Pittsburgh Marathon

Learn more about how VolunteerLocal can serve your sporting event!

 

Run for a Reason

It’s 3AM in downtown Pittsburgh, and over 30,000 runners are packed in at the start line. Wearing tu-tus and knee socks, matching t-shirts or even carrying a huge flag emblazoned with a charity logo, 3,107 of them are “running for a reason” as members of the Pittsburgh Marathon’s hugely popular “Run for a Reason” Charity Program.

This year’s Run for a Reason was the most successful to date: in sum, the runners raised over $1.8 million for the 52 charities represented at the race.

“For me, it’s knowing that there are going to be people who have been training for months, recovering from all sorts of ailments or running for someone else – it’s seeing them cross the finish line. That’s the most fulfilling part of my job.” -Mara Spisso, Charity Program Coordinator for the Pittsburgh Marathon

Pittsburgh Marathon

Due to increasing demand, the Pittsburgh Marathon developed a “contributing charity” level which allowed charitable organizations to spearhead their own, independent fundraising efforts at the race. This grassroots approach worked particularly well for Light of Life, a homeless shelter that raised over $25,000 at the Pittsburgh Marathon. “It just blew everyone out of the water,” says Spisso.

This year’s Marathon utilized over 2,800 volunteers. From Mile Marker Stations to Aid Stations, bag pick-up to shirt pick-up – no job was left unfilled.

“We sent out a survey to our volunteers after the race, and their responses were just overwhelmingly positive for VolunteerLocal  – it was so easy.” -Melissa Cade, Volunteer Operations Captain for the Pittsburgh Marathon

“We had a great experience with VolunteerLocal,” says Melissa Cade, Volunteer Operations Captain. “The customer service was phenomenal. We’ve never worked with another volunteer software organization with that kind of support – it was like a whole new world.”

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Volunteer Appreciation Party

“Where is the love?” – Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas

The Des Moines Arts Festival and the Greater Des Moines Music Coalition are partnering with VolunteerLocal and the Des Moines Junior Chamber to throw a volunteer appreciation party in downtown Des Moines. Come on down to the Riverwalk Hub at 6pm on Wednesday, July 24th for some good food, good tunes and good old fashioned gratitude! Live music, craft beer and hotdogs – oh, glory!

WHAT: Volunteer Appreciation Party

WHEN: Wednesday, July 24th from 6-10pm

WHERE: The Riverwalk Hub in downtown Des Moines

WHY: We <3 Happy Volunteers

Enjoy the live musical stylings of Smilin’ Otis (from 6-8pm) and The Sheet (from 8-9:35pm) with a hotdog in one hand a craft beer in the other. Please note: this event is NOT exclusive to volunteers-only! Bring your friends, tell your mom!

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Montana Food Bank Network

Order up!

mfnb.org

The Montana Food Bank Network (MFBN) is the only statewide food bank in the country, covering more than 10,000 highway miles per month and serving food to hundreds of thousands of people every year. In 2012, the organization distributed 7.4 million pounds of emergency food to nearly 200 agencies!

Although the MFBN hosts many events year-round, the organization’s crown jewel crowd-pleasure is the Big Sky BBQ, a community cook-out held in conjunction with a local brewery. The Big Sky BBQ has become one of the organization’s largest (and tastiest) fundraisers. “Thousands of people attend every year,” says Katie Lane, Volunteer Coordinator for the Montana Food Bank Network. “It’s a fun mix of delicious BBQ, local beers and live music.”

“With VolunteerLocal, it was easy to set up my event, job descriptions and shifts.  The volunteers were able to sign up at their convenience and all of the information was gathered for me.  VolunteerLocal allowed me to use my time to work on event preparations rather than inputting data into a spreadsheet.  I will absolutely use VolunteerLocal for our future events.”

-Katie Lane, Volunteer Coordinator for the Montana Food Bank Network

mfbn.org

As you might imagine, it takes many volunteers to make this great event happen each summer. This year, the MFBN got a taste of another kind of craft product – a midwest-based volunteer management software. “VolunteerLocal really streamlined the process,” says Lane. “Before [using VolunteerLocal], I had to individually contact hundreds of prospective volunteers and keep a running spreadsheet of their names, shifts, contact info and shirt sizes for each of our major events. It was really cumbersome and time consuming.”

Now, the Montana Food Bank Network can ditch the spreadsheets and sharpie markers, instead focusing on what it does best: eradicating hunger. “We have been feeding hungry Montanans since 1983.” That’s 30 years and counting, MFBN – thanks for bringing VolunteerLocal along for the ride!

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