ApproveThis manages your RunSignup Integration approvals.

When Event Management Meets Approval Automation

Let's cut to the chase: race organizers using RunSignup already know how to handle registrations and donations. What keeps them up at night? The approval bottlenecks that come with managing sponsorships, refund requests, or last-minute participant changes. That's where pairing RunSignup with ApproveThis turns "waiting on decisions" into "racing toward results."

We're not talking about another clunky integration. This combo lets you automate the gatekeeper tasks that slow down event execution while keeping full control. Think of it like adding pit crew efficiency to your approval processes – except everyone stays hydrated and nobody yells about tire changes.

What Happens When You Connect the Dots

RunSignup handles the front-end chaos of race registrations and donations. ApproveThis manages the back-end decisions that need human judgment. Together through Zapier, they create closed-loop automation for scenarios like:

• Auto-escalating large donation approvals to board members
• Requiring dual signatures for participant refunds

The kicker? Approvers only need email access – no extra RunSignup logins required. Perfect for involving external sponsors or medical directors who shouldn't have full system access.

Real-World Use Cases (No Hypotheticals)

Nonprofit Race Series: Donation Compliance

A charity marathon using RunSignup's fundraising tools gets 300+ donor-requested designations weekly ("$500 to pediatric oncology"). Their finance team needs to verify each designation aligns with 501(c)(3) rules before depositing funds.

Before: Finance director manually cross-checks every donation against IRS guidelines in a 3-day backlog.

With Automation: Every new RunSignup donation triggers an ApproveThis request with:

• Auto-calculated compliance score based on donor comments
• Priority routing to available legal team members
• Auto-approvals for repeat donors with clean history

Result: 80% reduction in manual review time using approval thresholds and calculated fields.

Ultramarathon Event: Participant Safety

A 100-mile trail race requires medical director approval for all runners with recent injury history. Their RunSignup form collects medical waivers, but approvals get stuck in the race director's inbox.

Solution: New registrations with "recent injury" flagged trigger:

1. Automatic document collection via ApproveThis
2. Sequential approvals from race medic → safety coordinator
3. Real-time status updates in RunSignup participant records

Bonus: Vacation delegation ensures approvals keep moving when medical staff are at other events.

Setup That Actually Works

Forget reading another "connect the API" tutorial. Here's the brass tacks setup for the most common use case (donation approvals):

Step 1: In Zapier, set RunSignup's "New Donation" as trigger

Step 2: Map these fields to ApproveThis:

- Donor email → Requester ID
- Amount → Custom field "Donation_Amount"
- Designation notes → Description field

Step 3: Configure ApproveThis workflow with:

- Approval threshold: Auto-approve donations under $500
- Conditional routing: Escalate $500+ to finance director
- Email fallback: Text approvals for board members on-site

Test with a $1 donation first. Seriously. Save yourself the audit headache.

Department-Specific Wins

Event Planning Teams

Stop playing phone tag with venue managers. Set up approval chains for:

- Permit applications (attach PDFs via ApproveThis)
- Vendor contracts (sequential legal + finance approvals)
- Speaker bookings (auto-remind 48h before deadline)

Finance Teams

Replace spreadsheet tracking with:

- Donation matching approvals
- Tax documentation collection
- Refund request audits with version control

Operations Teams

Cut post-event reconciliation time using:

- Volunteer hour approvals tied to check requests
- Equipment rental extensions
- Damage deposit releases with photo evidence

Why This Isn't Just Another Integration

Most approval tools force your team into rigid workflows. ApproveThis bends around how race organizations actually work:

Dynamic Fields: Auto-calculate registration discounts for group signups needing director approval.

Approval Groups: Require 3/5 board members to approve sponsorship deals over $10k.

Real-Time Dashboards: See which charity partners have pending approvals during annual report season.

And yes – it works even when your race director is checking emails from a satellite phone at mile 82.

The Bottom Line for Race Organizers

You didn't get into event planning to chase down signatures. ApproveThis + RunSignup via Zapier handles the approval grunt work so you can focus on:

- Securing better sponsorships (now that you can actually track their requests)
- Improving participant safety (with enforceable medical approvals)
- Growing your event's impact (without hiring more admin staff)

It's not about doing more approvals – it's about making every approval count toward your mission.

Ready to Ditch Approval Chaos?

If you manage more than three races annually or work with external partners, this integration pays for itself in reclaimed hours. No "maybe next quarter" – either approvals are eating your time or they're not.

Register for ApproveThis and connect your RunSignup account in under 15 minutes. Or schedule a demo to see how calculated fields can automate your trickiest approval scenarios.

Pro tip: Bring your most annoying approval bottleneck. We love turning those into case studies.