I recently received this email from a new BwP member: (paraphrased)
"I presented the Sweaty Bucks idea to all our boxers. Many were onboard but no one was stepping up as Sweaty Bucks coordinator. Very few suggested local charities. And quite a few didn't really want to participate. The group decided to table the Sweaty Bucks program until September and then discuss it again."
This sounds about right for a first introduction to Sweaty Bucks. I'll even add a recent question that came up in one of my gyms... "Why should people with Parkinson's support epilepsy? Shouldn't we be supporting PD?" Good questions.
Let's go step by step. Starting with the lack of universal support.
- "No one was stepping up to be Sweaty Bucks coordinator". Assign it to your coaches to begin. It takes about 2 minutes per workout to count the money. How long does it take to count $22? In a few months, the boxers will take over the Sweaty Bucks program recognizing that it is their program.
- "Very few suggested local charities." You just need one per month so a few is plenty. Some months we don’t have a nomination for a charity so I suggest one and ask for a vote yea or nea. It is always yea because who is going to vote against women's domestic violence or foster kids. You might start with a Parkinson's related charity such as supporting the APDA or the Parkinson's Foundation. Or, a charity everyone is familiar with like the local food bank or domestic women's shelter. Pick something and just get started.
- "Quite a few don't want to participate."
- You don’t need 100% participation. It is set up so no one knows who doesn’t participate. I don’t know for sure, but I think about a quarter of my boxers never drop a Sweaty Buck. Three quarters do. At least from time to time.
- Historically, without 100% participation, my gyms average about $8 per active boxer per month. We had $11 this week at one of our workouts. But we are at $380 across both gyms and all workouts. Every dollar counts!
- If your average attendance is 15 boxers per workout, then $8 per active boxer would be $120 by the end of the month. This month, our 2 gyms are supporting epilepsy and we are at $380 with 2 workouts to go. With about 14 active boxers per gym, that is about $14 per active boxer so far this month! Last month with a PD related cause, we raised $360. PD vs. epilepsy? I can’t explain it. But I am so proud of my boxers. So generous and amazing!
- Your boxers won't really understand Sweaty Bucks until the chosen charity is one where the cause touches their life. They might ignore Sweaty Bucks until next February when the cause is early learning or addiction, and they have a child suffering from alcoholism or a grandchild with a learning disability. They’re in.
- The mix of who participates each month changes. Some drop a Sweaty Buck at every workout. Just automatic. Some drop a $10 or $20 once a month to keep it simple. Some will support the high school robotics team but don’t want to support the food bank. No problem.
- Even those who didn’t give… who don’t want to participate… will feel the pride the first time a local charity sends their executive director to your gym to receive their Sweaty Bucks. Or you read to the group the grateful letter of thanks you received from a Christmas family.
- “The group decided to…” Sweaty Bucks giving is a personal option. The grumpies should not stop the gratefuls from doing good. It is not all or nothing. Just pick a great first charity and get started.
- The group “decided to table it until September and then discuss it again.” The response will be the same. What will be different? Just get started.
For the first month try a cause your boxers will take personally like sending your coaches to Coach Con or buying a special piece of equipment for the gym or providing your local PD support group with a Rock Steady Boxing scholarship for one of the support group members.
As for why people with PD would support non-PD charities? Why don’t we support a PD charity every month?
- First, if that is what the boxers want… no problem. There are plenty of PD related charities to give to. It is their money. They nominate the charities.
- While we are part of a small community of people with PD, we are also members of a larger community of friends, family and strangers who don’t have PD but have other needs. Life touches people we know or love every day. And even if we don’t know someone with epilepsy, we are compassionate and generous people. Thanksgiving and Christmas are very special times for Sweaty Bucks. Our Christmas kids don't have PD.
- Last month we gave our Sweaty Bucks to a group who train dogs to sniff out PD in people who don’t even have symptoms yet. Their thank you note was inspiring. We did good. This month it is epilepsy. And the giving is at about the same level.
- It is a matter of pride that we tell Mr. Parkinson’s that he cannot hold us down. We still matter. We still make a difference in our community. Sweaty Buck him!
Sweaty Bucks will become part of your gym culture. I couldn’t stop Sweaty Bucks in my gyms if I wanted to. It is their money. They collect and track the money. They deliver the Sweaty Bucks and get their pictures taken. They don’t need me to give their Sweaty Bucks to local charities. Get it started and then get out of the way!
Do you have a boxer who is or has been a member of Rotary or Kiwanis who really understands the power of giving? Or a boxer who has a special cause in their life through a family member or friend? Start with Parkinsons! They all understand that cause.
Coach support for Sweaty Bucks is critical. Rock Steady coaches are typically compassionate people so they get it. Personally, I put a couple Sweaty Bucks in the jar before every workout. They just fall out of my pocket so I don’t miss them. Remember I am a Parkie too. I open every workout with a Sweaty Bucks reminder of what the cause is with a Sweaty Bucks total update. If you have more than 1 location, the Sweaty Bucks total is important. I end every workout with a Sweaty Bucks reminder as they leave. You can watch the people stop by the Sweaty Bucks jar on their way out. I suspect that when I’m not there, my coach in gym 2 doesn’t promote Sweaty Bucks like I do and the average Sweaty Bucks per boxer in my home gym is significantly greater than the 2nd gym. My coach is out for a few workouts and I am covering for him. The Sweaty Bucks have doubled in just 3 workouts because I promote them. It turns out good people need to be reminded to do good.
While 11 months of the year your gym’s Sweaty Bucks benefit your local community. Being part of the National Sweaty Bucks Network will multiply the collective good we do to unbelievable heights. With my local Rock Steady gyms we are now over $40,000 in Sweaty Bucks since we began in July of 2017! One Sweaty Buck at a time. When the National Sweaty Bucks Network is 500 members strong averaging just $100 per month each… that is $50,000 a month! $600,000 a year!
Sweaty Rock Steady boxers making a difference!