I have an idea... re: challenges..
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2005-05-03 2:39 PM |
Expert 1274 Jackson, Mississippi | Subject: I have an idea... re: challenges.. I know.. you probably smell something burning due to the wheels in my head turning.. but.... With all of these challenges coming around and the talk of prizes and penalties.. I had this thought earlier today.. What if we continue the challenges.. maybe only one a month.. and choose each month a BTer who is trying to raise money via a program (i.e. Team in Training, Diabetes, Steve-'s Ironman Charity, maybe even BT.com) to benefit from each challenge... To join you must ante up a minimum amount.. say 5 dollars. If you complete your challenge you get a pat on the back.. if you don't meet your challenge.. you pay up another 5 bucks. (or more if you feel compelled) No pressure to compete in the challenges. We can post a Poll the last week of each month to vote on who gets the next benefit and the winner gets to keep track of the logs and post the results. Let me know what yall think about it.. Is $5 too much to enter.. is $10 too steep if you loose?? Any other ideas on how to improve the idea? Any problems with it? Sound off!! will |
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2005-05-03 2:55 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. I think this is a fabulous idea! So much better than all this 'get nekkid and post it' crap. I'll do this for swimming, since I'm not doing another pic. Can't count yardage to save my life so I'll pledge to do more in this month than I've done this year so far (8 hours 3 min). Don't forget my Tour de Cure Diabetes Fundraiser, June 11. |
2005-05-03 3:03 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Elite Veteran 777 flatland | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. I think this is an excellent idea! But... Ron & co are doing so much work on the site right now...adding some kind of interface to track who has put up their ante and how to get the money to the recipient and all like that could be a pretty big technical burden. Just a thought about the timing, but it's a very extraoridinarily cool idea. Unless of course you go with the honor system, since the fundraisers tend to have their own way of collecting money.... Edited by madeye 2005-05-03 3:04 PM |
2005-05-03 3:04 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Expert 957 St. Louis, MO | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. I think it is a great idea. For the run challenge, I had thought about all of the "losers" donating $5 to BT, or commit to upgrade their membership (or become a member...since we all should become members if we aren't already...myself included). |
2005-05-03 3:12 PM in reply to: #152104 |
Expert 1274 Jackson, Mississippi | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. madeye - 2005-05-03 2:03 PM I think this is an excellent idea! But... Ron & co are doing so much work on the site right now...adding some kind of interface to track who has put up their ante and how to get the money to the recipient and all like that could be a pretty big technical burden. Just a thought about the timing, but it's a very extraoridinarily cool idea. No need to worry about that interface.. I could create it if we think we really need it.. but otherwise we could do it on the honor system and the person whos charity benefits from that particular month can be responsible for keeping tabs on the distances and on who has paid.. Oh.. and regarding the dollar amounts.. to make it even MORE interesting.. we can "Play poker" minimum ante $2 .. with a suggested ante of $5 if you loose .. you pay double so if you decide you want to ante up $20 bucks one month.. if you don't make the challenge.. it's $40 to the benefactor.. If we decide in the next day or so and everyone involved in the current challenges agrees to.. we can apply this to those challenges.. otherwise.. i think we should start next month.. anymore thoughts?? will |
2005-05-03 3:14 PM in reply to: #152107 |
Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. I think making that expensive would be prohibitive for lots of people (me included). Small amounts donated x lots of people= a lot of $$$$ |
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2005-05-03 3:19 PM in reply to: #152109 |
Champion 11641 Fairport, NY | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. This is a responsible, selfless, dare I say adult suggestion. It goes agains my nature, but I can get behind it. I agree that there should be no minimum. Some people just don't have a lot to spare and shouldn't be excluded on that basis. And the technical end shouldn't be a problem. Most of these charities have on-line donation capabilities. Edited by marmadaddy 2005-05-03 3:21 PM |
2005-05-03 3:26 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Master 1478 Southwest Chicago 'burbs | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. I really like the idea... but how to choose which charity benefits each month? |
2005-05-03 3:27 PM in reply to: #152109 |
Expert 1274 Jackson, Mississippi | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. kimj81 - 2005-05-03 2:14 PM I think making that expensive would be prohibitive for lots of people (me included). Small amounts donated x lots of people= a lot of $$$$ right.. so a $2 minimum with a $4 maximum cost per month.. the $20/$40 example was for Mr. Money Bags who is feeling generous.. or i guess there isn't anything wrong with saying bring whatever you got and have a suggested donation.. |
