Winning Partnerships

Running Events Popular For Corporate Engagement

CONTINUED the university and athletics. That’s a big part of the reason why a lot of them want to be a part of the event.”

Jessica Niemann, PTA program director and instructor at Clarkson College, also pointed to the mission of a run as being as important if not more so than raising funds. The PTA Fun Run, first held in 2019, is still in the growing stages in terms of overall participants. But while numbers are building, the focus on the cause behind it is fundamental.

“One big part of our motivation for this is because we teach a therapeutic exercise class very well-aligned with cardiovascular fitness and exercise,” she said. “We wanted our students to be able to train for something, have an accomplishment and be able to also do that by promoting health and wellness for the community, including the Clarkson College community and their families.

“If we can bring people together who have a connection with our students and with our faculty and with the college, it just brings about camaraderie. It’s not to get as many people as possible to run in the race so that we can make more money. It’s really about getting a community of people that are going to want to be together and be supportive of this.”

Easier to Organize

Niemann said organizations thinking about an athletic-based fundraiser should consider a running event because of the relative ease of setting up.

“One of the main things is it’s just easier to access,” she said. “We did think about a cycling race, however, not everybody has bicycles and for those who are traveling that can be a little harder. The idea was to make it fun and family-friendly and accessible. And, we love the Field Club Trail that is just south of us; it’s so convenient for people to train on if they want. It’s just a really pretty area in the middle of Omaha.”

That said, organizations hosting such events should invest time and resources to help the event stand out in a crowded field. This includes