The Ontario Ride to Conquer Cancer

kmclachlan · Veteran Member

How much of our money raised actually goes to charity?

Phillh · Veteran Member

During year one ride I spoke to someone who said that of the 14 million raised that year, 11 million went to the cause and the remainder to overhead/admin/logistics. I have no idea where he got his data but he did sit on the board of a similar charity and seemed to know his fund raising stuff.

That said, I think it should be law for fund raising events (rides, walks and especially lotteries) that they have to publish data on $'s raised, $'s that went to the cause and $'s that went to logistics/prizes/etc. With so many organizations out there seeking help from the public it would be nice to know who is running an efficient event/lottery/fund raiser and then we as people who donate can make more informed decisions on where our money goes.

Cheers,

Phill

2plusbear · Newbie

Each year, PMHF releases its 'Report to Our Donors' that details its financial statements.
The main page can be found here - http://www.pmhf.ca/onlineReport/2009
For the 2009 Ride info, see page 14 of this online PDF:
http://www.pmhf.ca/onlineReport/2009/PMHF_AR_Financials.pdf

Phillh · Veteran Member

Thanks Jeff,

For those that don't want to click through, here are the numbers for 2009. (I assume this is for the 2008 Ride that gets reported in the fiscal year 2009 since they refer to it as a new event and don't list data for 2008)

Revenue: $14,814,000

Logistics: $3,154,000

Marketing/Other: $1,979,000

To PMHF: $9,681,000

It will be interesting to see how these numbers compare to the following year and this year, to see if they're running a more efficient event having learned from previous years or if expenses are going as they increase the number for riders, at new distances etc. I know little about this industry (it is business to raise money in this magnitude) and am curious how it all works. Experts, feel free to educate me :)

One thing that I know is impressive is when you look at the average raised per rider, compare that to some other events like Livestrong Rides in the US and the Ride to Conquer Cancer kicks butt! (Am doing the Livestrong Ride in Philidelphia in August and minimum required is only $250).

Cheers,

Phill

adiamond · Senior Member

FYI for better or worse the Rides to Conquer Cancer are run by a for profit company called Causeforce (which I believe is an American based company). See www.causeforce.com.

BAM · Veteran Member

Another one to look at is the Ride for Heart, this year they raised $3.1 million and had over 13,000 riders, that is just over $230 average per person. Once you deduct the cost to run the event that total will be alot less. Now we know why we have to raise the $2500 to ride.

bikerbob · Newbie

Things do not look better for 2010. Large overhead costs again (i.e. seem largely fixed and not variable) and only 66% to charity. Check out the 2010 financial statements on pg 15. Numbers do not lie: http://www.pmhf.ca/onlinereport2010/PMHF_Financials_2010.pdf. There must be a better way i.e. Tour for Kids is not like this! Time to my spend my precious resources (especially time) elsewhere.

Cure for cancer? Read The China Study, we already have one but we ignore it in North America.

adiamond · Senior Member

Having now done the ride one can see that it is an expensive thing to put on. The TV ads, manning the call centre, the trucks, tents etc. At the end of the day on 16 million raised the hospital has $10 million it did not have without the ride. That is a significant amount. Abviously it would be nice if there was not a profit portion of it but the raise is still significant, and whilt 30% is at the high end it is within the range of normal for administrative costs of a charity event.

lovemyfamily · Newbie

Many expenses are not required: TV ads, paid staff to man call centre (use volunteers like everyone else), glossy handouts (recycled paper or better yet none- refer me to a website), Hollywood videos (good marketing by causeforce) etc. This adds up to higher costs compared to other charity rides that also pull off a long distance over several days. I also would be happy to pay a much higher registration fee or it be a one day event and see 90% plus going to charity. No trucks needed here. Buyer Beware - Pick your charities and resources wisely.

adiamond · Senior Member

I am no expert but my guess is you could not raise a net of $10 million for a weekend ride without all of those expenses.

ride4ever22 · Newbie

If you believe that they must be serving some pretty good tasting Kool-Aid. No excuse to have a for profit organization involved. If these wasteful practices are put in place for the ride, how wisely spent is the spending on research? Is that being partially wasted with this same mentality? You start to wonder and start losing trust.

smerker · Member

Thought i would chime in and clarify a few things: We have a Board approved budget for all of the event expenses. 100% of every donation goes directly to The Princes Margaret Hospital Foundation. From there, the Foundation invests in research, care and education programs and pays for the cost of the event.

