This post is in partnership by BT MyDonate – however as part of it I am going to give £100 of my fee to one of your charities, and help you enter the ‘Donation Doubler’ – all you have to do to be in with chance of winning is to tell me why you’d like to raise funds for your charity, set up a BT MyDonate page and leave the link below (if you’ve already started a fundraising page on a different platform please just leave that link!). Entries close on the 20th January and the winner will have the cash donated to their page.
The first marathon I ever ran was the London Marathon in 2012. I secured a charity place through MIND, the mental health charity, raising money in memory of my friend and housemate, Vic who took his own life in 2009.
Now five years on, I’m so excited to be running the London Marathon again, this time with Tom by my side, once again raising money for MIND. I’ve partnered with BT MyDonate to fundraise, and to help with your fundraising too. Whether you have a charity spot, or got lucky in the ballot, if there’s a cause that’s close to your heart, those 26.2 miles (not to mention the 4 months of training) are a great time to support that charity.
And it’s not just marathons that make good fundraising opportunities, any distance or type of race is awesome if it’s a challenge for you. Something like a Tough Mudder or trail race, 10K or ultra, or something completely different, like an swim, bike ride or walk. I’ve got friends running the Marathon des Sables this year, raising funds for Help the Heroes! Did you know, you’re 28% more likely to stick to your New Year’s resolution if it’s for a charitable cause?!
I always thought that all fundraising pages were created equal, however it turns out this is not true. BT MyDonate charges zero commission, and doesn’t charge charities a monthly or registration fee for their services (this means the charities get up to £3.60 extra per £50 donation). Plus, good news for taxpayers is that they automatically claim the gift aid.
Between January 5th and Feb 20th, if you set up a fundraising page and raise over £100, you’ll be entered into a prize draw to double your donations up to the value of £1000.
Fundraising Ideas and Top Tips
- Firstly, pick a cause close to your heart. It’s far easier to drum up support (and money) for a charity that you’re passionate about.
- Set up your BT MyDonate page.
- Share your story. Why have you chosen the charity? Pull at peoples heart strings, explain your motivation for training for the marathon, and what their donation could do for the organisation you’re giving to. If there are a few charities that you love, you can even split the donations by up to six charities all on one BT MyDonate fundraising page.
- Spread the word – send out group emails, set up a Facebook group (I actually started this blog to try to share my marathon training and encourage my friends and family to dig deep into their pockets!)
- Often the old classic fundraising ideas are the best – a good ol’ cake sale (or doughnut sale – did you know Krispy Kreme give away their day old doughnuts for charity?) is always popular in the office, school or run club. Or you could do a Bake Off style competition where everyone brings in a dish.
- Organise a charity raffle – Tom’s sister held a really successful raffle a few years ago through her work, friend and family networks.
- Pop a £1 coin or £2 coin in a pot for every training run you go on – or better yet, get someone you love to do it for your. The total quickly adds up.
- Dedicate miles to people – have them bid for a mile, you can write their names on your arm, take a pic or even send them a text during the marathon!
- Let people bid to choose the outfit that you’ll wear – obviously more fun if you’re doing it in fancy dress, otherwise perhaps they could bid on a haircut choice, post-marathon meal, or your finishing time.
- When you’ve completed your event, don’t forget to send a thank you note or letter to all that donated – it’s a thoughtful gesture and means they might be more likely to sponsor you again in the future!
This post is in partnership by BT MyDonate – however as part of it I am going to give £100 of my fee to one of your charities, and help you enter the ‘Donation Doubler’ – all you have to do to be in with chance of winning is to tell me why you’d like to raise funds for your charity, set up a BT MyDonate page and leave the link below (if you’ve already started a fundraising page on a different platform please just leave that link!). Entries close on the 20th January and the winner will have the cash donated to their page.
Looking for a marathon training plan? Here’s a round up of the best and most popular marathon training plans out there. Struggling to fit your runs in? Try this 3 days a week London Marathon training plan.
That’s really good to know about the Krispy Kreme doughnuts! I’m planning to swim the Solent for Aspire, but their fundraising target is quite high so I’m hesitating to sign up. I really want to do it so just need to find ways to get that money!
