Registering & Raising Pledges
Your carriage awaits. Register and start raising pledges today!
Registering to participate in the Mississippi River Challenge is easy — If you’re ready to register, you can register online and set up your own personal fundraising page. When registering, you have the option to rent a canoe or kayak for the event.
Please contact Kristin at knierengarten@fmr.org or 651-222-2193 x19 if you’d like to have a registration brochure mailed to you.
What your registration fee covers
All participants, including children too young to paddle, need to fill out a registration form and pay a registration fee. This is a great deal, as the Mississippi River Challenge is a fully supported event, and benefits include:
- A May 7th kick-off party at Summit Brewing Company
- Pre-event fundraising and paddling workshops
- Personal fundraising pages
- Assistance to help you meet your pledge goal and premiums to reward you for exceeding the minimum
- Early (Friday evening) check-in
- Shuttles from Grey Cloud Island (two day paddlers) or Fort Snelling (one day paddlers) on Saturday morning
- A shuttle for your camping gear (no need to haul gear in your boat)
- All meals – breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner and all beverages – included
- A Saturday overnight inside Fort Snelling and waived admission fee to tour the Fort
- A live musical performance Saturday night
- Free massages during the Night at the Fort celebration
- Interpretive presentations and highlights
- Sag support at every designated stop
- Safety support at all stops and on the river
Registration Fee Breakdown
| Registration Type & Age | Through March 31 | April 1-July 1 | July 2-July 25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult Registration (16+) | $40 | $50 | $60 |
| Child Registration (15 & under) | $25 | $30 | $35 |
| FMR Member/Volunteer (16+) | $30 | $40 | $50 |
| Recruited Paddler (16+) | $30 | $40 | $50 |
| Recruited FMR Member/Volunteer (16+) | $20 | $30 | $40 |
| Adult Night at Fort only (16+) | $15 | $20 | $20 |
| Child Night at Fort only (15 & under) | $10 | $10 | $10 |
Boat Rental Fees (per paddler)
| Boat | Fee (per paddler) |
|---|---|
| Canoe | $30 |
| Recreational Kayak | $30 |
| Sea Kayak | $60 |
Pledge Raising Requirements
| Paddler Age | Requirements |
|---|---|
| 15 & under | No required minimum |
| 16 - 18 | $50 minimum |
| Over 18 | $200 minimum |
Become a recruiter!
Who can be a recruiter and how does it work?- Anyone can be a recruiter, regardless of whether or not you’ve paddled this event before
- Check the "Recruiter" box when registering online
- Receive a Recruiter Code via email
- Pass your Recruiter Code on to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.
- Recruited paddlers then enter your Recruiter Code when they register online
- Only those who have never participated in the event count as recruited paddlers
- Recruited paddlers must be 16 years of age or older
- $10 refund from your registration fee for each paddler you recruit, up to 5 paddlers (not to exceed paid registration fee)
- Refunded after the event in the form of a check from Friends of the Mississippi River mailed to the address you provide at registration
- Not transferable to pledge totals, another participant, or boat rental fees
- Entry into canoe or kayak drawing for each two additional recruited paddlers (7, 9, 11, etc.)
- New paddlers you recruit receive $10 off their registration fee when they enter your Recruiter Code upon registering
You can get your participant packet (a set of downloads that includes training tips, pledge forms, and other useful information), tips and strategies for raising pledges, and information on premiums here on the web site as well. Or by checking the appropriate box on the registration form, you can have these items mailed to you.
Maps of the Twin Cities stretch of the river, a Mississippi River Visitor Guide, and special interpretive guides to help you get even more out of your time on the river will be provided to all participants.
- Register
- Visit our registration page, or contact us for a paper form.
- Participant Packet
- View a list of what makes up the packet, which you can download to your computer and print out.
- Raising Pledges
- Raising $200 or more becomes easy when you take the approach that is right for you. Whether it’s asking four people for $50, or twenty people for $10, getting to the minimum pledge doesn’t have to be a chore – and once you get going, you don’t have to stop at $200! There are some great incentives for continuing to raise pledges once you’ve hit the minimum – lots of great premiums, AND the knowledge that you are doing even more to help protect the Mississippi River! Some ideas and strategies for how to raise pledges from family, friends and acquaintances are listed here.
- Premiums
- As you raise your pledges, keep an eye on our Premiums page for great gear and fun stuff that is available at various pledge total levels. New items are added as new businesses and individuals become event sponsors, and the more you raise, the higher the value of the premiums for which you are eligible.
- You may claim one premium from each of the Premium Categories based on the amount you have raised. Premiums are offered as long as supplies last, which is a good incentive to do your fundraising early!
- Participants who raise $500 or more are entered in a drawing to win a brand new canoe or kayak. Your name is entered into the drawing for each $500 you raise — for example, if you raise $1,500 you get three chances to win! Only pledges turned in through the morning of Saturday, July 25th will be counted toward the drawing. The drawing will be held Wednesday, July 29th at 12:00 p.m. in the Friends of the Mississippi River office. The winners will be notified immediately thereafter.