June 6, 2013
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the nonprofit dedicated to education and research about causes, treatment and the search for a cure for breast cancer, has been holding runs and walks for roughly two decades, but has been forced to cancel many of its eventsin 2014 due to economic uncertainty and competition from other charities.
Komen cuts its number of events
The nonprofit is canceling its three-day, 60-mile races in Arizona, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco, Tampa Bay and Washington, D.C., but will still hold events in Atlanta, Dallas, Michigan, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and Minneapolis in 2014. Each participant in the race is required to raise $2,300, which may play a role in the decreased interest in the event. The economy is simply making it difficult for racers to gather the necessary amount of money.
"Many participants have reported that enthusiasm for the series remains very high, but it is more difficult for people to donate at levels they had in the past," said Andrea Rader, spokeswoman for Komen. "We hope to one day return to a larger number of markets, but believe strongly that this adjustment will allow us to return the greatest amount of dollars to the cause at this time."
The recession puts a damper on fundraising
While it may be a stretch to say that the economy is the only thing to blame for the the forced cancelation of races, the recent release of the "Run Walk Ride 30" report revealed that 3-Day for the Cure, which is put on my Komen, suffered the largest hit to revenues in the whole study. This points to the fact that the events are not as fruitful as they once were. The total gross revenue in 2012 for the races fell $57.5 million, or 31.9 percent, from the previous year. However, a lack of sponsorship could also play a role in the falling revenues.
"It's a little bit of everything," Rader told The NonProfit Times about the event's fundraising and participation troubles. "The fundraising environment has been challenging over the last few years, and it's been difficult for some of our participants to do these big events that have a high fundraising requirement. Things have been relatively steady but participation has been declining since about 2009."
Ready to chat? Get in touch today to request a no-obligation savings evaluation.
We first started using First Nonprofit’s Unemployment Savings Program when we were a small startup nonprofit. We didn’t have an HR department and needed expertise in the event that an unemployment claim was made. We knew we were eligible to be a reimbursing employer, but weren’t sure how to navigate that process. They made it easy to set things up, plan for, and then manage claims when they came at a very reasonable cost. The amount of time and stress they’ve saved us dealing with all this has been worth way more than the cost. We’ve now grown to a large nonprofit and do have an HR department but have no plans to stop using their services. I highly recommend them to every nonprofit I come into contact with!
Throughout our membership in the Unemployment Savings Program, First Nonprofit understood our demands, community dynamics, and the importance of seamless services; that allowed us to serve our constituents better.
Because INCS advocates for the operating conditions that allow charter public schools to provide high quality public education, partnering with First Nonprofit was an easy decision. First Nonprofit’s unemployment programs provide our member schools two operating elements crucial to their ability to provide high quality public education: savings and budget certainty. Capable, committed teachers are the key to student success. By participating in the unemployment insurance savings plan, charter public schools gain peace of mind and are able to invest more money in their teachers.
It has been our sincere pleasure to maintain a strong, vibrant business partnership with First Nonprofit. We greatly admire their strong industry knowledge, technical expertise, constant professionalism, knowledgeable and dedicated staff. They are always extremely responsive, personable and provide us with the necessary guidance and recommendations on a numerous variety of employment scenarios.
NYCON members who use First Nonprofit’s programs enjoy enduring savings and improved efficiency. Our association knows that success, because from the beginning, we achieved the same great benefits. Great savings, seamless technology, and responsive service. NYCON highly recommends First Nonprofit’s remarkable unemployment solutions.
Visually Impaired Preschool Services has been a client of First Non-Profit since it was first offered as a benefit of VisionServe Alliance. We completed a thorough evaluation of cash savings to our agency before taking advantage of this wonderful benefit and it has been a very wise decision. Our experience with the processes from accounting to claims have been professional, expeditious and easy.
Luckily for us, our interactions regarding any issues with staffing has been very minimal! I can say that all other interactions with regards to billing, 941 reporting, etc. have been extremely pleasant, accommodating and easy to work with. Kim Ghanayem is always prompt, professional and friendly. Thank you so much!
First Nonprofit has been easy to work with and makes the administrative process easier and smoother. We enjoy working with you.