Kidney Walk is the nation's largest walk to fight kidney disease. Held in nearly 70 communities, thousands of walkers across the country come together on a mission to raise money, empower the kidney community and amplify awareness of kidney disease. In 2022, the Kidney Walk is back and better than ever! Get ready for a new season of excitement, teamwork and celebration. With you by our side, the fight against kidney disease continues.

It's easy! Click here to find your walk location today!

The Kidney Walks are held in a variety of locations, from large open squares and parks to specialty venues like zoos and stadiums. Walkers also have the option to participate virtually, where they can choose when, how and where they walk, while still being a critical part of our Kidney Walk community. Kidney Walks take place throughout the year in two seasons – March–June and September-November across the United States

There is no registration fee. However, all participants are asked to fundraise. Your fundraising dollars provide lifesaving programs and services to the 37 million (more than 1 in 7) American adults currently living with chronic kidney disease, and the 1 in 3 adults who are at risk.

Online fundraising is designed to make your fundraising efforts more successful. Some of the benefits include:

- You can easily and quickly make a personal donation, send emails, track donations, and send thank you notes to donors.

- The online Kidney Walk Center allows you to track your progress toward your goal with an online fundraising “thermometer.”

- You can personalize your fundraising page by sharing your story and reasons for participating in the Kidney Walk.

- Donors receive an automatic confirmation of their charitable gifts, providing them with an immediate receipt for tax purposes.

- KidneyWalk.org is a secure site and accepts credit cards, ACH and PayPal, so there’s no need to hassle with checks.

- Participants who fundraise earn great prizes. For example, you will earn an official Kidney Walk T-shirt at $100 and membership to our Top Fundraisers Club at $1000. The more you fundraise, the more you can earn!

Strollers are welcome at most walk sites; however, bicycles and in-line skates may not be allowed at all. Pets are also welcome on leashes at most walk sites. Please check with your local Kidney Walk staff partner to confirm the specific permissions of your Walk location.

The walk is a family event and all ages can participate. You should register your children either online or on the day of the event.  By registering your children, you are signing that waiver of participation on their behalf if they are under the age of 18. Each person attending the event needs to have a signed waiver.

Kidney Walk routes are usually 3-5 miles in length, across generally level terrain. Please consult your Walk’s home page to determine the exact length of the Walk in which you will be participating.

The Kidney Walk takes place rain or shine! If there is dangerous weather, your local Kidney Walk staff partner will notify participants to make alternate plans.

Additionally, this year you have the option to choose to participate in-person or on your own time virtually. If it rains, you are welcome to choose another day to walk with your team in a location of your choice. We just ask you share pictures with us using #KidneyWalk.

Teams account for about 70 percent of the funds raised in Walks. Anyone can form a team –  companies, organizations, families, schools, friends, clubs – you name it! Team sizes can range from as few as two walkers to hundreds. Forming a Kidney Walk team is a great way to build company morale and camaraderie among co-workers and increase community spirit.

The Team Captain is the cheerleader responsible for actively recruiting people to be on their Kidney Walk team, encouraging and coaching team members in fundraising, and sharing information about the Walk.

Matching gifts are a great way to increase donations! Click here to see if your company will match employee contributions; and encourage your donors to do the same.

Don’t see your employer on the list? Contact donations@kidney.org for more information on how your business can participate in the matching gifts program.

 

Funds raised online are automatically directed to NKF. For cash and check donations, please turn in money at the walk. Please be sure all checks are made payable to “National Kidney Foundation. ”Donations can also be turned in to the local NKF office any time of year.

More than 83 cents of every dollar raised for the National Kidney Foundation goes directly to support programs and services. To learn more, visit our Why Walk Page.

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Yes. You can make a donation to a fundraiser on a team or you can make a general team donation.

All donations should be mailed to your local office Attn: Kidney Walk. 

Please make all checks payable to: National Kidney Foundation.
Please make sure that in the memo it says National Kidney Foundation Platform and who the donations should be credited to.

Click on the home page and begin typing the first or last name. Your options will display as you type.

Any donation made online should post immediately. If an online donation does not post within 5 minutes, please contact us.

All monetary donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Any donor who mailed their donation and provided an address will receive a receipt via mail once the donation has been processed. If you made your donation in installments, you will receive a receipt each time a monthly payment is processed.

Yes, anyone who donates online, regardless of the amount, will receive a receipt via email.

A Tax ID number identifies National Kidney Foundation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit Organization. The National Kidney Foundation Tax ID number is 13-1673104

When you make a donation online, you can designate what you want to appear as your recognition name on the participant's Honor Roll. This may be your name, or it could be something such as "From the whole Wolf family" or "in memory of Aunt Cathy."

Matching gifts are a great way to increase donations! Click here to see if your company will match employee contributions, and encourage your donors to do the same.

Don’t see your employer on the list? Contact donations@kidney.org for more information on how your business can participate in the matching gifts program. 

The average Kidney Walk fundraiser raises nearly $300! Some walkers, with support from family, friends, and co-workers, have raised thousands. Participants will earn laces with their first donation, those who raise $100 or more earn an official Kidney Walk t-shirt, and those who raise more will continue to build their walk day outfit! 

Raise your dollars before walk and you'll receive your outfit by Walk Day. Funds must be accounted for 3 weeks prior to the event to receive on time. 

If a donation check has been written out to you personally, you may endorse the back of the check and mail it in with a completed donation form to National Kidney Foundation.

You should reach out to your local staff partner to coordinate how to turn in cash donations. 

Any donation made online should post immediately. If your donation does not post within 5 minutes, please contact National Kidney Foundation.

You can't enter a check online. You must mail the check to the National Kidney Foundation and a local staff member will enter the donation once it's received. Please be sure to include your Team Name (if you are on a team) as well as your Full Name if you are to be credited.

A Tax ID number identifies National Kidney Foundation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Many donors will request this number to validate their donation as tax-deductible. The National Kidney Foundation Tax ID number is 13-1673104.

As your donors make a contribution, they have the option of whether or not they want to appear in the Honor Roll.

Log in with your email and password to visit your Walk Center. Select My Fundraising Report on the left side. You will then find a list of all of your donors as well as a list of all donors to your team .

To easily send thank-you emails to donors, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Walk Dashboard by clicking the "My HQ" link in the top right
2. Click "My Fundraising Report" in the left sidebar
3. Locate the donor/donation you'd like to thank, and click "Send Email" (If the donor didn't submit their email address, this option is unavailable.)
4. Type the message in the pop-up window, and click "Send Email"

You are receiving these emails because we would like to keep you updated on your fundraising efforts. If you wish to stop receiving these updates, please login to your headquarters and edit your account preferences.

A personal URL is a shortened link to your team or personal page that you can send to friends and family in emails. A personal URL will look like this https://www.kidneywalk.org/ben.

When a donor makes a donation online, s/he can enter text to appear on the fundraising honor roll. This may be the donor's name, or it could be something like "From the whole Wolf family" or "In Memory of Aunt Cathy".