Having a charity partner is sometimes a bit of an afterthought for many race directors. And yet, there’s so many benefits to getting a charity involved with your event, from increased participation and volunteer recruitment opportunities to even higher likelihood of closing sponsorship agreements. Well, today, I’m talking to industry veteran Susan Hurley, Founder of CharityTeams, about how to approach charities, what to expect out of a charity partnership and how to make the most of this underappreciated opportunity for your event.Things covered in this episode:Why partnering your race can help your race registrations, volunteer recruitment, community buy-in and sponsorship prospectsWhat charity partners expect from your eventHow to research and do due diligence on potential charity partnersHow to pitch your event to your shortlisted charity partner candidatesHow to structure your charity giveback in a way that best aligns your interests with those of your charity partnerHow to set up a charity program for your raceLinks:Charity Navigator - ratings agency for nonprofit organizationsGuideStar - search data, reports and information on nonprofits Thanks to GiveSignup|RunSignup for supporting quality content for race directors by sponsoring this episode. More than 21,000 in-person, virtual, and hybrid events use GiveSignup|RunSignup's free and integrated solution to save time, grow their events, and raise more. If you'd like to learn more about GiveSignup|RunSignup's all-in-one technology solution for endurance and fundraising events visit runsignup.com.You can find more free resources on planning, promoting and organizing  races on our website RaceDirectorsHQ.com.You can also share your questions about charity partnerships and fundraising or anything else in our race directors Facebook group, Race Directors Hub.