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Wilmington, DE 19801
USA

The Delaware Charity Challenge is a unique fundraising and athletic competition designed to give organizations, families, and individuals a fun way to raise money and awareness for their favorite causes. Teams that enter may designate any charity they want as a beneficiary of funds they raise as a team. Part of the proceeds from the race registrations and the race sponsorships will go into a prize pool that will be distributed among the charities that raise the most money and to the charities of the teams that win the individual race events on the day of the Delaware Charity Challenge.  

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Frequently Asked Questions

The First Annual Delaware Charity Challenge will take place Saturday, May 2, 2015 at Lums Pond State Park in Bear, Delaware.

Questions and Answers About the Delaware Charity Challenge



  • Where and when will the race be held?  

    • The Fifth Annual Delaware Charity Challenge Race to First 5K and Adventure Challenge Relay will be held Saturday, May 4, 2019. The event will be at Lums Pond State Park in Bear, Delaware.

  • My friends and I want to form a team and designate ABC charity. What do I need to do?

  • How many races are there going to be that day?

    • There will be multiple 5K divisions competing that morning in addition to the Adventure Challenge Relay, which is a separate event. For the 5K, there will be a competitive men's team 5K race, a competitive women's team 5K race, a competitive co-ed team race, and a fun run/walk. There will also be the Adventure Challenge Team Relay, which will consist of members of your team competing in various individual and team events. More on the Adventure Challenge Team Relay can be found here.

    • Depending on the size of the field, and to keep things moving that morning, the team races may start at staggered intervals (e.g., the women's race may start 5 minutes after the men's race). The schedule for that morning will be finalized and posted online in the spring ahead of the race. We anticipate that the first of the 5K races will start at 9 a.m.

  • How many people can I have on a team?  

    • There is no limit to your team size. For scoring purposes, only five people on your team can score in any one of the competitive 5K races (men's, women's, co-ed). If you have more than five runners in those races, up to two may act as scoring displacers against the other teams in the race. 

    • Large groups or organizations can have multiple teams and distribute them as desired. For example, Company 123 wants to put 25 of its employees in the race. It can put one team of 5 men in the men's race (Company 123 Men's Team 1), a second team of 4 men in the men's race (Company 123 Men's Team 2), 5 women in the women's race (Company 123 Women's Team 1), 6 runners (3 men and 3 women) in the co-ed race (Company 123 Co-Ed Team 1), and the remaining 5 members on team in the fun/run walk (Company 123 Fun Run/Walk Team 1). Or they could put all 25 runners in the fun run/walk. We will be confirming team members and race categories with the team captains ahead of the race to ensure that a team is properly seeded however they want.

    • For organizations planning to have multiple teams (and perhaps, as illustrated below, multiple charities as beneficiaries), it may be easier to designate team captains to coordinate the registration process for individual team members.

  • What about the co-ed team? What is the ratio of women/men on a team?

    • For scoring purposes, you need five team members (at least 2 men and at least 2 women on the team). If your team is larger, that is fine. The first five people (at least the first two men and the first two women) who cross the line will score for your team.

  • Can my team compete in more than one race division?

    • Yes, if you have enough runners, you can field additional squads to compete in different race categories. Up to 7 per squad can compete in any one of the competitive races. 

  • How many people can compete on the Adventure Challenge Relay?

    • There are two divisions in the 2018 Adventure Challenge Relay - a pairs division (where each teammate do everything) and a team division (6 members) where the team divides out the competition as desired (some events require full team participation). For example, all team members will compete in the puzzle challenge, although it is recommended that one or two members take the lead in this final event. 

  • Is there a cut-off to form a team?

    • Yes. Teams must be formed and online registration completed 7 days in advance of the race in order to give us enough time to program all of the chips for the race properly. Teams can continue to fundraise for their charity after this time.

  • Will there be a kids race or any activities for kids that day?

    • Kids can run or walk and we will try and recognize the fastest under 13 if there is enough runners. In addition, there will be other activities for children throughout that morning. 

  • I see there are four [banks, schools, law firms, accounting firms, specific types of charities, etc.] with teams. Will there be a separate race/winner for these organizations or categories?

    • If there is enough interest, we can do it. We would love to have enough different organizations in the race such that we can break down the individual races into different sub-races (which is easy to do with the computer chip technology all of the runners will wear on their racing bibs). If there is a will (and a sponsor), there is a way.

