Peloton4Parkinson’s raised 29% more at annual event with GoFundMe Pro’s Live Events
Mission
To increase support and awareness of Parkinson’s and raise funds on behalf of the Michael J. Fox Foundation
Challenge
Host a fundraising event in honor of the founder’s mother to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease
Solution
An annual day-long spin ride event that utilizes Live Events for in-person and virtual attendees
“With GoFundMe Pro, I can go from an idea to a live donation page in five minutes.”
– Eric Tostrud, Founder and President
2023 event results with Live Events:
14.4%
raised above the goal
235
attendees
29%
YoY increase in dollars raised
Peloton4Parkinson’s started as a tribute to the founder’s mother, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease after leading a healthy and active life. Founder, Eric Tostrud, transformed the frustration and anger he felt into a movement, raising funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation to find a cure for the disease.
A fundraising tool to suit its growing needs
For the past eight years, Peloton4Parkinson’s has hosted an annual ride where supporters can join in person, biking a half day or a full day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., or virtually where the ride is live-streamed.
The event started in 2016 in the founder’s garage as a spin fundraiser with a few friends and has consistently outgrown its space each year since. After 2022’s event, the Peloton4Parkinson’s team realized they needed a more sophisticated tool to facilitate the event and year-round fundraising efforts. That’s when they found GoFundMe Pro.
Peloton4Parkinson’s utilized Live Events, GoFundMe Pro’s events software, to scale its hybrid event.
- Registration for the in-person and virtual ride
- Live streaming for virtual attendees
- Fundraising thermometer for supporters to see how much money has been raised at any given time during the event
- A silent auction where supporters can bid in real-time on almost 100 items
Utilizing GoFundMe Pro features made thousands of dollars difference. I couldn’t be happier about it.
The 2023 Ride for Peloton4Parkinson’s raised 14.4% above its goal from 890 unique donors. GoFundMe Pro’s 2023 State of Modern Philanthropy report showed 91% of event attendees are more likely to take further action with a nonprofit after a positive event experience. With Live Events paving the way for seamless event involvement, Peleton4Parkinson’s is hopeful its supporters will continue to ride and raise until there’s a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
