Case Study:
Storytelling 5K for Chicago-Based Nonprofit Dare2tri
Nowadays, the concept of a “fun run” or 5K is often synonymous with fundraising.
In Chicago alone, there are several charity races happening along the lakefront every weekend. While these races can generate major visibility and participation, many lack intentional community-building opportunities, and most follow the same familiar formula.
For nonprofit organizations looking to utilize the concept of a 5K in a more intimate, creative, and mission-driven way, Read & Run Tours offers unique alternatives to the traditional race format, including the “Storytelling 5K.”
Rather than centering speed or competition, the Storytelling 5K model invites beneficiaries, volunteers, and staff to submit place-based stories, memories, or experiences that showcase the power of the nonprofit. Read & Run Tours then compiles the stories, creates a running route and program tying the stories together, and preps the storytellers for public speaking.
A 5k in this style not only gets folks out and moving, but it also fosters a shared sense of purpose, community, and camaraderie.
Whether a nonprofit’s audience has grown tired of the standard race model or the organization simply doesn’t have the staffing capacity, budget, or audience size to produce a large-scale traditional 5K, a creative event like our Storytelling 5K offers a more accessible and memorable alternative. It creates meaningful touchpoints between staff, volunteers, donors, stakeholders, and future community members — all without requiring the scale of a major race production.
Opportunity
Chicago-based adaptive sports nonprofit Dare2tri has been serving adaptive athletes in Chicago and beyond for more than 15 years. The organization was open to Storytelling 5k as a way to introduce the concept of Dare2tri to Chicagoland athletes in a creative way, inspire Chicagoans to volunteer, and promote community engagement among existing athletes and volunteers.
Creative Approach
Read & Run Tours designed, promoted, and facilitated a Storytelling 5K experience alongside a core Dare2tri volunteer and the Director of Communications.
The event blended movement (run, bike, roll, or walk options), community-building moments, and live storytelling. At several points throughout the three and a half-mile route, attendees stopped to listen to stories where they took place, encouraging athletes and volunteers to proudly share their positive experiences with the nonprofit.
Between stops, on-site nonprofit staff and volunteers were available to chat with folks interested in learning more, allowing organic connection and recruiting in a low-pressure setting.
By reframing the 5K as an experiential storytelling event rather than a race, Dare2tri was able to create a more low-key, welcoming experience for both longtime supporters and first-time audiences.
Results
The Storytelling 5K provided Dare2tri with a creative community engagement opportunity that stood apart from traditional nonprofit race programming.
Nearly 30 in-person event attendees left not only having completed a physical activity together, but having formed genuine social connections and meaningful conversations along the way. Several of the attendees plan on volunteering for Dare2tri after having the opportunity to ask questions, meet the folks behind the scenes, and learn more about the impact of the work.
In the marketing and event promotion, Read & Run Tours had the opportunity to utilize trending reels with some of the storytellers, resulting in engaging content for the nonprofit, as well as nearly 10,000 impressions on social media and thousands of web and newsletter impressions.
The event also demonstrated how experiential programming can help nonprofits:
Strengthen community relationships
Create memorable donor and volunteer touchpoints
Increase participant engagement
Offer accessible entry points for new audiences
Align events more closely with organizational values and mission
Takeaway
Not every nonprofit needs a costly or time-consuming race to create impact. At a more intimate event, there are no permits required, no staff time wound up in planning a large-scale event that may or may not result in desired outcomes.
For many nonprofits, smaller and more intentional experiences create stronger, long-term community connections. Rather than considering races as merely fundraising events, the Storytelling 5k asks us to rethink the purpose and potential behind movement.
Staff and volunteers that spend quality, intentional time with existing stakeholders and future fans leave a lasting impression of goodwill and brand awareness. Plus, the addition of place-based storytelling allows memories of the nonprofit to resurface every time attendees pass storytelling locations again.
The Storytelling 5k was an experiential, creative take on the 5k that moved the audience – literally and figuratively.