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[Lennyiti]

Hello every one. I have a close friend/coworker and fellow rider who has a 14 year old son that just got diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease two weeks ago. With that they now have trips to Pittsburgh Children Hospital for 3 days every three weeks for treatments. We always go on charity rides but now I would like to see about having one this summer. Has any one here ever put one together, and if so how do you get started? Any advice with this will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

[Hugh Janis]

You can contact the local HOG chapter.  Not only would they be interested in participating but you'll get good advice from people who've done it before.

[RJ749]

Hello every one. I have a close friend/coworker and fellow rider who has a 14 year old son that just got diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease two weeks ago. With that they now have trips to Pittsburgh Children Hospital for 3 days every three weeks for treatments. We always go on charity rides but now I would like to see about having one this summer. Has any one here ever put one together, and if so how do you get started? Any advice with this will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

I think the HOG idea is a good one.

I am working with a group for a ride this summer and have been trying to find a site to jump start the idea seesion for a poker run.

Not much so far, but here's at least a thought starter.  http://www.pokerandlife.com/pokerrun.htm 

If you are simply going to make it a ride, that should be easier and take less volunteers.

Similar to some of showing up at MV for example.  Someone charts their route, along the way there are a couple of stops.

In your case since it would be an "organized" type thing.  Have a registration location with some entertainment perhaps to start the ride off and also for the return spot (could be same location).  Get a lunch stop (hopefully a sponsor) make one of your longer stops there.  We often do a ride that takes us to several HD dealers or Custom Shops (all sponsors) and that's where we get our poker hands.

A local T-shirt shop can help you design a ride shirt and if you like they most likely could help with a ride pin.

Set a registration fee for the ride.  Get some door prizes from sponsors for the return back to the venue and maybe have a silent auction as well.

This can be as big or small an event as you are willing to work for.  Your HOG chapter and local dealer would be a great place to start though if you need some help.

[iski]

All good ideas.  We are hit with requests for more poker runs than we can sponsor in our HOG chapter.  Just so many resources & all but many times a member will step up to help.  Key is to get the sponsors, stops, a fun route, & lunch.  We usually end our fund raising rides at the lunch stop & there is a band for entertainment there.

Best advice is line up the sponsors by card stop & get an overall "big" sponsor if that is possible. 

Good luck - organizing a poker run is a lot of work but in the end the results are worth it & your cause is a good one.

[LRebel]

Lenny,

I have organized a few benefit runs.  All the advise above is great. 

Door prizes are a very good draw.  You will find that bike shops and leather shops are usually very generous when it comes to donating door prizes.  Other good ideas for door prizes are restaurant gift certificates....restaurants like to donate also.  Be sure to give the businesses that donate credit at the event for donating the door prizes.

It will help tremendously if you can get a few other groups involved.  As already mentioned, the local HOG chapter might be interested.  You can also check with other groups like CMA, ABATE, and BACA.

The most important thing is how you promote the event.  You will need to schedule the run 6 - 8 weeks out so you will have time to promote it.  You also need to know what other motorcycle events are going on in your area and schedule around those events.  You don't want to compete against other events.  Pick a day that has nothing going on in your area. 

Other groups that you can get involved can be a tremendous help with promoting the event.  You need to get it on local internet message boards and calendars.  Design a flyer and e-mail it to everyone you know and then ask them to e-mail it to everyone they know that can spell motorcycle.  You need to send the flyer out as soon as possible and then get it out again about a week before the event.  Bikers have the biggest hearts of any group of people you will ever encounter, but we are also forgetful, so sending the flyer out again is a must to remind folks.  You can put the flyers out a bike shops and biker hang-outs.  Going to local bike nights and walking around handing out flyers is also a good idea.

The only other issue with an event like this requires a crystal ball.....you need a good weather day.  As you already know, bad weather can ruin a motorcycle event.  I don't know where you can get a crystal ball, so you can only pick your date and then pray for good weather.

I hope some of my ramblings help.

