Adim Adim’s fundraising programs in Turkey will likely never generate as much money as U.S.-based efforts like the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life or Komen’s Race for the Cure.
But in a country that isn’t known for its philanthropy, Adim Adim’s work might be every bit as important as these American events.
Renay Onur, Itir Erhart and four friends started Adim Adim — which means “step by step” — in 2008 as a way to use their shared love of running to inspire others to volunteer and raise money for charity.
Borrowing peer-to-peer fundraising techniques popular in the U.S., they recruited a small group of runners participating in a marathon to solicit their friends to pledge money to Turkish charities.
Ever since, they have seen their effort grow— from $155,000 raised in 2008 to more than $1.4 million this year.
More than 22,000 people gave money to runners in the program in 2014 — double the number of donors in 2013. And Onur says at least half of those donors had never given to charities before.
That’s a significant figure when you consider that individual giving isn’t part of Turkey’s culture. Turkey ranks just 128th out of 135 countries in the World Giving Index.
But for the eight Turkish charities that have raised money through Adim Adim’s platform, participating in peer-to-peer fundraising has been useful in helping them understand how to appeal to donors.
“The NGOs are learning that they need to start sharing their financial information,” Onur says. “The groups that are sharing information are seeing that individuals are more open to work with them and donate their time and money.”
The concept has been a hit with runners, most of whom have never thought about raising money before.
“Asking for a donation can be boring,” Onur says. “But charity running makes fundraising more fun and running more meaningful.”
Professionals who have been working on established peer-to-peer programs might sometimes take that idea for granted.
But in places where charity isn’t popular, inspiring people to give money for the first time is every bit as rewarding as finishing your first marathon.
That’s exactly what’s happening with Adim Adim.
And, through its efforts, the platform is starting to affect Turkey’s charity culture beyond races.
“We’re starting to hear about people who are using their birthdays to do fundraising,” he says. “That wasn’t common in Turkey before. People are starting to be more creative. They’re thinking ‘If I can do this by running, I can find other ways to raise money, too.’”
