TEAM IN TRAINING GO AWAY! Around Town, posted by 2ME4U, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Jul 15, 2009 at 7:29 pm
If you don't know about Team in Training you are lucky. I have about five friends that hit me up twice a year for a donation. 75% goes to a charity they say. The other 25% goes to their training and accommodations for there event (usually triathlons or similar). So they always have there race in Hawaii or somewhere nice. So basically I'm funding their vacations. I just stopped kicking in and now I am the evil tight-walleted friend that doesn't care about whatever the disease du jour is. Anyway I don't have time or money to train or to go on vacation and my friends don't either, but they figured out this system. Salvation Army is 89%; Team in Training is 75%. Where would you put your money? These team in training people try to act like it's all for the needy but when I say, 'Why don't you not go to Hawaii and donate all the money you collect?' I am met with no real explanation. Defenders say it gets people to ask for money and thus gets people to give. I think that is disrespectful to those that give, it assumes they didn't give to charities before. I say it makes people give to a charity that less of the donation makes it to where it counts to not look like a jerk to friends and coworkers. Sad to say but all it really does it get people that want something for themselves to ask people for money to get it. They are diverting money from better charities with their self centered greed and basking in the glory of being charitable. T in T people, skip the vacation and training and spend that time helping the people you say you want to help. Not as fun huh? The real hard part is not joining in, I love Hawaii. Yes this is a rant and I feel like I have expressed my frustration. I should have taken the time to craft this post a little better and make sure I made all my points. Do it for me pros and cons.
Posted by franky B, a resident of the Ponderosa neighborhood, on Jul 15, 2009 at 7:36 pm
This is like all modern charity events. Collect money from others (donations) then have a good time (bike rides, walks, other events) why complimenting each other for making a diffrence. Walk for cancer, jog for leukimia...No need to go and help someone yourself. Giving a cancer patient a ride to and from chemo is not pretty of fun I admit that from experience. It is something that makes more of a diffrence than if you walked a 10k. Try getting involved in a person who needs it life, not just get involved in a charitable organization.
Posted by I agree, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 8:33 am
If people want to get together to celebrate cancer survivors at a Relay for Life, make it about the celebration, the memories, the bonding.
I support research efforts in all disease areas, but walking for 3 days doesn't cure cancer. Helping researchers continue with their work, volunteering for studies for years & years at a time, taking care of yourself, helping someone who is already diagnosed.....those things will help cure cancer.
Thank you for more information on the Team in Training. I've been hearing their ads and wondering where the catch was in the program.
Posted by Julie, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 9:30 am Julie is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
I think it's fine to tell friends and co-workers that you already have set charities to which you donate and that you cannot afford any extra ones.
Posted by PPDL, a resident of the Mohr Park neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Personal Principals Defined by Law?
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the laws they obey, but by the content of their character.”
Posted by Resident, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 16, 2009 at 1:56 pm
From the TnT marathon website:
Fundraising Tips
How to raise $2,500 in just six weeks: Week 1: $1230
Start by sponsoring yourself = $30.
Send out at least 40 letters and emails to friends and family (ask for a minimum donation of $30) = $1200.
Week 2: $300
Follow up on your fundraising letters and emails.
Ask four additional family members (minimum donation of $30 each) = $120.
Ask four friends to sponsor you (minimum donation of $30 each) = $120.
Ask two co-workers to sponsor you (minimum of $30 each) = $60.
Check with your company's human resource department to see if they offer matching gifts.
Week 3: $310
Ask two additional co-workers to sponsor you (minimum donation of $30 each) = $60.
Plan a fundraising party with at least 25 people (e.g. 50% of split cover charge of $20 for a happy hour) = $250.
Week 4: $210
Ask five neighbors to sponsor you (minimum donation of $20 each) = $100
Send out an e-mail to all of your friends and ask them all to forego buying coffee or lunch out one day this week and donate the money they save instead. Challenge 10 friends to participate and do it yourself. 11 people giving $10 = $110
Week 5: $300
Ask your boss for a company contribution = $100
Send out an update on your training and fundraising progress and your honored hero.
Ask your friends and family to send your fundraising letter to their e-mail address book. Challenge them to help you raise $200 by getting 20 people to donate $10. = $200
Week 6: $150
Ask three businesses you frequent for a donation (e.g. doctor, dentist, dry cleaners, etc., $50 each) = $150
Grand Total $2500
Fundraising is even easier now with online fundraising. When you register for Team In Training you will receive your own personal Web site which you can personalize and encourage people to visit your site, see what you are doing for LLS and donate immediately.
Posted by Resident, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Jul 19, 2009 at 9:49 am
Thanks for posting, I did not know that Team in Training used a portion for their trip! When my spouse participated in a bike ride to raise money for MS, we donated every penny we raised to the MS society, and we paid for all the expenses (hotel, etc) out of our own money - I would have never thought of using any portion of the donated money to cover expenses for our hotel and things like that!
I don't think it is right to use some of the funds raised for charity, to pay for the expenses of the "team's" trips to Hawaii, etc. They will end up hurting these charities, as more people become skeptical and figure why donate so someone else can go on vacation on my dime?