Our event management group has an amazing track record and is incredibly efficient in raising money in the fight against cancer. Our team is the best and most effective organization in the business of producing large scale fundraising events for cancer.

Events of this nature require a carefully planned and managed budget; it takes a full year of planning and execution to pull off. There are indeed costs associated with moving thousands of riders to Niagara Falls for two days with an overnight camp. From porta potties to police to recruitment and fundraising support, to meals and camping accommodations, and ensuring our participants safety and security - this event has some essential costs that are right in line for an event of this magnitude. Our #1 priority is safety. There are no cutting corners when hiring police, recruiting volunteers and putting a medical team together. This does add extra costs, but due to the nature of bike riding on open roads, we want to minimize risk to riders.

In each year of the Ride, the revenue vs. expenses exceeded 65% which puts the event in the top tier of Canada Revenue Agency evaluation criteria for fundraising events. Over $11 million net (2010 Ride) new dollars to the world leading cancer research programs at Princess Margaret makes an effective and large impact and leads to saving livesthats the bottom line. Our scientists and doctors rely on new fundraising programs for their cutting edge programs. Raising $11 million to support one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world is money that is dearly needed. It is only through innovative fundraising programs like the Ride than we can maintain the quality of research programs currently underway at The Princess Margaret. Should you wish to discuss this further I can be reached at 416-946-2072.
Sincerely,

Steve Merker

Chief Cycling Officer
The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation

Karen99 · Newbie

Thanks for taking the time to clarify. I feel better that you have a Board of Directors approving expenses. Boards are key to good corporate governance. They really helped companies like Nortel and Enron for example

iant_soundtech · Member

First of all, Karen99, I find your comment very clever. I also found it snide and unproductive in the context of this discussion.

I think most people will agree that, as long as any corporation is involved in a charity event, money will be going to places it probably shouldn't be (ie. exec's pockets, shareholders, etc). Boards aren't perfect either, and they never will be. The very nature of business is to MAKE MONEY.

Having said that, like any business, a charity needs to spend money to make money. Especially with an event of the scope and scale of RTCC, details must be executed with precision and quality-control, and sometimes this cannot be done cheaply. It takes talented people with connections and experience to orchestrate the logistics effectively, and it just happens that many of those capable people are smart enough to capitalize on this need and create or work for corporations like CauseForce, leaving little option for PMHF than to look to them for their expertise. Events supported by mostly volunteers are great, but volunteers are just that. They are not paid, and the cold hard truth of it is that it's difficult, if not impossible, to find enough talented hard-working volunteers, keep them on board for months (up to a year of planning, even) and even remotely hope to pull off an event of this magnitude.

I am all for maximizing the amount of money that makes it to the PMHF, rather than being diverted to overhead and logistics expenses. However, I would much rather know that I am safe and taken care of by the organization (especially because this is my first time doing the Ride) and not put in danger because key details were passed over for the sake of saving some money.

If anyone thinks they can viably assist the organization in its current state in saving money without sacrificing safety and effectiveness of the event, please voice it (not in message boards, I'm sure the execs don't regularly peruse around here for suggestions). I'm sure someone that can make a difference will listen eventually. Maybe next year we can improve the number to 70%, and 75% the year after. Either way, $10M is $10M is $10M. I'm sure some kid with Leukemia will thank you for it all the same one day.

NidanRider · Member

iant_soundtech - Well said.

twobrokenarms · Senior Member

Well said, Ian. I've participated in a few other events (not quite so big as RTCC) that were not as well organized as this one, and the monies gathered did not get to the research that they were intended for.

Jenn

Pigeon · Member

I understand the concern people have about events like this: I've struggled with the questions myself. I finally came to the conclusion that there is room for all kinds of fundraising events of all sizes. From the small events that raise "small" amounts of money that are completely organized and run by volunteers so that 100% of the dollars raised go to the cause, to the large events like the RTCC rides (4 across Canada, remember) that take full time paid staffing by professionals and an army of volunteers and sponsors to run successfully and safely and raise 10's of millions of dollars for the cause.

