PELOTONIA: STRATEGIC FORECASTING
Image Source: Pelotonia
Role
Skills
time line
Full project
The overview
This semester-long consulting project partnered with Pelotonia, a charitable cycling event that funds cancer research, to assess how COVID-19 affected rider participation and donor behavior. Working in a team of five, we analyzed participation and fundraising data to investigate demographic and geographic shifts, changes in giving patterns during the pandemic, and differences between individual and team riders in motivation and contribution.
The Development
Data Cleaning and Documentation: Create a comprehensive data dictionary and clean seven datasets. Standardized 30+ variables, to eliminate inconsistencies and format irregularities.
Statistical Testing & Interpretation: Analyzed fundraising trends, compared performance before and after COVID-19, and segmented data by rider demographics and team classifications (corporate vs. community-led). Applied the Average Forecast Method to project per-capita funds raised over the next three years.
Visualization & Refinement: Refined analytical findings and created 15 visualizations using ggmap and ggplot2 in R to make insights accessible to Pelotonia stakeholders.
Final Presentation: Presented deliverables to the Pelotonia team, focusing on actionable insights to strengthen post-pandemic fundraising and engagement strategies.
the takeaways
Recovery is progressing but requires sustained effort. Participation remains below pre-COVID levels despite 2024 improvements
Wage growth and employment directly boost contribution amounts.
Teams dramatically outperform individuals: average team fundraising is 2.5x higher per participant
Demographics matter: gender splits between High/Non-High Rollers require tailored approaches.
Columbus-area cities show resilience and recovery potential after COVID-19
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