On September 20th, 2014 the Authentic Pilates Union organized its second annual Pilates Gives Back Day. As you may remember reading in an earlier Pilates Intel article, we were merely facilitating a global effort within our Pilates community. It was Pilates teachers and enthusiasts who opened their studios to their local communities in order to fundraise for a charity of their choosing. A fabulous group of teachers from around the world participated. The charities for which they fundraised varied; the day’s Pilates lessons differed; but the spirit of giving was consistent.
The inclusiveness of this year’s Pilates Gives Back event was inspiring. We had APU and non-APU members who organized a vast array of activities that raised a total of $5,929.25 and a bin of children’s books. I received many emails recounting the great time teachers and their class participants had. I thought it would be nice for you all to read a little about our event this year through the eyes of those who participated.
Most studios transformed their usual Saturday classes into donation-based for Pilates Gives Back. A relatively easy way to participate, especially for those busy studio owners, that still had a huge impact. For example, the instructors at The Pilates Core, in Western Springs, IL taught their usual classes plus a special kids class at the same time as one of the adult Reformer classes. I thought this idea really integrated the mission of their chosen charity, Action for Healthy Kids, into their event.
Dana Santi had this to say about their day: “We ended up raising $1023. I am interviewing this Thursday as Action for Healthy Kids wants to feature us on their website…stating our event falls under their Team Healthy Kids initiative. So that’s good. Our funds came from raffles (teachers donating privates and mat classes) and the day itself. It was all actually quite easy and now look, we get to be on their website.” While we all participated out of a desire to give back there are benefits for your business too, as Dana remarked. Furthermore, Dana’s studio was featured in a local magazine prior to the event. Both of these side benefits help raise the visibility of her studio and her teachers within their community.
I was also touched to see teachers extending themselves in order to participate on this special day. Kerry De Vivo at Excel Pilates Annapolis had been organizing a continuing education weekend (also featuring Peter Fiasca) for the very weekend of Pilates Gives Back. Yet, Kerry figured out a way to still do a fundraiser. She simply created a raffle and ran it for a few weeks leading up to the actual date of this year’s event.
The team spirit among Pilates instructors was a wonderful thing to witness during the planning of this event. Both Pilates Anytime and Pilatesology used their online platforms to participate in the Pilates Gives Back. Pilates Anytime ran a class that Kathryn Ross-Nash filmed and then they donated $500 to St. Jude’s Research Hospital. Pilatesology set up something very special for Mari Windsor. They filmed the teachers at Mari’s studios doing an Ice Bucket Challenge. Alisa said it was a great success. The video with Mari was shared over 100 times and Pilatesology gave $1000 to ALS Research.
Small studios had a big turnout too. Sunni Almond’s studio had 15 people come to her studio for Pilates Gives Back and, she wrote, “because I am a one woman show here, that was a LOT of beginners! Fortunately they were all lovely people who just wanted to know what Pilates is all about, support Wishes For Children and this gave them an opportunity to do both. Of course some true blue loyal clients showed up too.” Sunni made about $200 for her charity.
Beth at Three Anchors Studio said “everyone was very happy and we were glad we did it – we’ll definitely do another event next year!” They raised $211 for Hope for Heather, a non-profit working to raise awareness about ovarian cancer.
Kate Brannan involved other businesses in her event, which was an excellent idea that may have taken a bit more planning and organizing but it really paid off! Her goal was to raise $735, however, she ended up raising $1,115! Her PGB event entailed Tower and Reformer classes, an hourly giveaway for manicures (donated by a spa in her building), goody bags with a $100 gift certificate from a local dentist, and raffle baskets. Businesses in her area of Red Bank contributed to her 9 baskets, which included gift certificates to restaurants, jewelry stores, spas, tickets to events, home goods, and more. She priced tickets for the baskets at $5 for 1 ticket, $10 for 3 tickets, and $20 for 10 tickets. She said almost everyone went for the $20 option and this ended up being the greatest fundraising portion of her event. To top off her event, one of her clients (a former professional baker) made gluten-free macaroons, sweet tea banana bread, and a fruit platter. The extra planning had its rewards as she noted: “This event also brought new clients into the studio, some that had never done Pilates before. It was a great way to introduce them to the studio and to Pilates while participating in a good cause.”
Donna Fisher put a unique spin on her fundraising for Play Foundation. In addition to a mat class at her studio in Texas, they held an interview with founder of the Play Foundation, Jennifer Griffin and they shared this event via Skype with a studio in Atlanta. They also held an open house for new students or friends of current clients. At the end of the day they had raised $1,020 for Play Foundation.
We are very grateful for the support that came from around the world. We had articles in international and national media, we had studios as far away as Australia participate, and we had a tremendous response from leaders in the Pilates industry. I think that we achieved our goals but I would like to extend our limits and make next year an even greater success. It would be lovely to have more members from the Pilates community plan events for this year’s Pilates Gives Back day.
Plan Ahead For Next Year
As you can see from the stories from this year, your PGB event can be as simple as converting your Saturday classes to donation-based for that day, or you could plan special group classes, privates, or duets. You could arrange for classes in outdoor spaces like the park or see about teaching classes in a local business. For example, this year, one teacher did her PGB at LuLuLemon. You could also organize a workshop or continuing education event to fundraise for your selected charity. Start chatting up local businesses that have a similar clientele as you do. With nearly six months until the next Pilates Gives Back Day, you could plan something more elaborate, like Kate’s event, and make it a special social event in your town.
Those of us in smaller towns, or with a very cohesive village in a big city, we can even reach out to local government or chambers of commerce to get them involved in the day as well. With some brainstorming now and a little bit of organizing spread out over the next months, we could grow our Pilates Gives Back event to raising 5 times as much as this year’s. Well, there is a good goal for next year!
For more information on charities, participation, and how to make donations visit our webpage and our Facebook page.
The mission is to draw our Pilates community together on a single day so that, as an international team, we can raise awareness and give back to some important charitable organizations.
Marie’s Bio
Marie Wittman is a Senior Teacher Trainer and Certified Pilates Teacher. She holds a PhD in medical history from Queen Mary, University of London and has founded Art and Science of Balance as a platform for educating the public about aligned movement and for providing unique continuing education to Pilates instructors. She teaches and writes about all aspects of optimal health, and is presently developing workshops on movement and women’s reproductive health.
Well known and respected in the Pilates world, she has taught in Los Angeles, London, and Paris before relocating (for the time being) to the Chicago area. In her travels she has had the good fortune to further her own study of Pilates with beloved teachers like Kathryn Ross-Nash, Brooke Siler, Jay Grimes, and Peter Fiasca. She has also dedicated time and resources to broadening her education through studying and researching everything from kinesiology and biomechanics to holistic health and wellness approaches.
Marie is quite active in the Authentic Pilates Union, serving as the committee head in the Charity Committee and as a committee member in the Education Committee.
You can reach Marie at marie@artandscienceofbalance.com