It's your choice in which type events you want to participate in or contribute to. IMHO, after participating for the past three years, the RTCC is efficiently, professionally, and safely run. I am amazed by how this logistical miracle is pulled off every year. I don't believe that the millions it takes to truly fund the search for cancer cures and treatment could be raised in a more challenging, fun, and uplifting way.

My 2 cents.

Rob

Kareevel · Member

This is my first year riding and when I decided I wanted to do something about cancer, I chose this event because of how well organized it is! I realize that we do not live in an ideal world where everyone can work for free 24/7! I can not volunteer my services full time so why would I expect anyone else to? Just sayin'!

Karen99 · Newbie

iant_soundtech

My child diagnosed with cancer doesn't appreciate your last patronizing comment and neither do I. We are going through hell and don't appreciate comments from people who think they are helping. Is the $10 Million best spent on cancer research which is like finding a needle in a haystack the most appropriate ? Or is there something more immediate without a time frame of decades and with a better than 4 % success rate in clinical trails (not countiing failure rate in preclinical testing and Investigational New Drug Testing (IND))? Maybe $ spent in prevention, diagnostics, support systems, and increasing the quality of life while they are alive would be more appropriate. Maybe if some of the riders took some time out of their training to visit patients this world would be a better place. Mental support can extend your time. Extending a life with pain which these drugs do (fix one thing, and break a million other with the side effects) is not always the best thing!

THE DISMAL STATS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_trial
In all, about 1,000 potential drugs are tested before just one reaches the point of being tested in a clinical trial. For example, a new cancer drug has, on average, 6 years of research behind it before it even makes it to clinical trials. But the major holdup in making new cancer drugs available is the time it takes to complete clinical trials themselves. On average, about 8 years pass from the time a cancer drug enters clinical trials until it receives approval from regulatory agencies for sale to the public.
Some reasons a clinical trial might last several years:
For chronic conditions like cancer, it takes months, if not years, to see if a cancer treatment has an effect on a patient.

What is the probability of success of clinical trials? http://clinuity.com/blog/2011/02/what-is-the-probability-of-success-of-clinical-trials/
By | Published: FEBRUARY 15, 2011
At a lunch time session at the BIO conference in New York City, researchers announced results of historical analysis of a massive dataset of clinical trial approval rates. The dataset included clinical trials from 2003 to 2010 encompassing 4,275 drugs and 7,300 indications. This research is based on a larger dataset compared to the important work published by DiMasi at the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (referenced here).

Some highlights of the latest research:

Probability of regulatory approval by phase
Phase I: 9%
Phase II: 15%
Phase III: 44%
Submission: 80%

Probability of Success at Phase III by therapeutic area:
Autoimmune: 63%
Respiratory: 61%
Endocrinology: 60%
Infectious disease: 55%
Neurology: 55%
Cardiovascular: 46%
Oncology: 34%

smerker · Member

Cancer totally sucks especially when you have a family member right in the middle of the battle. i also know that there are many excellent programs that help patients and families deal with the 'support systems' and psychological challenges involved in dealing with cancer.

That said, the Ride to Conquer Cancer focuses more on the research. And there are success stories. If it wasn't for clinical trials then the death rates for many types of cancers would be much higher. Did you know that people diagnosed with osteosarcoma (Terry fox cancer) have an 80%+ chance of survival these days and are way less likely to lose a limb to try and contain the disease. Also, with Herceptin (treats a specific type of breast cancer), the survival rates of women with that type of breast cancer have improved dramatically. And personally, my wife was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia 15 years ago. If it wasnt for the discovery and subsequent clinic trial and approval of ATRA in the 1980's, she wouldnt be here today!

