first place!  It would be nearly impossible once there's more than
> one charity being donated to.
>
>
>
> So, the reason I'm sharing this with you all is for your feedback, and to
> see if anyone would like to help!  Most specifically, here's what I could
> use help with:
>
>
>
> A)     programming - I can do it, but I would sure love to not have to!
>
> B)     contacts with potential partners - anybody know someone at MEC or
> REI
> or anywhere else who might want to help?
>
> C)     applying for NPO status in Canada and the USA - I've read it's a
> complicated and lengthily process!  I could use help with that most of all.
>
>
>
> What I'd like hikefor.com to be is the ideal solution for anybody heading
> out on a hike who wants to dedicate their hike to a worthy cause.  2010 was
> a good start but barely scratched the surface.  Let me know if you have any
> ideas or can help out!  Even just some encouragement would be helpful!
>
>
>
> Thank you!
> Paul Mitchell - Potential178
>
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