Identify and secure participation in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Charity Partner Program to expand peer-to-peer fundraising, strengthen community engagement, and cultivate long-term supporter relationships through endurance fundraising.
Because charity partners must successfully recruit and retain fundraising runners to maintain and grow future team allocations, the opportunity extended beyond securing marathon entries. The broader objective was to establish a sustainable fundraising and engagement program capable of attracting new supporters, increasing organizational visibility, and building a community connected through fundraising, shared experiences, and mission involvement.
Secured participation in the highly competitive Bank of America Chicago Marathon Charity Partner Program and developed a comprehensive runner engagement strategy designed to build community, strengthen participant retention, and connect supporters more deeply to the organization’s mission throughout their fundraising journey.
Rather than positioning the marathon team solely as a fundraising initiative, the program emphasized relationship-building and ongoing engagement before race day.
Participants were invited to:
These experiences provided opportunities for runners to connect with one another, interact with staff and leadership, and gain a firsthand understanding of the programs supported through their fundraising efforts.
The marathon program successfully combined endurance athletics, peer-to-peer fundraising, donor stewardship, and community-building into a scalable fundraising initiative.
The organization was selected from among hundreds of applicants to join the Bank of America Chicago Marathon Charity Partner Program beginning in 2023.
The inaugural team of five runners raised more than $10,000 in peer-to-peer fundraising support. Continued program growth expanded participation to 20 runners in 2024, generating more than $40,000 in fundraising revenue.
By 2025, the program was projected to generate more than $70,000 in peer-to-peer fundraising support, representing sevenfold fundraising growth in just three years while demonstrating strong participant engagement, retention, and long-term sustainability.
Beyond fundraising results, the marathon initiative expanded community visibility, introduced new supporters to the organization, created new donor and volunteer relationships, and established a scalable pipeline for future peer-to-peer fundraising and supporter engagement.