Posted by 2ME4U, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Jul 21, 2009 at 9:34 am
You can say no, but when asked for 'only' $20 it's hard to say I can't afford it. Trust me when explaining why I honestly won't give money they are angry because you are basically calling the Team in training people charity embezzlers. You do have to deal with these friends, co-workers and family members so if you don't give you will have to pay in another way if you get my drift. No, no laws are being broken. There is a minimum that has to be raised and it might depend on the event and location. $1,822.50 would go to the mission if $2,500 is raised. $677.50 goes to the individual fund raiser basically. Also when they hit the minimum they stop asking so they can do another trip and not burn out those people that donate. A woman I know is on trip 3 or 4 right now and I have been asked every time. My point is, who cares if these fund collectors do whatever their event is? Team in Training is not gathering up more publicity for their cause, just drumming up more interest in Team in Training. Why do they do the event, because that's why they are collecting the money, not to help people. If that was their goal there are many better ways to achieve it. All charities use funds for logistics but T in T has a huge amount (highest I can find) that goes to support the organization itself. Sad some Americans must be rewarded to do something charitable (if asking for money that a portion of which basically goes in your pocket can be called charitable). I just hate Team in Training and what it says about some people.
Posted by that's that, a resident of the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood, on Jul 21, 2009 at 9:40 am
This is from their homepage. Tell me you don't think it's about what the money collectors get, not the charity.
No matter your sport, TNT offers:
Great people. Our certified coaches provide exceptional training and clinics on fitness, nutrition, gear and injury prevention. Your teammates are there for you every step of the way. It's like having a personal trainer plus the companionship and support of a team.
Amazing destinations. Choices include endurance sport event locations like Tahoe, Honolulu, Anchorage, San Diego and Chicago, or hiking trips to Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Fundraising support. From your own Web page to our helpful staff and fundraising clinics, your fundraising will be easy and successful. A fabulous weekend. Your travel, lodging, entry fees and pre-and post-event activities are all covered for an unforgettable weekend experience.
A lifesaving cause. For many, the greatest benefit of all is knowing you will be making a difference in the fight against blood cancers.
Posted by jimf0l, a resident of another community, on Sep 8, 2010 at 4:51 am
This is truly terrible of T in T. I'm all for charity, but not if it means my friends and family can have fun or get healthy at the same time. I'd rather let disease run rampant than support these socialists.
Posted by A TNT Participant, a resident of another community, on May 31, 2011 at 8:21 am
I have come across this thread late, but felt like I must respond to your lack of knowledge. It is true that TNT participants are fundraising to support not only the society's mission but also to support their own efforts. That being said, however, I think it is a huge disservice to simply dismiss the efforts these individuals make as being merely self-serving. Are there personal fitness benefits -- yes. Are there personal social benefits -- yes (becoming involved with a greater community of individuals). Are some of these events in cool locals -- yes (but a significant number of the events are also local and include little to no travel). Are there personal financial benefits -- absolutely not. Almost every participant I know self-funds at least a portion of their fundraising efforts in numerous ways. Not to mention that there is a significant time investment for both fundraising and training for these events.
I understand that everyone needs to be selective in where they put their fundraising dollars. I also understand that you absolutely have the right not to contribute to your "friend's" fundraising efforts. Although I solicit donations from my friends, many choose not to support me financially through a direct donation but will support my efforts in other ways (i.e., by attending fundraisers that I host or even just through a few encouraging words).
Finally, please do not assume that participants do not care about the organization's mission and/or those that it supports. Many of the participants are either survivors of cancer or are participating to honor/remember a family member or friend who has battled cancer. This often is just one of many charitable outlets for most of these individuals -- and it is disrespectful to dismiss the participant's sincerity without personal knowledge of what may be motivating that individual. The organization's mission is of the utmost importance to almost all of the participants ... and the organization makes every effort to educate its participants of that mission and the work that needs to be done.
In short, please think twice before again trying to disparage a charitable organization and its volunteers.
Posted by Kimberly, a resident of another community, on Jan 17, 2013 at 1:41 pm
I choose not to support TNT because I don't believe in supporting funding that goes towards research for conventional cancer treatments. Chemo, radiation and drug therapies do not work. Big pharma wants us to believe that it does and will manipulate relative stats to prove their point. The information is out there. Why ae so many people blind to the truth?
Posted by Jared, a resident of another community, on Apr 18, 2013 at 4:48 am
Just so you know. I am coming up on the completion of my first 1/2 marathon and the only reason I even thought about doing it is because it is with TNT. At the start of my training, my grandfather was battling Chronic Lymphocitic Leukemia (CLL). Halfway through my training, we lost him.
My teammates are running to support our team mentor and firm accountant who is also battling CLL and started running 15 years ago to take her mind off the side effects of her treatment.
Does some of the money we raise go to paying for the shirts we run in, the fruit and water on training days, and the staff that organizes all of this? Yep.
Does it suck to have to constantly ask your friends and family for donations to the point at which you are sick of hearing the shpeal and you're the one who has an extreme personal connection to the cause? Yep.
Would I love to not have to ask anyone for money because there was no CLL or any other blood cancer, or cancer at all (my mother, by the way, is a researcher at a cancer hospital)? Yep.
Am I personally getting a damn red cent from this? Nope. I run in DC or nearby in MD or VA. I pay my own costs to get to training and I rarely eat anything after races (my stomach can't take it).
What I get is the feeling that I am honoring and helping my grandfather in some small way. I don't know of a single person in my training group (which is something around 150 people) who doesn't have a personal connection to blood cancer or isn't running in support of or for someone who does.
If you don't want to give, that's your right. If you think traditional medicine and treatments don't work, also your right. If you would rather give directly to LLS and not through TNT, your right. You want to give to ACS, AHS, Girl Scouts, March of Dimes, Boy Scouts, MS Society, pick one, your right. But please do not slander people who get up at 6 am to go run because it makes them feel closer to someone they have lost just because they ask you for $5 and $1.50 of that gets them a t-shirt with a big LLS logo on it that raises awareness for their cause. Just don't give if you don't want to.
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