Fundraising ideas for runners

We appreciate that asking for a straightforward donation can feel difficult, particularly if this isn’t your first fundraising run. But we’ve found that offering up something in return for sponsorship really takes the sting out of fundraising. You could;  

Donate your playlist

Why not let your supporters choose a song you’ll listen to during the big run in exchange for a donation? Simply get your friends, family and followers to post their song choice on your JustGiving page when they donate. They could choose a song to keep you inspired on the run, something that reminds you of them, or maybe a song you wouldn’t usually listen to  – We all have that friend that will choose Baby Shark for a laugh!  

Run some errands

When you’re heading out and about use your training runs to do odd jobs in exchange for donations. You could offer to return people’s parcels to the post office for them while on a run, be their own personal Deliveroo, or take their energetic dogs out with you so they don’t have to fit a dog walk into their day.

Host a BBQ, Karaoke night, Christmas Party or other event

Chances are you’ll be having a BBQ over the summer, or you’ll want to celebrate over Christmas with your friends. So why not make your social events into a fundraiser? You could charge an entry fee or have a menu with a price list for food and drinks – or for either option you could go for a pay-as-you-feel system so no one feels pressured to donate more than they can afford. Get in touch if you’d like a collection bucket to have on the day. 

Enlist your running buddies

If you already run with a group then you’ve got a ready-made support network who can help you with your fundraising. There might even be someone else running in the same race as you – you could partner up and organise fundraising events together to half the organisation and effort.

Make a strategy for asking

It doesn’t always feel easy to ask for donations to your fundraiser, but if you start slowly – asking close friends and family first – you might find you get there without much effort at all! It’s also a good idea to tell everyone about the good cause you’re doing it for – find out where you donation goes when you fundraise for Chestnut Tree House and share this every time you ask for donations.