January 11, 2010 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Elden Nelson used his Fat Cyclist blog to raise more than $100,000 for two charities in just three days last month.
It all started when Mr. Nelson wrote a tongue-in-cheek letter to Johan Bruyneel, the trainer of Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion. Mr. Nelson wrote that because of his many sterling qualities, including being a good speller, Mr. Bruyneel should include him in a training event for Mr. Armstrong and other world-class cyclists.
Mr. Bruyneel responded that Mr. Nelson could come to the training camp in Tucson, Ariz. — but only if he raised $10,000 for Mr. Armstrong’s cancer-fighting foundation, LiveStrong, and another $10,000 for World Bicycle Relief, a charity that uses bicycles to enhance the independence and livelihoods of needy families outside the United States.
And if Mr. Nelson could manage to raise $50,000 for each charity, Mr. Bruyneel said, he would throw in a couple of prizes: a Trek Madone, a bike worth more than $6,000, and a trip to the Tour de France. To come to the camp, Mr. Nelson had to meet the fund-raising challenge in less than a week.
Mr. Nelson immediately turned to his readers, and posted an entry asking them to make a donation. For every $5 given to World Bicycle Relief, he offered donors the chance to win the Trek Madone. And for every $5 donated to LiveStrong, he promised, donors would get a chance to win another $4,200 bike that he got donated.
The plea worked. World Bicycle Relief received $69,000, from more than 2,000 new donors, and LiveStrong received $66,000. The average gift was $25.
After he learned of the results, Mr. Bruyneel wrote to Mr. Nelson: “We will see you at camp!!! And to be honest, I’m very much looking forward to seeing your cycling talents. If they’re anything like your fund-raising skills, then maybe it’s time for you to quit your day job!?!”