2005-05-03 3:28 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Extreme Veteran 572 Seattle, WA | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. I think this is a wonderful idea. I am an EXTREMELY poor grad student, so having no minimum would be great please! I always give to charities what I can and this is a great way to do it! |
2005-05-03 3:30 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Expert 1274 Jackson, Mississippi | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. waskelton - 2005-05-03 1:39 PM We can post a Poll the last week of each month to vote on who gets the next benefit and the winner gets to keep track of the logs and post the results. I guess we'll start a thread for nominations and anyone who is raising money who would like to be in the poll can post why they should be picked.. once you are chosen your name gets removed from the poll until everyone that was in the pool gets picked.. and we start over.. did that make sense?? |
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2005-05-03 3:31 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Member 202 Salt Lake City, UT | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. This is a wonderful idea!!! I would definitely support it. |
2005-05-03 4:22 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. Can I steal your idea for the bike challenge this month? Some proposed rules/ideas:
What else? Edited by the bear 2005-05-03 4:40 PM |
2005-05-03 4:27 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Buttercup 14334 | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. Geez... I'm in these challenges for puerile reasons. If we have to get all high-minded, I guess I can pony up some funds for good cause. |
2005-05-03 4:37 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Champion 5183 Wisconsin | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. great idea, I am in, glad someone is figgering out details, bc it sounds like a nightmare to track... |
2005-05-03 4:42 PM in reply to: #152148 |
Master 1359 South of SLC | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. No offense, but I think we should start with a charity designated by either the bear or Kim because of the work they put into this idea in the beginning. I would even suggest that the bear get a little something each month -- even a gift certificate -- because of the time required for tracking. Go ahead and flame me now people. Mike |
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2005-05-03 4:49 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Expert 1013 White House, TN | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. Generally, a very humanitarian idea. However, there are a couple of problems that I see: 1. How does the "winner" get paid? Would the chosen charity get a check directly? Does it go to an individual? Is it a check in the mail? Is it via PayPal? Is it via the "winner's" charitable contribution link in his/ her signature? And, the great biggie: How does the "donor" know that the money is received and used for what it was promoted as? (Man, I really hate to be the bummer of realism/ cynicism here, I really do, but I've just been burned a couple of times.) 2. As someone hinted at, Ron and Company are working hard to offer what some of us (myself included) are still using for free. (BTW, Don't try to guilt me into upgrading; I'm better at guilting myself than you are . I will upgrade, soon, I promise.) The point is, I would feel pretty weird seeing a bunch of cheap-o's (myself included, at this time) sending $$$ to charities through a vehicle that is used for free. Just an ethical dilemma that I have, I guess. Call it an over-active conscience. I guess what I am saying is that this should really have Ron's stamp of approval before it get's implemented. These are the problems that I have with the system as proposed and I'm not even sure that they can be solved. Maybe someone can develop a whizz-bang idea to overcome them. |
2005-05-03 5:55 PM in reply to: #152168 |
Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. Well, Hawkeye, here are some solutions to the questions you pose... Problem #1: most of us who are doing fundraising have a website that is through active.com or the fundraiser itself.... for instance: http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=2338&px=2224793. That's pretty legit, I think. Problem #2: Become a damn Performance Member already. Worth every penny. |
2005-05-03 5:57 PM in reply to: #152161 |
Pro 5153 Helena, MT | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. Rollin' Thunder - 2005-05-03 2:42 PMNo offense, but I think we should start with a charity designated by either the bear or Kim because of the work they put into this idea in the beginning. Great idea. How about my fundraiser? |
2005-05-03 6:10 PM in reply to: #152161 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. Rollin' Thunder - 2005-05-03 3:42 PM No offense, but I think we should start with a charity designated by either the bear or Kim because of the work they put into this idea in the beginning. I would even suggest that the bear get a little something each month -- even a gift certificate -- because of the time required for tracking. Go ahead and flame me now people. Mike I would refuse, because it's not really that much work and offers a lot of intrinsic rewards, but yeah, I would have no problem designating Kim's Diabetes ride as the charity of choice for May. That's where I was going to cast my |
2005-05-03 6:30 PM in reply to: #152148 |
Expert 1274 Jackson, Mississippi | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. the bear - 2005-05-03 3:22 PM Can I steal your idea for the bike challenge this month? Some proposed rules/ideas:
What else? Oh.. there is another bike challenge??? and NO.. NO STEALING.. but you certianly may borrow it so by these rules.. you pay $2 min to join the challenge (more if you want).. and then you make a "bet" that you'll meet your goal?? such as.. "I'm in.. I'll pledge $5 to start.. and I bet $15 bucks I'll ride 200 miles by the end of may!!" and at the end of may if i DO complete my goal.. then I pay $5 and get 200 votes for the charity to receive the pool of money, and if i ride less than 200 miles i pay $20 total dollars and get no vote..? that sounds fine to me.. But I would like to share the wealth for everyone trying to earn money.. or at least make a plea for the high riders to help do so.. Hawkeye, I didn't plan on having any money really go anywhere except directly between the challenger and the charity... (i think kim may have addressed this) also.. I'll be glad to write a program that tracks the miles/yards and money pledged/owned.. Only thing is it won't be able to interface directly with this board and will need to have the numbers pulled from logs and plugged into it.. Shall I start a thread where charities can put their names in the hat to be chosen? ws |
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2005-05-03 6:42 PM in reply to: #152218 |
Resident Curmudgeon 25290 The Road Back | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. What do you mean " But I would like to share the wealth for everyone trying to earn money.. or at least make a plea for the high riders to help do so.."? I think we should pick one charity for it all to go to, either by vote (I suggested 1 vote per every mile ridden) or by designation (Kim's diabetes ride), mainly because $2 times the number of participants should equal a decent sum, but $2 times the number of participants divided by X number of charities won't be very significant. Also, my suggestion was the $2 be the minimum "bet" as you put it, with no fee "to join the challenge" Don't think we need a program, I can track this with a simple spreadsheet. Edited by the bear 2005-05-03 6:45 PM |
2005-05-03 7:38 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Coach 9167 Stairway to Seven | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. I think we should pick one charity per c hallange. Each person who has a charity can nomiante themselves, then we can create a poll with a limited time for voting to pick the next charity. names get removed as they are picked. pay ment has to be via the honor system from the donor directly to the charity. |
2005-05-03 8:56 PM in reply to: #152092 |
Master 1927 Chicago | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. Hey guys, Found this thread. Was just talking about this in chat the other day. Ron and I are discussing putting a special section on the home page or someplace on the site for people to donate to charities that triathletes are raising funds for. Some caveats though: I am worried about liability to B.T. Let's say Triathlete A wants to raise funds for Charity. He uses B.T.com website by using the training logs, forums etc. to raise his money. He gets other people to sign on by using the forum but he turns out not to be legit. People who give could sue Triathlete A and B.T.com. (Not that you guys would but that's possible). Also, don't know if this is true but, the challenge idea could be called "betting," by some. Even though we're not doing Bingo or anything some good lawyer could construe it as such. Betting on sports performances etc. Even if the money is going to charity we'd have to make absolutely sure that it does. The best way to avoid this or to minimize the liability is to a). have B.T.com not involved at all and have no knowledge of it. (sucky option) or b). let B.T.com set it up, including disclaimmer, liability language etc. To do this we'd have to do it through the Performance Members Page because it costs money and that's where the money comes from. By doing it that way we could self-select out any possible posers cause you have to pay to play anyway. You wouldn't have to be a performance member to donate but you would have to be one to get money - that way Ron and I can check out websites, links, causes etc., to make sure they're legit and we can COA (Cover Our A$$) legally. There's nothing wrong with an individual asking for money but when you make it a process, a procedure and involve a group the stakes change. How you determine as individuals or a group what you donate (conscience, challenges etc) is up to you and wouldn't be confused with betting or games of chance whatever. I'd of course have to talk to Ron about this but I think this is the best way to do it. That way ANYBODY could donate whether they're in the challenge or not, we could have a high profile space on the site and we could have approved charities all checked out and legit earning valuable money for research etc. I think this is a FABULOUS idea and it's something I've been trying to figure out how to do legally, and with minimal liability to B.T.com. What do you all think? |
2005-05-03 10:30 PM in reply to: #152283 |
Expert 936 Westchester County NY | Subject: RE: I have an idea... re: challenges.. Most of us who are doing charity events have a online donation page. So to make sure that the pot goes to the designated charity, it would have to be sent via the online donation page. The only problem I see with that is that there are processing fees involved with each online transaction. I get full credit for the donation, but someone is absorbing the cost of the transaction fee. It would stink to have all these fees for 100 $4.00 donations. Some how all these donations would have to be accumulated and sent at once. |
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