Wow, I’m so excited for you! These are all such great tips. Good luck!
xx, Pia
http://gymbagsandjetlags.com
I’m running my first ever marathon this year for mama academy. They are a small charity so ever penny makes a difference. Mama’s raise awareness to try to prevent miscarriage and stillbirth, helping babies arrive safely. They do this by educating parents to be and midwives. I’m not a real runner (parkrun was a challenge!) but I’m sticking to my plan (7 miles today!) And following your training! Wish me luck!
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/runlilyrun
you absolutely are a real runner!!! How did your 7 miles go? That is an incredible charity, wishing you so much luck with your marathon and your fundraising! You are a superstar Lily xx
Thanks for the heads up on Instagram, I’ve had to set up a just giving page for my charity place!
And raising 2k ??? but worth every penny
Amazing Lucy – don’t forget to leave your link here to be in with a chance to win £100 towards your total! How is your training going? x
Ohh fab thanks Charlie ?
Will need to pick your brain on training when your free x
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-Brandon1
Another great blog Charlie – thank you!
I am running the London Marathon this year for a small charity – Project Africa Athletics.
Project Africa Athletics aims to support athletes in rural areas of East Africa, primarily focusing on Uganda and Kenya. The charity seeks to give exposure to athletes living in poverty who possess the required talent to compete internationally and allow them to earn a decent living through running. Project Africa Athletics then assists these athletes with developing sustainable projects back in their rural villages to improve quality of life.
I love to run and, quite simply, running has changed my life. The opportunity to support and raise awareness of Project Africa Athletics through completing the London Marathon therefore strongly appealed to me. The funds I raise will allow those less fortunate than me to reap the rewards of running, whilst also assisting communities living in poverty in Africa.
This will be my fourth marathon and personally I will be training harder than ever to try and run a sub four hour PB.
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Alice.Carter
Another great post Charlie – thanks for sharing!
I am running the London Marathon this year for a small charity called Project Africa Athletics.
Project Africa Athletics aims to support athletes in rural areas of East Africa, primarily focusing on Uganda and Kenya. The charity seeks to give exposure to athletes living in poverty who possess the required talent to compete internationally and allow them to earn a decent living through running. Project Africa Athletics then assists these athletes with developing sustainable projects back in their rural villages to improve quality of life.
I love to run and, quite simply, running has changed my life. The opportunity to support and raise awareness of Project Africa Athletics through completing the London Marathon therefore strongly appealed to me. The funds I raise will allow those less fortunate than me to reap the rewards of running, whilst also assisting communities living in poverty in Africa.
This will be my fourth marathon and personally I will be training harder than ever to try and run a sub four hour PB.
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Alice.Carter
I’m fundraising for Asthma UK again this year as I tackle the RideLondon-Surrey 100mile bike ride in July! This would be a great addition ??The charity do work which is very close to my heart being an asthmatic myself and I’d love to help them as much as I can. I’ve set up my page already although I haven’t shared it yet…http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MissWheezy
Oh awesome! I’d love to do Ride100 after pulling out last year due to injury! Next year 🙂 Good luck with your training and fundraising!
I’m running the Marathon des Sables in April this year for Mencap.
Having completed both the Paris and London marathons in 2015 and 2016 respectively, I decided that I needed something harder to train for.
I wanted to do something incredibly significant and for such a great cause-Mencap! Running one marathon just doesn’t cut it, so I’ve chosen the hardest foot race on earth both physically and mentally to challenge and push myself to the limit and in the process raise £10,000 for a great charity. I chose Mencap because I was fortunate enough to have them as a client in my last job. I ran an event with them and have never worked with such caring and inspiring people. Mencap offers people with a learning disability to gain an equal right to choice opportunity and respect.
In just 6 days, I will run over 250km (156 miles) through endless dunes, over rocky jebels, and across white-hot salt plains-all in 50 degrees centigrade. On day 4, I will run out of the Saharan morning, into the dusk and then the dark, many not finishing the 80+km (56 miles) till well into the next day. My feet will swell, crack and bleed under the pressure and the heat (something to look forward to)!
http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Holly-Saunders2