With goals of tripling the number of charity runners and more than doubling the money raised for charity at TCM events by 2028, Twin Cities In Motion knows it will take the whole community to make the Raise the Community Pace initiative a success: local nonprofits, charity runners, donors, and TCM itself.
But, according to four community leaders whose nonprofits activate with charity teams on Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend, TCM’s ambitious charity goals are a welcome first step for helping causes like theirs navigate a changing fundraising environment and maximize the supportive power of marathon weekend.
“We’re excited about how the Raise the Community Pace aspects will help us build on our success from 2024,” Maureen Martin of YMCA of the North told The Connection. “The earlier 10 mile registration and lower entry fees will make it easier for more people in our community to get involved, while the additional event options and increased commitment to the Charity Program provide great opportunities to expand our reach and fundraising efforts.”
The initial features of Twin Cities In Motion’s initiative are taking effect now, as nonprofits register Charity Teams for the 2025 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend. They’re finding lower prices for their race entries and, thanks to the Medtronic TC 10 Mile moving to rush registration that opens on March 4 with the rest of marathon weekend, more time to recruit runners and for those runners to engage potential donors.
Twin Cities In Motion will also open the TC Half Marathon for More, marathon weekend’s charity-focused distance, to 400 runners – double the number in last year’s inaugural race -- with 150 entries dedicated to Charity Teams. (The remaining entries support TCM’s own nonprofit mission.) All three Sunday races of marathon weekend will offer enhanced fundraising opportunities for charities.
These fundraising opportunities on marathon weekend are crucial to the nonprofit community.
“Revenue from our peer-to-peer fundraising program accounts for just over a third of our organization’s operating budget,” Rebecca Lange of Mile in My Shoes noted. “Twin Cities Marathon Weekend continues to be a significant part of that. Approximately 10 percent of our revenue in 2024 came from TCM FundRacing and sales during the TCM Expo.”
TCM’s efforts should help mitigate some of the challenges nonprofits face as they seek funding and donors.
“Fundraising for nonprofits is constantly evolving, and while new opportunities exist to connect with donors, there are also significant challenges,” Brittany Murnan of Ruff Start Rescue explained. “Economic uncertainty remains a major factor, as inflation and financial instability make donors more cautious about their giving, often resulting in fewer or smaller donations.”
“Additionally, the competition for funding is higher than ever, with countless nonprofits competing for grants, sponsorships, and individual contributions,” Brittany continued. “Donor fatigue is also a growing concern, as people are frequently asked to give, making it increasingly difficult to sustain engagement and long-term support.”
The American Cancer Society’s Jessica Bloodgood, noting similar concerns, also saw reasons for optimism.
“In many ways, fundraising is easier these days thanks to online tools that make it easier than ever to solicit donations,” she noted. “[American Cancer Society] participants have the option to connect their ACS fundraising page directly to Facebook Fundraiser and can also connect to our mobile FUNdraising app to collect donations and even electronically deposit checks directly to their fundraiser.
The success of the 50+ official fundraising charities on marathon weekend and TCM’s Raise the Community Pace initiative will ultimately depend on runners choosing to dedicate their marathon weekend races to a charity cause.
“In order to meet our Raise the Community Pace goals, we’ll be asking our runners to step forward and seriously consider using their Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend races in 2025 and beyond to run on a fundraising team,” Twin Cities In Motion President Dean Orton said. “We see fundraising running as another example of our organization’s Move for More ethos.”
Consider Running for a Charity Team!
Learn more about running for charity on the Charity Program page. New charity teams are enrolling in the program regularly!
Find more information about TCM’s Raise the Community Pace initiative here.