Philanthropy Post: Charity Miles

This is the first (of hopefully many!) post on businesses giving back or allowing a platform for others to give back. These will be appearing weekly!

How would you like to donate without even opening up your wallet? What if all you had to do was lace up your tennis shoes or fasten your helmet, open an app, and go?

With Charity Miles, that's all you have to do! This fantastic free app records your running or biking miles and makes a donation off of that distance! It's such a fantastic feeling after your run. I've used it on two or three runs so far and I'm loving it. Not only did you run for yourself, but you helped somebody else in the process. Double whammy.



Charity Miles from Richard Reininger on Vimeo.

How Does It Work?

Walkers and runners earn 25 cents a mile while bikers earn 10 cents a mile. The website explains that the organization has a one million dollar sponsorship pool. Each mile you walk, run, or bike comes from that sponsorship pool towards a charity of your choice. You can choose from the following charities: Feeding America, Autism Speaks, Wounded Warrior Project, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Stand Up to Cancer, RED, World Food Programme, The Nature Conservancy, ASPCA, Habitat for Humanity, the Luekemia & Lymphoma Society, Partnership for a Healthier America, Pencils of Promise, Girl Up, Shot at Life, NothingButNets.net, Ironman Foundation, Every Mother Counts, Achilles International, or DoSomething.org.

The Impact

Once you choose your charity and whether you're going to run, walk, or bike, you hit "Start" and go! The app tracks your time, mileage, and even the impact you're creating. I usually choose Feeding America and it shows me how many meals I'm feeding people. So when I get tired, it helps for me to click on the "Impact" tab and see what my work is really going towards.

When you're finished with your run or bike, you simply click on "Finish" and the app will ask you to accept your sponsorship. You click yes and you can share it on social media. Finally, they'll send you an email letting you know the amount you were able to donate and how much you were able to help!

You can visit their website and download the app there.

Enjoy!