In 1997, RAIN Inc. — a HIV/AIDS service organization in Charlotte — was looking for a new and innovative way to raise funds for their operations. The organization decided to take the same approach as other HIV awareness organizations across the country — creating a walking fundraiser where individuals or teams could raise money for RAIN.
Now known as AIDS Walk Charlotte, RAIN’s most sizable fundraising event of the year has grown to become the largest HIV/AIDS walking fundraiser in North Carolina, with thousands of participants and millions of dollars raised over the last two and a half decades.
RAIN’s Vice President of Philanthropy Nathan Smith has been with RAIN for almost 20 years. During that time, he says, its mission has shifted.
“Obviously as medication and all aspects of HIV have changed and gotten better, we’ve shifted our focus from caring for people who are dying to now caring for people who are living,” he explained.
RAIN’s founding and how its goals have shifted
RAIN was founded in 1992 as a faith-based organization by Rev. Debbie Warren with a mission to “engage the faith community in meeting the challenges of HIV/AIDS prevention and end of life care,” according to the organization’s website.
The early days of RAIN mostly centered around educating the public about the reality of HIV, as well as providing a support system for those who were nearing the end of their life.
“[Warren] noticed people were dying alone and their families were pushing them aside over their churches,” Smith recapped. “We are in the south — the Bible Belt. It’s not as common now for families and congregations to disown, for lack of a better word, people when they come out as gay or lesbian or trans and stuff like that, but it’s still there. That’s kind of how HIV was as well.”
As antiretroviral therapies such as PrEP started to roll out, RAIN’s services started to shift from providing end of life care to treating and controlling the progression of HIV in Charlotte’s communities. RAIN’s work now centers around meeting client needs of treatment education, access to medical care, medications and emergency assistance, which impact health and quality of life.
Some of the services RAIN now provides include health insurance assistance, HIV case management, a HIV youth support group, counseling services, HIV testing and more.
“What was really cool about RAIN was a byproduct of what we were doing was trying to get congregations to support people so they could not die alone, but then we were actually changing people’s mind,” Smith explained. “Having the congregation have their own, for lack of a better word, ‘come to Jesus’ moment, looking past their own biases or whatever — just following the simple rule of loving your neighbor.”
AIDS Walk Charlotte and its importance to RAIN’s operations
RAIN’s annual AIDS Walk Charlotte is the organization’s largest fundraiser, with this past year’s event raising over $200,000. So how are funds raised prior to and during the event?
RAIN’s fundraising model for the AIDS Walk is very similar to other walking events across the country — participants can choose to register as an individual or a team. Registration is free for all participants, but in order to receive a tee shirt for the event, each individual campaign must raise at least $35.
“We also know it is a community awareness event, so we don’t want to hinder or block anyone from being able to participate if they want to participate,” Smith said.
The walk is also unique because its sole benefactor is RAIN. Because RAIN isn’t the only HIV/AIDS service organization in the Charlotte area, they partner with other organizations, allowing them to have booths at the event for walkers to go to. According to Smith, HIV service organizations can have a booth space the morning of the AIDS Walk and are required to register and fundraise or donate $100. Corporations and local businesses across Charlotte will also organize teams to walk and fundraise for RAIN. Smith said it’s an opportunity for the Charlotte business community to dedicate their time to fundraising for a local organization.
“We know a lot of companies cannot ask their employees to give directly to a nonprofit,” he explained. “We have it set up that way so it removes a barrier for companies to participate.”
Some companies elect to be co-sponsors for the walk, however, these sponsorships are implemented in a unique way compared to other fundraising events. Smith explained some companies will have a “match day,” where they will match individual donations until a certain amount of funds are raised.
“It also helps the individuals you know that might say they’re gonna be able to get $100 in donations. Now they are able to double that by another $100,” he said. “It automatically adds it to their total amount raised. So instead of us of putting all that sponsorship [money] into a sponsorship bucket, we actually share it with everyone else.”
Sponsorships this past year only made up $41,000 of the $204,000 raised during AIDS Walk Charlotte — the rest came from individual or team fundraising. Smith said without the individuals who participate in the walk, the event wouldn’t be nearly as successful.
He said each year the organization is closer to “stomping the stigma” associated with HIV, one AIDS Walk at a time.
“A big part of why the walks are still important is because we’re trying to find how to break that stigma,” he said. “We’re just trying to bring the community together and have an honest conversation.”