  • How does team-based scoring work?

    • Scoring will be based on where team members finish in the race. For those of you who ran cross-country in high school or college, scoring will be very similar to how those meets are scored. To be counted in the scoring aspect of the competition, team members will need at least 4 runners (up to 7 can run). If Company 123 Women's Team 1's five team members finished 1, 15, 34, 48, and 49, their score would be 98 (1+15+34+48). Low team score wins.

    • While only 4 runners will score, the other three will act as "displacers."  In the example above, the person who finished in 49th place would not be counted toward their point total, but would act to take 49th place away from another team. So if Company ABC's Women's team finished 2, 10, 37, 50, and 52, their score would be 151 (2+10+37+50+52), even though the person from Company 123's team who finished 49th did not factor into Company 123's scoring.

    • If this is difficult to understand, do not fret. Runners will have computer chips in their race bibs, which will calculate all of this for everyone automatically and we should have the scoring finished in short order after the final runner crosses the finish line.

  • What are "displacers"?

    • A displacer is a runner who is on your team but does not count toward your team's scoring total. Because only four runners score but team sizes in the competitive 5K races are limited to 7 members, the other three runners act as displacers. As shown by the example above, these runners take finishing positions away from other teams and are important members of your team. The displacers are determined solely by the finish order on any one team (i.e., you will not know for sure who they are in advance of the race).

  • Is there going to be an age category breakdown?

    • Yes, but at this point there will only be one winning team in each race. At this time, however, the charity prize pool prize will be awarded to only the overall winning team of that race. 

  • Can I volunteer that day?

    • Sure! We anticipate having a lot of volunteers and can always use more. Please contact us if you want to volunteer or have a group of volunteers and we will be sure to put you to work at the race.

  • I've formed a team. How do I choose the non-profit beneficiary of my team?

    • Once you have registered your team our registration page, it will automatically take you to the Delaware Charity Challenge CrowdRise page to form your fundraising team. On CrowdRise, you can select the nonprofit beneficiary for which you would like to focus your team's fundraising efforts. You may choose from over 1.5 million charities. The charities on CrowdRise are US-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, which are provided by a third party service called Guidestar, which collects the charity's information from the IRS. You should be able to find the charity by searching for their name or EIN number (which should be found on the charity's website or by a quick Google search). If you are having issues, please contact us.

  • When someone donates to my team (and thus to the charity our team has chosen), is this donation tax deductible?

    • Yes. Your donation to a US-Based 501(c)3 charitable organization through CrowdRise is 100% tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. CrowdRise will email you a receipt that meets all IRS requirements for a record of your donation.  If you are asked to provide a paper receipt for IRS purposes, please print out a copy of your email receipt. If you lose your receipt, email quintas@crowdrise.com and CrowdRise will send you a duplicate. Be sure to include your first and last name and the email address you used to make the donation. 

  • Does the amount of money my team raises go into the prize pool?

    • No. The amount of money your team raises goes directly to the charity less the administration and credit card processing fees outlined below. The prize pool is generated from a portion of the race registration fees and the race sponsorship fees.  

  • Is my donation secure?

    • Yes. CrowdRise processes donations through Network for Good and WePay. Neither WePay nor Network for Good are affiliated with CrowdRise. Both are PCI Level 1 Compliant and they offer best in class security. WePay and Network for Good use industry-leading Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. WePay, based in Palo Alto, CA processes transactions for over 250,000 merchants. Network for Good is a Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance accredited charity that meets all of the BBB standards for charity accountability. They have processed more than $500 million in donations for 50,000 charities through their giving system.

  • Will I need a CrowdRise account to make a donation?

    • No. But you are certainly free to do so. You will need to create a CrowdRise account to create or join a team fundraising page.

  • Can the donations be anonymous?

    • Yes. When you're ready to make a donation, click the "DONATE" button on the team page and then select the "Don't Show My Name on the Campaign Page" checkbox. Your donation will show up on the CrowdRise website under the name "Anonymous." Your information is shared with the fundraiser, charity and/or event organizer but is hidden from the public campaign page. You can also choose to hide your donation amount by clicking the "Hide Amount" checkbox.  

  • Can I donate to my own team?

    • We highly recommend that you make a donation to your own Fundraiser. The reason is that when your friends see that you're investing your time, and also your money to the cause you care about, they'll be encouraged to donate, too. To donate to your own fundraiser, simply go to your own Fundraising page, and click the big "Donate" button. 

