NPA 041: The Accidental Nonprofit – How an Event Turned in to a $3.5M Nonprofit

Bobby Gill wanted to have an event to raise money for neurofibromatosis (NF). The criteria for the event was 1) it’d have to be fun 2) it’d have to be something he would want to do himself and 3) it would obviously have to raise money. Enter “Cupid’s Undie Run“. A mile long run, held in the winter time and run in your underwear. Bobby will be the first to admit that this is not your typical fundraiser. “It’s a very nontraditional idea of what a fundraiser should look like. But to us… it just seemed like a fun idea and something we would want to do ourselves.” In this podcast, Bobby talks about organizing the first run and how it grew into an international event that has raised over $8M in the past five years. Part of the secret to the events success is simple networking. Bobby explains how, with just five weeks to prepare for the first Cupid’s Undie Run, they were able to get over 600 runners to participate in the event. That is not a typo… 600+ people participated in an event that was planned with barely a months notice. After a couple years, the run became its own nonprofit. And Bobby is now the COO. This is truly a fun and inspiring story. And lots of lessons to be learned for nonprofits of all sizes. Resources Check out the website at: Cupid’s Undie Run  The post NPA 041: The Accidental Nonprofit – How an Event Turned in to a $3.5M Nonprofit first appeared on Nonprofit Ally.