To turn a disease from highly fatal to highly curable is extremely difficult, especially when the disease is a type of cancer. However, we can gain some insight into how this can be done by looking back over the 50-year history of taming acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). APL is the M3 type of acute myeloid leukaemia characterized by an accumulation of abnormal promyelocytes in bone marrow, a severe bleeding tendency and the presence of the chromosomal translocation or variants. APL was considered the most fatal type of acute leukaemia five decades ago and the treatment of APL was a nightmare for physicians. Great efforts have been made by scientists worldwide to conquer this disease. The first use of chemotherapy (CT) was unsuccessful due to lack of supportive care and cytotoxic-agent-related exacerbated coagulopathy. The first breakthrough came from the use of anthracyclines which improved the complete remission (CR) rate, though the 5-year overall survival could only be attained in a small proportion of patients. A rational and intriguing hypothesis, to induce differentiation of APL cells rather than killing them, was raised in the 1970s. Laudably, the use of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in treating APL resulted in terminal differentiation of APL cells and a 9095% CR rate of patients, turning differentiation therapy in cancer treatment from hypothesis to practice. The combination of ATRA with CT further improved the 5-year overall survival.

iant_soundtech · Member

Karen99, I think you may have misunderstood my previous post. My first comment was merely pointing out that, while clever, your example of Enron and Nortel as a show of BoD corruption in (implied) comparison to the RTCC was generally unhelpful to the thread, and unfair to the organization.

Second, I feel like you are reading much too far into my comments and imagining implications that aren't there. I obviously have no intention to outrightly insult or offend anyone, especially a sick child, and if you feel I did, I'm sorry you feel that way. My last comment was simply referring to the hope that one day a cure (or at least more effective treatments) are discovered in time. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that a portion of the money raised for the PMHF went toward patient care as well. If not, believe me, I think it should, but who am I to say how it's used?

Thank you for all of the stats, as unfortunate as they are. I don't see how they relate to or refute anything I said in my earlier post, but thanks for sharing nonetheless. (That wasn't sarcasm). I feel that it's pretty safe to assume that, since you are taking part in the RTCC, you support (at least in some small way) what the organization is doing and how they are doing it. Otherwise, why not find another charity that puts an emphasis on patient care and family support, as I'm sure they exist. If not, then perhaps one should be started, using volunteer staff on a smaller scale as suggested before.

To recap, I don't think there was any focus in this forum thus far on distribution of funds within cancer research and support and how the PMHF uses money raised, but rather how much money makes it to the PMHF in the first place. So, a valid topic you bring up, but perhaps it would be beneficial if you brought it up a new thread.

Sorry to everyone for being so long-winded, but I felt I needed to defend and respond appropriately.

Karen99, all the best to you and your child in tough times.

bikerbob · Newbie

In response to Kareevel, it is not true that an amazing event cannot be pulled off with volunteers. Has anyone ever participated in the Tour for Kids? They offer 2 day and 4 day cycling events. A 4 day event requires more resources than a 2 day event, but they pull it off without a hitch. The scenery of the route is beautiful and the best part is that 100% of their donations goes to the charity. Now who would you rather support? Both in an ideal world, but if I had a choice of one, I would choose the charity that gives 100% of everyone's hard pressed resources to charity, both as a donor and a rider/volunteer. I am not interested in making corporations like causeforce more profitable! I spend enough time during my day job doing that!

Donation Report: http://www.coasttocoastagainstcancer.org/about-us/financial-statements.php
In 2010 Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation raised and distributed over $4,700,000 to deserving kids cancer charities across Canada; an increase of over 40% from 2009! We just couldn't have done this without you, our amazing sponsors, donors, volunteers, and participants. As in previous years, this $4,700,000 represents 100% of all receiptable donations raised. In other words, every single (receiptable) dollar raised by our donors has been distributed to the charities and programs we support.