  • What is CrowdRise?

  • How much is the charity getting from my donation?

    • There are administrative processing fees charged by CrowdRise, Network for Good, WePay, and the credit card companies for every donation made on CrowdRise ("Transaction Fees"). In February 2016, CrowdRise changed their fee structure to guarantee that the nonprofit beneficiaries get at least 95% of the donation for their free "Fiver" plan, which the Delaware Charity Challenge uses. Read about that plan here. Under this structure, the fees charged by Crowdrise and Network for Good equal 6.8% + 2.9% + 0.30 per transaction, and the net amount the nonprofit receives is the sum of the donation, these fees, and any fees the donors paid). With the Fiver plan, however, CrowdRise guarantees that the check that is ultimately sent to the nonprofit will carry an effective credit card rate no higher than 5% (so that the nonprofit gets 95 cents for every dollar donated). Crowdrise does this because most donors opt to pay the transaction fees when they donate. Based on our conversations with different nonprofits who have participated, many nonprofits receive better than this effective rate and have been pretty happy with the event.

    • For individual donations of $1,000 or more, CrowdRise does not make the same guarantee and charges a rate of 6.8% + 2.9% + 0.30 per transaction. Donors still have the option of paying some or all of those transaction fees, and the nonprofit will receive an amount that reflects any transaction fees paid by donors.

    • Although there are competing schools of thought on measuring efficiency like this, it should be noted that CharityWatch (formerly the American Institute of Philanthropy) considers an efficiency ratio of 65% (or 35 cents to raise a dollar) reasonable for most charities. Thus, the fact that the charities are getting 88-95 cents on the dollar through the Crowdrise fundraising mechanism (an 88-95% efficiency ratio) is pretty good.

  • Can donors choose to pay for these transaction fees (and thus the charity would get 100% of the donation)?

    • Yes. As a default, CrowdRise will ask donors to leave an Optional Processing Fee, which is used to keep the overall transaction fees to charities as low as possible. The Optional Processing Fee defaults to 10% and the donor can adjust it at their discretion before completing their donation. The Optional Processing Fee helps cover the charities' and CrowdRise's costs, including its overhead, security measures, and other business expenses.  Processing Fees charged through Network for Good are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law and will show up on donors' credit card under the name Network for Good. Put in real terms, if someone makes a $100 donation, and pays the $10 transaction fee, they will get a charge of $110 on their card. In that scenario, the charity would get $100 of the $110 transaction (as compared to getting the $100 less the if they did not pay the optional processing fee). In either case, the charity is getting a significant portion of the donation.

  • How does the charity get the donations?

    • Generally, the organization will receive its donations through Network for Good (or WePay), and  the check is sent to the address that the Charity has on file with GuideStar. Both Network for Good and WePay are PCI Level 1 Compliant (the best security system available) and offer best in class security and service. Charities that receive payments through Network for Good are sent payments on the 15th of each month, and that amount will include all donations made in the previous month. For example, donations processed in October will be paid on November 15th. Charities will receive their payments less the Transaction Fee. Neither WePay nor Network for Good is affiliated with CrowdRise. And regardless of which payment processor is used, charities will be responsible for taxes based on their net income or gross receipts. These payment schedules are subject to change at any time at the sole discretion of CrowdRise. 

  • What information will the nonprofit receive about the donation?

    • Charities will have access to the following information when someone donates to their charity through CrowdRise's team fundraising page: name, email, physical address, amount of donation, the date/time the donation occurred and the CrowdRise fundraiser that generated the donation should the donation have come through a CrowdRise fundraiser. We also notifies the nonprofit that they have been designated by a team as part of the Delaware Charity Challenge.

  • I can't find my charity on the list. Can you help?

  • Our team selected the wrong charity, can we change it?

    • Yes, although if funds have already been donated to the charity you selected, those will not be able to be redirected to the second charity. We strongly suggest you check and double check to make sure you have selected the correct charity for your team.

  • I see another team has selected the same charity. How does that work?

    • Each team can select their own charity, and we have had more than one team select the same charity. The charity will receive the money raised regardless of the team that raises the funds.

    • For competition purposes, only the top 3 fundraising teams will win additional prize money for their designated charity. In addition, there may be other intermediate fundraising challenges where a team's charity may receive additional marketing exposure and prize money.

  • Someone sent a check directly to our charity. Can that count toward our charity's total?

