How does sponsoring a hiker work?

To donate to one of the HikeFor causes, step one is to set up an account, which is quick and easy, then go to the hiker page and make a small per-mile pledge to the hiker's trek. How far they get on their hike determines your total donation, which will be collected once the hike is finished.

What percentage of donations does HikeFor keep?

0% - HikeFor doesn't keep any of your donation.

In 2010, the year HikeFor was launched, all donations were made directly to Kleiwerks International, the single non-profit HikeFor supported that year. This year (2013) HikeFor will be registered as a non-profit organization so that donations can be collected by HikeFor and dispersed to the sponsored non-profits, that's the only way HikeFor can accurately track and report donations, but HikeFor still won't keep any of the donations. A small percentage (likely less than 3%) may be lost to payment processing fees.

Is HikeFor a registered charity?

Not yet, but I'm working on securing some funds to cover the costs of incorporating as a 501(c)3 this spring, 2013, so HikeFor can act as a clearing-house for the donations to the sponsored non-profits, otherwise accurately tracking donations made directly to multiple different charities will be impossible.

Will my donation be tax deductible?

I'm hoping to get HikeFor registered both in Canada and the US so you tax receipts can be issued to residents on either side of the border.

Will you add the cause I want to hike for?

Yes, as long as it's a legitimate non-profit. Use the contact form to let me know about the cause and I'll add it to the list of options as quickly as possible.

Who, what, where is HikeFor?

HikeFor is currently ultimately just a website, there's no team or organization behind it, but by summer 2013 it will be registered as a non-profit in the US and Canada.

My name is Paul Mitchell "Potential 178", I built HikeFor in 2010 with the idea that if a bunch of hikers dedicated their hikes collectively to a single worthwhile cause, it could raise funds for something good, give the hikers some added sense of community and some encouragement to finish their hikes. I launched the site a few weeks before hitting the PCT myself so there wasn't a lot of time to get the word out. I've upgraded the site in 2013 to allow hikers to pick whatever cause they want.

Need some help with costs of incorporating as a 501(c)3?

Yes, please!

So far I have put in about 450 hours of programming & design time and have covered the minimal costs of domains & hosting myself, but now it's time to get registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit, and that'll cost a few thousand dollars.

Have a question?

Use the contact form to get in touch.