RunVermont created the Miles for a Mission (M4M) program in 2009  in response to the ever growing popularity of using the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon as a venue for non-profit fundraising. For the 2009-2010 program, 50 five-person teams, 50 two-person teams and an unlimited amount of marathon slots were allocated for organizations to use for fundraising.  Thirteen not-for-profit charities were chosen by a selection committee based on the organization's impact on the Vermont community and its thoughtful plan for use of the slots to raise funds and awareness for their cause.

Using KBVCM these 13 charity partners in the Miles for a Mission program generated over $258,000 in fundraising activities via their runners! Over 75% of this money was pledged for use in Vermont.

RunVermont will continue the Miles for a Mission program for 2010-2011. Applications for the 2011-2011 Miles for a Mission program are available here. While there are limited relay teams available for new charity partners, the there is no limit on the number of marathon slots available for new M4M partners.

Each charity is responsible for overseeing its own fundraising campaign; the total amount of money raised relates directly to the efforts of the charity. The organization is responsible for the registration fees of the slots, regardless of implementation. Following the event, all charities are responsible for submitting an event report to share the results of their fundraising efforts. This report is required before reapplying for the following year's event.

Miles for a Mission official charities benefit by having guaranteed relay slots, thereby allowing them to bypass the lottery process in January. Every organization is featured in a RunVermont newsletter prior to the event. The KeyBank Vermont City Marathon and Relay online application has a dropdown menu allowing runners to choose to learn about, run for or donate to each of the charities.

For more questions on the Miles for a Mission program and/or becoming a Charity Partner please contact Jen Savas: jen@runvermont.org or 802-863-8412