Highlights of 2010
Donating more than $4,700,000 to kids cancer charities in every province across Canada
Donating $1.85 million to kids cancer research and the 17 pediatric oncology units in Canada, the single largest private donation ever to kids cancer research in Canada
Sold out events for Tour for Kids Ontario and Alberta, Strut for A Cure and many of our Inside Ride events, as well as increased participation and fundraising for every one of our events in 2010
CTCACF became principal donor to two of the three largest childhood cancer camps in Ontario and Albertas largest childhood cancer camp
Made a significant financial commitment to support families undergoing the devastating financial burden of living with the battle against this disease
And funded a variety of other childhood cancer programs that will have a significant impact on kids well-being and survival

MysteryBee · Senior Member

Frankly, I'm more than a little disgusted by the attitude being demonstrated by some people here. The Ride is a great event supporting one of the top cancer research institutions in the world, and the amount of money it raises easily humbles just about every other fundraising event I've ever HEARD of. If you don't like it, feel free to go elsewhere. I can assure you that I don't go around to other fundraising websites for the purpose of starting fights over which one is better. People contribute to causes they believe in. If your sense of integrity is so impossibly warped that you feel the need to speak abusively to people who are doing what they think is right, perhaps you should take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself what kind of human being you really are.

My father died from mesothelioma. The foremost expert in Canada in treatment of meso is at the Princess Margaret, and that's why I support their work. Attempting to shame me or manipulate me isn't going to change those two facts... and as righteous as the naysayers on this thread believe themselves to be, I don't recall either of them lifting a finger while my dad rotted away.

Don't you dare tell me how to honour my father's memory. You don't have the right.

Kareevel · Member

Biker Bob,

I think it is great that the Coast to Coast charity raises so much money for childhood cancer research. And no I did not realize that all the people involved were strictly volunteers. Even better!!! (Although the amounts you have to fund raise to be able to participate is a little out of my league as I did look into it) My niece had planned on riding in the Coast to Coast this year but had to drop out with a bad knee. She's hoping to try for next year now! Yes, the more money we raise for research and patient care the better. Cheers! Karen

twobrokenarms · Senior Member

Firstly, let me clarify.

I chose RTCC because it is so well organized, a major portion of the funds go to where they're intended and of it supports PMH, the hospital that tried so hard to save my Aunt Diane, who succomed to hepatocellular carcinoma last June. In fact, her funeral was on Day one of the ride last year.

I have participated in events/races in the past (for other diseases) where the monies raised did not go to where I was told they were supposed to go. I was disappointed with that. I was not looking for a charity event that gave 100% to the charity, but more than 10-20%.

I was not trying to insult or hurt anyone. I appologize if I did so.

MysteryBee - If I could have saved your Dad, I would have. I feel your loss. My Dad has an aggressive brain tumor right now, so I understand.

Jenn

andy · Newbie

I keep hearing how well organized the RTCC ride is but there is certainly room for improvement. Different start times to help the congestion on the road (better safety) and better sleep arrangements would be greatly appreciated. I would be very happy to pay a higher registration fee to sleep in a bed after riding 100 km or 100 miles so please have the ride end up at McMaster and not Mohawk so we can stay at the University dorm. I did that for year 2 i.e. went on my own but it was a hassle getting there and then you are not part of the group anymore. The first year I slept in the paper thin, cramped (one-man?) tent and could hear my fellow neighbours snoring all night and didn't get any sleep. Day 2 was brutal, cycling without sleep. I almost fell asleep on my bike! It's extra fun if it rains! I made alot of personal sacrifices thinking that all money was going to a good cause and now I am greatly disappointed at the numbers, especially since causeforce is involved. Best to give money directly to the Princess Margaret.

twobrokenarms · Senior Member

I think I'm going to start boycotting this thread, it's gotten to point where I'm getting really angry. If you don't like how an organization is run, then don't participate or support the event, or try to change what you don't like about it. Complaining about it wastes energy and time. I figure if you're here complaining about how this and that is done or not done, then you're not out there training, being with your family, fundraising, or honouring the memory of a loved one.

ricky · Veteran Member

TBA - agreed. The people associated with the ride are top notch and I think this thread is doing them a disservice.

MysteryBee · Senior Member

I agree with the crazy lady who keeps falling off her bike.

twobrokenarms · Senior Member

and keeps getting back on her bike.

I have never had cancer (and I hope that I never do), but after my accident, I had people phoning, emailing me to see how I was doing, what kind of therapy I was going to need, how they could support me more, and on it goes...I even found out pretty recently that someone from the office actually phoned my hospital room after I had surgery to see how I was doing, but I'd already been released (Thanks to whoever you are). I have never had such support in any event that I have ever participated in - I think those who are criticizing the work that is being done with the monies raised should be ashamed of themselves. The nerve!

