Virtual duck race fundraisers
No river. No permits. No rain date. Supporters adopt ducks on your race website, race day happens online, and every adoption funds your mission. We run the platform and the marketing.
Where this came from
Virtual races are not a feature we bolted on. They are how we made it through the hardest season in our history, and how our partners kept fundraising when nothing else could run.
For 32 years our whole business was crowds: thousands of people shoulder to shoulder along a riverbank, cheering ducks toward a finish line. Then the pandemic hit, and every crowd in America went home. It could have been the end of the story.
Instead of waiting it out, we rebuilt. Online duck adoptions through our eQuack platform. Race videos partners could premiere on social media. An auditable random draw to crown winners without a crowd. Virtual gift bags so sponsors still got their moment in front of supporters.
While galas, auctions, and fun runs sat canceled on the calendar, duck races kept running, on screens instead of rivers. Missions kept getting funded. Some of the organizations that started with us in that season are still racing today.
What we built to survive is now something we offer every partner: a full virtual duck race, run on our online platform and backed by our marketing team. Same ducks, same fun, no geography.
Start Your Virtual RacePick your race day
Every format runs on the same platform: online adoptions, live totals, and winners your supporters can trust.
Fully virtual
No venue, no ducks to ship, nothing to set up. Supporters adopt online, then your race video premieres on social media or your race website, and winners come from an auditable random draw.
Best for: groups with far-flung supporters, tight timelines, or no workable water nearby.
Livestream
Real ducks on real water with a small crew on site, broadcast to everyone at home. The crowd watches the finish from their couches, and the winner announcement happens on camera.
Best for: races that want the splash without the crowd logistics.
Hybrid
Run your physical race day and open online adoptions to the whole world weeks ahead. Supporters who moved away, out-of-town family, and remote sponsors all get to play.
Best for: existing races that want to grow past the riverbank.
Simpler than simple
Branded to your cause and your sponsors, with express checkout and Apple Pay.
Links, QR codes, and a social kit, plus managed ads if you want the extra reach.
Grandma in Phoenix, alumni in Boston, your sponsor's whole office. Every duck counts.
Your race video premieres or your livestream rolls, and the whole crowd watches together.
An auditable draw picks the winners, prizes go out, and you get one clean check.
What you get
A virtual race lives or dies on two things: the website that sells the ducks and the push that fills it with supporters. We run both.
The eQuack platform
The same software that powers our biggest physical races, pointed at the internet.
The marketing engine
A virtual race has no foot traffic, so the promotion does all the work. That is our job.
What stays yours: your cause, your supporters, and your sponsor relationships. We hand you the platform, the assets, and a proven playbook. You bring the community, even when the community is scattered across five time zones.
Why race with us
The track record is the whole company. 2,000+ organizations and $280M+ raised since 1988 stand behind every virtual race we run.
Real numbers before any sales call. Your free plan spells out costs, timeline, and a realistic target. No mystery pricing behind a demo.
A path to the riverbank. When your community is ready to gather, the same team ships the ducks and runs the real thing. Virtual-only vendors stop at the screen.
Good questions
Free virtual race plan
Tell us who you are and we will email a plan for your virtual race: format, timeline, and the real numbers. A real person follows up within one business day.
We just sent it to your inbox. Here is what happens next:
Check your inbox. Your plan lands within a couple of minutes: how a virtual race runs, what we handle, and your launch timeline. No email? Check spam or promotions.
A real person reaches out. Someone from our team follows up within one business day to tailor the plan with you.
You decide. A short call maps the real numbers for your race. If it fits, we pick a race day. If not, keep the plan with our compliments.
No geography required
Two quick chips and a short form get you a free virtual race plan. A real person follows up within one business day.
Plan My Virtual RaceVirtual races can launch in weeks, so there is no season to miss.
