08/16/2026
Let me know what you think.
Red Dress Run * Letter to the organizers:
Dear New Orleans Hash House Harriers,
Since 2019, with the exception of the two COVID-19 years, my husband Keith and I have participated in the Red Dress Run fundraiser. We are proud to be a part of something that combines the joyful, outrageous spirit of New Orleans with a cause that genuinely helps people.
I understand the frustration surrounding people who come to New Orleans dressed in red, enjoy the festivities, and never register or contribute to the charitable mission. After all, the Red Dress Run is much more than a party. There are real charities and real people who benefit from the money raised.
But I wonder if there is another way to look at this. Rather than seeing the non-donating partygoer as someone who has hijacked the Red Dress Run, what if we saw them as potential donors who simply haven't been asked in the right way yet? The incredible growth of the Red Dress phenomenon is actually an opportunity.
Imagine making the donation opportunity impossible to miss. Put a Red Dress Run donation QR code everywhere (securely linked to your website to discourage scammers, of course). At participating bars. Restaurants. Hotels. Gas stations. Convenience stores. Airports. Bathrooms. Hotel elevators. Uber and rideshare pickup areas. Event entrances. On wristbands, posters, table tents, coasters and digital screens
The message could be simple:
“Having a fabulous time in your red dress? Help make somebody else's life a little better.
Scan. Donate. Party on.”
Or:
“You wore the dress. Now give back. bitches” (okay, I’m joking with this one)
Imagine a visitor arriving at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and seeing a Red Dress Run QR code before they've even reached baggage claim. They check into their hotel and see it again. They stop for breakfast and there's a QR code on the table. They walk into a bar and see it on the mirror. They order a drink and it's printed on the coaster. They head to the bathroom and there it is again.
Not as a guilt trip. Not as an accusation. As an invitation. “You're already part of the fun. Now be part of the good.” That could transf