Running a charity isn’t just a matter of raising a dollar from Paul and handing it over to Peter. Too often, overhead bleeds out the most important resources—time and money—that could be going to those in need. Which is where the Old Bill’s Fun Run, held in Jackson Hole, Wyo., every September, comes in. Instead of your average run/jog/walk for money—I run X miles, you give me Y dollars—imagine Old Bill’s as a charity for charities. Donors and runners pay an entry fee of however much they choose, check their preferred recipients off a list—everything from women’s shelters to veterans’ groups to the Teton County Library—and hand over a single check. The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole matches a percentage of the first $25,000 of each charity’s total take, drawing from a pool of super donors: An anonymous couple known as Mr. and Mrs. Old Bill have ponied up $500,000 every year since 1997, while individual “co-challengers” give anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000. But the giving’s not limited to Jackson’s big cheeses. “Last year the smallest donation was $1.50,” says Community Foundation’s Nicki Rasch. “We’ve got 5-year-olds saving up all summer to donate.”
Photo by Derek DiLuzio