I'm going for a ride right now to cool my head.

andy · Newbie

For the record I am was not complaining but providing suggestions on how to improve the logistics of the event. For a living I specialize in improving processes and cost cutting and there is always room for improvement. Nothing is ever perfect! You are right though, I have decided to no longer participate after viewing the financial statements as mentioned above. I will be supporting the cause by writing my cheque directly to Princess Margaret instead of Princess Margaret and Causeforce.

Good luck everyone and hopefully it will not rain

jules18 · Member

I really think a lot of people here don't understand the realities that come with fundraising in this day and age.

Fundraising has dramatically changed from what it used to be, I'm not sure if the economic downturn had anything to do with it, or just an evolving society, but it's a completely different climate.

Look at the financial statements, the flagship lottery isn't brining in the same amount of money it has in years passed, the traditional approaches to fundraising are old and tired. There are so many organizations out there all vying for that same dollar, the PMH needs to differentiate itself in order to get it. Let's face it, people are less likely to give money to a charity that they can't identify and emphasize with, you need a gimmick to attract interest. When I say I'm doing a 200k bike ride, it catches peoples interest. It's different, it's unique and it sells.

It'd be great if they could do an event with no admin or overhead, but lets face it, you have to spend money to make money. If you look at the financial statements, Ride's operating and admin costs have declined from 34.6% to just over 33% over the past two rides, that's a fantastic improvement for a ride of this size, considering that enrollment and interest have both increased.

And to address the comments regarding where the money goes i.e. research, patient experience, etc... PMH is a research hospital, one of the top in the world, research is what they do best, and they're best in class at it. It's no surprise that the focus of the fundraising efforts are to support research, and we should all be ok with this. It is disclosed to us before we sign up for the ride, we know where the money is going, they don't hide it. If you want to support a charity like the Cancer Assistance Program who focuses on the patient experience, or your local treatment centre you're more than welcome to do so, but people come from far and wide to support this ride to fund leading edge research because todays breakthroughs become tomorrows healthcare.

I was kind of disappointed to hear that some will choose not to participate after looking at the financials. Just remember events like this are the future, as a financial analyst, I'd love to see the the statements for the 1st Road Hockey to Conquer Cancer event to see how that compares to the ride. But these are the events that will get the support, get the donations and can help fund the leading edge breakthroughs we've come to expect from the PMH. Just remember, you can write your cheque to the PMH directly, but I know my supporters and donators most likely wouldn't have contributed to the PMH if I wasn't riding. They all give to cancer related charities regardless, but because I'm doing this extraordinary thing, their money is going to PMH, and that's $2500 they wouldn't have gotten had I not been involved in the ride. So the model works.

-- Edited by jules18 on Sunday 22nd of May 2011 09:23:31 PM

andy · Newbie

Princess Margaret is getting an extra $1000 from me since I am not participating so checking the financial statements was a good thing. I am writing the same cheque dollar amount (self fundraise, no time to public fundraise) since 100% is going to research instead of 65%. I can organize my own ride for less than $1000. In my case, my friends and family aren't impressed by 200km. I do it all the time as a triathelete. It's a great cause so if it works, that is fantastic!

dgoldman · Member

I've appreciated all the discussion on this very important topic.
This will be my fourth ride and all being well, I will do it again and encourage others to do it also.
That doesn't lessen my desire to see the costs of running the event decrease, as, according to Jules 18 on May 22, they seem to be.
I strongly support there being constant vigilance and pressure on the organizers to constantly improve the research take. Not doing so may make our donors lose faith in what we are doing.
Perhaps some rider/fund raisers could work with the organizer/fund raisers to understand more fully what the realities are. It could be beneficial all round.

Sushiboy21 · Member

Interesting to note from the 2009 financials that the percentage of money going to the PMH from the Ride (65%) was about the same as Weekend to End Breast Cancer (67%).

But both events netted a far high percentage than the Brazilian Ball (34%) and the hospital lotteries (an awful 27% to PMSH).

Also, arguably, the Ride and Weekend both encourage more physical activity and raise awareness of these diseases in a way that a gala and lottery do not.