LRebel

[VAZHOG]

http://www.cybernationoffreedom.com/charity/dircharvill.html

Contact one of these org's and they will help you and maybe lend support while joining with you to raise money, When you have them as a sponsor line up your local Wal-Mart Get to them before the first of the month and they will match and contributions.

You will get more support $$$ if any donations are tax deductible, Then you can split it with your local family and the main Chairty org (sponsor)

[porthole]

I did my first organized event last year.

I did not do a poker run because of the amount of people needed to help. With just a couple of people we ran a memorial ride from New Jersey to Maine with a "remembrance stop" on the George Washington Bridge (and we had traffic STOPPED if you can imagine that).

From the start of planning to ride day was about 37 days.

A member of my department designed the t-shirts, and arranged for printing. Shirts cost about $10 and we sold them for $20.
I did not order enough t-shirts and ran way short, but who knows how many you need.

I was able to put together a secondary order of shirts, and that was a big help.

Expenses involved included the shirts, coffee and donuts for registration day, drinks and snacks for the 300 mile ride (several cages involved), plaques for family members, plaque for memorial garden, shrubs and plants for the memorial garden, I registered the domain name for 5 years
http://www.SalsRide.com

In the end I have about $600 left over for a memorial scholarship fund that should be in place by next week.

This was for a firefighter, so there was a lot of word of mouth.
We had about 50 bikes and 25 cars show up for the ride from Edison, NJ to the GWB and 7 bikes and 5 cars (one PU and trailer) continued all the way to Maine.

Right now, besides working on the scholarship, which we hope to make a confining fund, I am considering starting a LLC and applying for tax exemption status.

For 2008 we will do a local ride and I am picking the date based on convenience, not what else is running that day. On any given day during the summer in New Jersey there are probably several dozen events running.

We are picking the3rd weekend in June (rain date 4th weekend) as we figured more people would be available due to vacations not kicking in yet.

Oh and the biggest thing, we are doing this with a police escort, they are the best rides.

And we had an Assumption Of Risk" form to fill out and sign for all participants.

Hope this helps

[Lennyiti]

Thank you all for the advise. I have contacted the local HOG chapter and along with these ideas I'm sure we will get something good going. I will try to keep the post updated with the progress.

Thanks again
Lenny

[porthole]

Thank you all for the advise. I have contacted the local HOG chapter and along with these ideas I'm sure we will get something good going. I will try to keep the post updated with the progress.

Good luck with the local HOG

My chapter won't "willingly" let you promote another run unless it truly is charity (and it doesn't interfere) and the dealer won't promote another dealer's event.

[ccr]

Don't forget that there are the non- Harley businesses who also host rides (poker run) and if the HOG is not interested, one of the other local bike shops may take the cause and it opens up the event to all riders, no matter the brand.

[JCZ]

Looks like you've already got the main suggestions.

One thing I'd add is that when you're soliciting raffle prizes......they do not necessarily have to be motorcycle related.  I'd always ask our volunteers to solicite services and restaurants, day spas, tanning centers, auto service work, etc......those kind of prizes will generate a lot more than t-shirts (that we've all already got to many of), etc.

[LRebel]

Also, If you do t-shirts, only make them available to those that pre-register.  You can order a few to sell or give away to the first few or X that register.  You just don't want to spend $$ on t-shirts and then not be able to get rid of them.

[hd-dude]

All good ideas for gettingthis set up. When you get it all together let me know. My shop will donate some goodies (glasses, gloves, Wicked Wear masks) to the event. You can give them away as raffle prizes

[Lennyiti]

Thank You.... I will keep you posted.

[porthole]

T-shirts are not the best way to make money. Cost me an average of $9 and we sold them for $20. It did pay for all the expenses though.

I only offered it as a suggestions as that was what we did, and it was more to memorialize our brother, as opposed to making money.
Having a scholarship fund was an afterthought after seeing that we could actually raise funds doing this ride


If you want the most bang for your buck get someone to donate the food, and just charge an entry fee.

It is my understanding that the Outback and sister companies  are generous with the donations of food.