Fundraising
There are many reasons to run a half marathon, 10km or 5km with raising much needed funds for charity being one of the most popular. Please consider the following advice should you wish your hard work on the roads to go towards benefitting a worthy cause.
Please refer to our Charity Listings for approved charities
Follow these few simple guidelines to ensure a more productive fundraising experience…
- START AS SOON AS POSSIBLE – Adopt a similar determined and planned approach to your fundraising as you do for your training. Carry a sponsorship form with you at all times.
- CHOOSE YOUR CHARITY CAREFULLY – elect a cause you believe in or feel strongly about. It will prove invaluable when you are trying to persuade people to hand over their hard-earned cash.
- ENLIST THE HELP OF OTHERS – Encourage family, friends and work colleagues to help fund-raise on your behalf. Rather than cold calling, try to target organisations,
- WHERE IS THE MONEY BEING SPENT – Ensure you and your fundraising team know specifically where the money will go. “£1,000 buys a kidney machine for children” will elicit more funds than a vague indication.
- MAKE IT EASY FOR SPONSORS – Divide the sponsorship form into a table format with easy-to-fill-in sections for the sponsor’s name, address, telephone number and pledge amount. Don’t forget to use both sides of the paper.
- BE EASY TO CONTACT – Ensure your name, address and telephone number are clearly marked both sides of the sponsorship form. This way any photocopies should eventually return to you.
- TARGET WITH MILITARY PRECISION – Make a list of all your family, friends and work colleagues as well as associates you know through sporting or social activity. If it helps, list them in separate sections and decide how you are going to approach them and what you want to say to them.
- FACE TO FACE IS BEST – It’s more difficult for sponsors to say no if you’re stood in front of them. If you can’t meet them, send a letter, fax or email as they are harder to ignore. A tear-off reply slip at the bottom is another handy hint.
- GO TO THE BOSS – At work or through colleagues in other businesses, target managers who control budgets. Approach the boss and ask if you can tell sponsors that their donation will be matched pound for pound by your company.
- HAVE A HIGH PROFILE – Meet as many potential sponsors as you can. Contact your local newspaper or company newsletter and tell them about your venture.
- BE PROUD – In a cynical world you are actually doing something to make a difference. When you’ve finished your event, take a deep breath and start collecting in the money.