    • Yes, but only if the memo line of the check (or accompanying letter) makes reference to the Delaware Charity Challenge. If this happens, please contact us and we will be happy to manually adjust the leaderboard to reflect this donation.

  • Where and when will the Winter Indoor Triathlon be held?

    • The Third Annual Delaware Charity Challenge Winter Indoor Triathlon will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2018 at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware. We've been fortunate with weather and hope 2018 has spring-like conditions. We keep all registered participants informed fairly regularly as the event gets closer.

  • What events are going to take place at the Winter Indoor Triathlon?

    • The Winter Indoor Triathlon is a a run, row, bike triathlon. Each event will be timed on machines (treadmill, spin bike, erg/rowing machine). Triathletes will race 15 minutes per machine and distance will be recorded, aggregated, and the combined distance will determine the winners in each category.

    • The Winter Indoor Triathlon will be split into three overall categories: (1) Medley Team Triathlon, (2) Run, Row, Bike Team Triathlon, and (3) Run, Row, Bike Individual Triathlon. Each of the team triathlon categories will have four subdivisions: (a) Women, (b) Men, (c) Co-Ed 1 (2 women, 1 man), and (d) Co-Ed 2 (2 men, 1 woman). The individual triathlon will have two subdivisions: (a) Women's and (b) Men. Teams for the Medley and Run, Row Bike Triathlons will consist of 3 people. An organization can have more than one triathlon squad and have squads separately compete in multiple divisions. 

    • For the Medley Team Triathlon, each team member will compete in one (1) event and teams are free to decide which event a teammate should compete in. On the day of the triathlon, teams can choose to have all three members start at the same time or have one go at a time. Because the longest workout for any of the medley team members will be 15 minutes, we have adjusted the price for the Medley Team Triathlon accordingly.

    • For the Run, Row, Bike Team Triathlon, each team member will compete in all three events and each member will be competing concurrently with the others (each event will take 15 minutes with a 5 minute break in between). The total workout time including the transition time (5 minutes) will be 60 minutes. Some competitors will start on the bike first, others will start on the treadmill first, and others will start on the erg first. In the end, winners are determined by the combined distance covered on the three machines.

    • For the Run, Row, Bike Individual Triathlon, each competitor will compete in all three events. The total workout time including the transition time (5 minutes) will be 60 minutes. Some competitors will start on the bike first, others will start on the treadmill first, and others will start on the erg first. In the end, winners are determined by the combined distance covered on the three machines.

    • There will be a separate prize for the overall male and female that covers the farthest distance in the three events. These winners will be drawn from both the Run, Row, Bike Team Triathlon and from the Run, Row, Bike Triathlon.

  • How long is the triathlon?

    • Each event will be timed for 15 minutes, with a 5 minute transition between machines, so the longest a team will compete in their chosen competition will be 60 minutes. A Medley Team could be done in as fast as 15-20 minutes if all three competitors want to start their machine at the same time.  Most competitors in the Medley opt to cheer their teammates on as they go.

  • How many people can be on my team?

    • A team (or organization) can have as many squads as they would like. A triathlon squad (whether in the Medley or in the Run, Row, Bike Triathlon) is made up of 3 members. We can work with organizations to set up their teams (or team fundraising pages) however they want, and we encourage creativity and competitiveness across divisions, offices, branches, or campuses.

  • What do I get with my registration fee?

    • Your registration fee covers your triathlon participation cost and admission to the Pursuit of Health & Wellness Expo that will be running concurrently with the Delaware Charity Challenge events. Each competitor receives some swag as part of the event. As with other Delaware Charity Challenge events, 10% of race registration fees will go to the prize pool that is awarded to the charities selected by the teams that raise the most money. We expect that many of the vendors at the Pursuit of Health & Wellness Expo will have cool giveaway items as well. One or more local restaurants or venues typically offer discounts for triathletes that weekend and we post those specials as we receive them.

  • Is there an age cutoff for the indoor triathlon?

    • No. Those under 18 may participate in either the Medley or Run, Row, Bike Triathlons with parent permission (all participants must sign a waiver). We are offering a discount for kids under 12 who wish to participate in the medley triathlon and anticipate that most children that would want to participate will want to participate in that event only (because it is only a 15 minute workout). Anyone under 18 can participate in the Run, Row, Bike Triathlon as an individual or a team member. There is no discount for children in that event because the distance and machines will be the same as those used by the adults. If there are changes to this (such as, for example, if we get enough kids teams to form a kids division), we will post them to the website. 