As for CauseForce, I'm guessing that it is more cost-efficient to use this company than to do the work in-house, which would require hiring more staff who are capable of organizing and marketing the event. It would be silly for PMH to hire staff just for the two events (RTCC and WTEBC) and make more sense to contract this work out.

That said, it would be great if organizers could post more detailed breakdowns of the costs of putting on the Ride. I'm especially interested in the policing costs related to puttting a traffic cop at every intersection, which I think was overkill in a lot of places along the route.

I'd also like to see the agreement between CauseForce and PMH. I'm curious aboutwho the RTCC trademark belongs to.

I noticed that while the number of riders increased in 2011 by about 12 per cent, the revenues did not increase in step. I'd expect there are diminishing returns with an increasing number of riders, as well as donor fatigue among the friends and family of repeat riders.

As always, more disclosure is better and builds confidence in your donors. The website looks great but I found it short on these kinds of details. All the financials should be posted there.

-- Edited by Sushiboy21 on Tuesday 14th of June 2011 03:40:46 PM

Sushiboy21 · Member

Also, note to Andy:

Giving directly to PMH doesn't make a difference in how much of the money goes to the hospital, except by the incredibly small reduction in the variable cost of having one fewer rider -- you -- participate in the race.

From my read of the financial, all the revenues go into the same basket at PMH and then costs are paid out -- including the costs of the Ride.

That's why your donation is fully tax deductable.

jules18 · Member

Sushiboy if you read the financial statements you'll see that the RTCC trademark belongs to PMH, and they include the revenue from the royalties from the 3 other events that use it.

mmgirl · Veteran Member

My doctor at PMH is one of the top research docs fro Multiple Myeloma in the country! Her care has given me another shot at living how I want to live (med free etc after my stem cell transplant a year ago). So for this I am grateful and will do the ride every year I am able, just to mark this anniversary... even if I encounter donor "fatigue" I will self pledge 2500 because in the grand scheme of live this is a drop in the bucket, also it is tax deductable anyway.

smerker · Member

A very important topic and I'm glad there is some healthy discussion going on. I work at the Princess Margaret Foundation and one of my specific roles is to oversee the Ride. If anyone wants to call and chat with me further, my office line is 416.946.2072 (Steve Merker)

Here's a few comments in reply to some of the postings:

- mmgirl: yes we do have some world leaders in Multiple Myeloma and it's great to hear you're well and doing the Ride year after year!

- jules 18: yes PMHF owns the RTCC trademark...it's our event.

- Sushiboy21: yes we collect every penny (donations, registration fees, sponsor fees, etc.) and from there, we pay for police and porta potties and food and etc...

And a couple more general comments. This event certainly has created a mini 'fitness revolution'. In a pre-event survey to a 100 riders i did a couple years back, on average, people lose weight, lose inches and start leading healthier lifestyles. For example, the afternoon / evening DJ on Q107 started doing the Ride three years ago and not only has he lost weight but he quit smoking as well. Bike riding is now his 'regular' activity and he attributes that to the RTCC.

The other overlooked benefit from this event is the 'emotional camaraderie' of the entire group. This is tangible at Camp and the finish line. Getting 4500+ people together, all for the same reason, is quite amazing. There are many stories shared, new friendships made, tears shed, and smiles of joy. This event is not only a conduit for some incrdibile fundraising, but a movement of people who want to give back and make a difference.

twobrokenarms · Senior Member

I've lost 54 lbs, my insulin has been cut in half, my diabetes is well controlled, my A1C is normal and I'm wearing clothes that I haven't worn in at least 5 years. It's too bad that PMH doesn't help animals with cancer - our dog may have it (we won't find out until next week), but PMH can't do everything!

dgoldman · Member

smerker wrote:
A very important topic and I'm glad there is some healthy discussion going on. I work at the Princess Margaret Foundation and one of my specific roles is to oversee the Ride. If anyone wants to call and chat with me further, my office line is 416.946.2072 (Steve Merker)

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I was hoping an offer like this would be forthcoming, because I think it important that rider/fund raisers clearly understand what the money raised is used for. I plan to call Steve and I hope others will too. Perhaps together we might be able to make this very important topic become more transparent.