5K Training + St. Jude Fundraising

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Last month, I set a goal to run a 5K without stopping. It may seem difficult for some, and others may think it’s easy breezy to achieve. But for me? It was the perfect goal. (That’s the thing about goals — they shouldn’t be about anyone else but you!)

I had been hitting the roads almost everyday since the beginning of summer. I started out walking and getting in the habit of moving my body every morning. And now? It was time to take it up a notch. At the beginning of September, I ran for as long as I could without stopping to set my 5K training baseline. I barely made it to 1 mile without stopping. But each day, each week, I kept training. I would get faster and I would go longer.

I remember sitting on the couch a week before the race and thinking, “Ashley, your running is impressive! But girl, your fundraising is lacking…you’ve got to do something more.”

You see, I had been so focused on the training for the 5K that I didn’t focus much on raising money for the cause. The cause? It was for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude is a cause near and dear to my heart <3

In college, I was in ESA, a service sorority at Ball State. One of our three philanthropies was St. Jude. We did a lot for the hospital over the years! And then toward the end of my Junior Year of College, I was actually asked to become the Executive Director for Up ‘til Dawn. A new organization on campus that would host a fundraising event, specifically for St. Jude.

That summer before Senior Year began, St. Jude flew me down to Memphis for a leadership conference, to tour the hospital and also do a mock run of the new event. In the past, the event had been a letter writing campaign. But that became boring and outdated. Now, though, it would be a series of challenges where you would get texts throughout the night on where to go and what to do. Essentially, a huge scavenger hunt…which was right up my alley! We raised a record breaking amount that year and far surpassed our letter writing totals out of the water. It was incredible!

So here I was, sitting on my couch, thinking….what could I do?

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For those of you who aren’t aware, my day job is working with a company that helps nonprofits with their fundraising events. One of the features we offer organizations is what we call a Heart Crawler. Essentially, it’s a tool they can use the night of the event to help raise donations. Groups will set a goal (say $10,000) and then as people donate, the heart will fill and the names of the donors will scroll on the right of the screen. Every single time it’s used, it’s incredible seeing how people respond to it. The response? People LOVE to see their name on the big screen.

I thought….that’s what I’m going to do! In my own way! Only for me, the “heart crawler” would be a blank shirt. And as people donate, I would write their name on my shirt! That Sunday after church, I went to the Old Navy in the outlet mall and bought a light pink, purple-ish tank top. I just needed a couple fabric markers, and then I would be good to go!

What happened next is far bigger than anything I could have dreamed….


I started talking about my goal. People started donating. I first set the goal was for $100. Very quickly, that goal was reached. I set a bigger goal. We met that one! And then a bigger goal. And we met that one! Until finally, I knew we could get to $1,000. Justin thought I was crazy dreaming that audaciously, but I KNEW it was feasible.

Together, we raised $1,020 for the kids and families of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital! And on that morning of the race, I wore my shirt proudly, knowing that 61 people would be running “with” me as we finished 3.1 miles together (WITHOUT STOPPING) <3

Fundraising 101

If you have a cause you’re raising money for, here’s some tips I have for ya!

  1. Make this Bigger than You — Invite Others to Participate!
    You are only one person and can only do so much. Get others involved! If you never ask, you’ll never know.

  2. Add Your Own Personal Touch
    I tied my fundraising efforts to the 5K I was training for and back to my love for St. Jude / the work I did with this incredible organization while in college. Make sure people know why it’s close to your heart! People want to see you succeed and reach your goals, especially when they see why it’s so close to your heart.

  3. Ask. Ask. Ask.
    I used to think people would be bothered by the fact that I would keep asking, or they thought I was super needy. What I’ve learned though, is every time you ask, you make an impression. Make a final call. And then, make your FINAL final call before time is up!

  4. Keep Your People Involved
    Update them on your progress! Talk to them! Keep them in the loop of where you’re at. It makes it so much more than you!

  5. Set a Goal. Reach it? Set a bigger Goal.
    Don’t stop just because you reach one #. Keep going until you’ve exasperated all of your resources!

  6. THANK your Donors!
    Send them a special message soon after they donate! Give special shoutouts during your fundraising campaign! Thank them after the event! It’s never too late to say ‘Thank You!’”