    • We anticipate having a fun kids scooter race for all age appropriate competitors.

  • When does the Winter Race to Raise Fundraising Challenge start?

    • The 2017 Winter Race to Raise is expected to run from October 1, 2017 and it will end at midnight on January 5, 2018. Teams will be free to continue using their team fundraising pages to raise money until January 31, 2018. 

  • How does my team select a charity?

    • Team captains can designate a charity as part of the online registration process. After you complete your registration, you will be automatically taken to CrowdRise where your team fundraising page will be created and you can select your team's beneficiary (you will need to create a CrowdRise account if you do not already have one). If you have trouble finding the charity, please let us know and we can help.

  • How many triathletes do you expect will compete?

    • We had more than 100 register to compete in the first year and nearly 150 register to compete in the second year. We can accommodate a lot more, and will add additional time slots or machines as demand necessitates.

  • Can our team compete in both the Spring 5K or Adventure Challenge Relay and the Winter Indoor Triathlon?

    • Yes. Both events have Race to Raise Fundraising Challenge associated with them, so teams participating in both should consider whether it makes sense to participate in one or the other or both, and if both, an appropriate fundraising strategy.

  • How is the Scooter Race Challenge going to work?

    • All teams (regardless of whether they have one or more triathlon teams competing in the indoor triathlon) will be eligible to have one representative compete in the Scooter Race Challenge. The Scooter Race Challenge is expected to have at least four divisions, which will be divided into the types of organizations that are participating in the Winter Indoor Triathlon (e.g., a nonprofit division, a family division, a business division, bank division, college division, etc.). Each division will be set into heats (e.g., 4 scooter racers per heat). Competitors will race in a 50 yard dash on a scooter (foot powered) and the winning competitor in each heat will advance to a semi-final or final race. Within each heat, one competitor will get a 1 or 2 yard advantage (which could be significant in a 50 yard race). The person that gets this advantage will be based on that team's finishing position in the Race to Raise Fundraising Challenge and will be relative to the other competitors in each heat. Thus, a person who gets the advantage in one heat may not get the advantage in the next heat depending on how much those person's teams raised. We hope that this particular challenge will help spur on teams to raise more money for their charity.

    • We also encourage fun side-bets among competitors in the heat. For example, let's say we had a college division with, for example, four different colleges represented. We will encourage these teams to have the face or leader of the organization be the person who represents that organization in the scooter race, so let's say the four college presidents are the scooter racers. Only one will win the race, and only one will have the initial advantage based on how much their teams raise. A fun side bet would be that the losing three college presidents would have to wear the winning college president's college jersey or hat or something like that and be photographed with the winners. The Delaware Charity Challenge will be happy to help promote these types of competitive contests and hopes that the race will help your organization raise lots of money for its selected charity/nonprofit.

  • Is there a cost to participate in the scooter race?

    • No. Each team will get one entry in the scooter race as part of its registration. We hope that all teams that participate in the triathlon will also participate in the scooter race.

  • What time will the triathlon start?

    • The Medley Triathlon and Team and Individual Run, Row, Bike Triathlon divisions typically start at 8 a.m. and run throughout the day. As part of registration, teams will select their top 3 preferred timeslot to compete and we will do our best to accommodate everyone's top preferences (and there will be a priority based on registration date). The scooter race will probably take place around 11 a.m. that Saturday. Should there be enough interest, we will consider adding Friday evening slots for larger teams or organizations. 

  • What about the Pursuit of Health & Wellness Expo?

    • There will be a health fair (the Pursuit of Health & Wellness Expo) that will be open throughout the day in the adjacent room to where the Winter Indoor Triathlon will be held. In 2016, there were nearly 50 exhibitors at the health fair and we expect that to continue to grow in the future.

  • Is there a fee to watch the Winter Indoor Triathlon?

    • It is free to attend and cheer on your teammates and friends (and attend the health fair). 


Disclaimer

None of these answers should not be construed as legal or tax advice or legal or tax opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own lawyer or tax advisor on any specific legal or tax questions you may have concerning your situation.

IRS Circular 230 Notice

Any U.S. federal tax advice contained herein is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of avoiding any penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code or for the purpose of promoting, marketing, or recommending any transaction or matter addressed herein.