To fundraise for a half marathon?

Why would you need to sponsor a litter pick? Surely you'd just join in with it? We run regular litter picks and are often short of volunteers - money isn't the issue, it's getting people to actually help out.

No ballot for this 'very popular' event next spring, that you needed to sign up for now 'in order to secure your place'. Really?

In any case, if you'd signed up as general entrance and paid your own fee, the charity would benefit far more as they'd keep every penny of your raised funds, rather than having to cover all the associated costs. If fundraiding for the charity was your true motivation, then that's the route you would have taken.

Honestly, you're not fooling anyone. People 100% know you are doing this primarily for your own benefit, and that is why you will find it hard to get donations

Fundraise away! I'll be doing the same for the half marathon I'm doing in September. I am running for a prostate cancer in support of my stepdad, who has stage 4 prostate cancer and is unlikely to live out the year. Running will be a distraction for me, and I want to raise money for this cause. Good luck with yours!

I personally don't sponsor people to do something they want to do. I donate regularly, and volunteer regularly, but if I'm going to 'sponsor' something I'd much rather sponsor something with actual impact - so a litter pick maybe or similar. Happy to support a bake / book / plant sale. I just think people can run in circles as much as they like but not sure why I should pay anyone to do that.

My daughter's dance team is currently fundraising for something and they went around all the local care homes and performed. I had no issues asking our friends and family to sponsor her as that had actual impact. They're doing a bake sale this weekend - we will bake lots and help out at the stand as it's a nice community event. So maybe think of things that are nice to participate in instead of just a link to give you money.

I definitely agree that it seems much fairer for the fundraiser to actually give people something in return for their support of the charity. If they get a cake, a fun night out or their car washed - even if the price is clearly higher than it's strictly worth, because of the charity fundraising purpose - it's very different from somebody telling you that, because they are doing something that they want to do and/or which will have no consequence to your own life, you should donate money to their chosen charity.

I have worked in the charity sector and can see both sides of this. Event fundraising is really important for charities because it generates un-restricted funding. However the charities do have to buy the places in advance (often multiple places for a number of events) and all the other hoopla around it (teeshirts, emails, social media and celebratory items, which people expect these days) of course takes money to provide.

I say this tactfully, but they are probably anticipating that most runners will raise more than £375.

How about donating £300 yourself and then fundraising on top? You will almost certainly hit the £375 and go nicely over it too. The bake sale is a good idea and you could put out a QR code for your fundraising page.

If anyone would like a charity place in the London Marathon please look at ‘Charity Runners Clearing House’. Also known as CRunCH. Some excellent smaller charities and reasonable pledge amounts.

Edited to add: people absolutely queue up for those London Marathon places because so many people want to do it!

But fundamentally I do believe that we should be the main supporters of our own good causes. If we are not prepared to donate money ourselves then who will?

Good luck.

Which you need to raise money for in order to enter?

So it is your entrance fee.

I think the unwritten understanding is that there's a certain amount that the charity wants/needs to raise from each space in order to make it worth their while - or even just to break even.

They will often nest it so that the person doing it pays so much ('entry fee' or 'personal contribution' or similar) and then the rest of it is the amount that they say you 'need' to raise.

Maybe not so much for things like marathons, but when you get people walking the Great Wall of China or trekking Machu Picchu and they're told the minimum amount that they need to raise, they often don't realise that achieving that minimum actually pays for the activity/holiday and the charity only starts to benefit from it once they raise more than that on top.

Even if they do raise more, it's very skewed: e.g. you need to raise a minimum of £2,500 and you manage to raise £2,750... you haven't raised £2,750 for the charity; rather you've raised £250 for the charity and bagged yourself a free £2,500 holiday, paid for by people who felt guilted into 'giving to charity'. People get cynical about things that people do 'for charity' that just happen to be immensely enjoyable by them as well.

And the skipping if the ballot, of couse! Be honest!

That comes with the massive advantage of a guaranteed ticket rather than having to go into the ballot.

I'm not offended. I just think it's pretty cheeky to expect others to subsidise you to comple a prestigious sought after activity you want to do. And even worse to dress it up as you doing some kind of selfless act, when it's nothing if the sort.

I think you should pay your own essential 'fast track' fees, and I wouldn't donate. The chances of me being one of your real life friends is pretty slim, so it doesn't really matter, but it's worth you understanding that it's how many others will feel.

You can't expect people to donate just because you're doing an activity that you want to do and have found a loophole to skip the ballot.

I don’t see the problem in your fundraising suggestions. Lots of people at my old work loved it when someone bought home made cakes in and would gladly buy them.

Surely you can still fundraise even if you enter via the general admission?

It would mean that you can focus on the race without worrying about reaching the mandatory fundraising goal.

You haven't answered my question. Why didn't you opt for a general entry place (paid for by yourself), and just fundraise for your preferred charity separately? Why specifically choose the charity place?

Presumably if Cancer Research means so much to you, you personally donate and fundraise for them on an ongoing basis? It's not obligatory to complete a sought after, prestigious activity in order to fundraise/donate to charity. Many people donate/fundraise for charity without expecting something in return.

I personally wouldn't hold a bake sale in the workplace - awkwardly pressures people to buy even if it isnt your intent. Most charities are doing good not out and out evil, so it makes it difficult to say no. And then before you know if everyone is doing something for charity every week. That being said no one carries cash anyway. I am so pleased COVID killed of the donation envelopes for every birthday/anniversary/baby/retirement etc. It was every week!

I think email is a good idea - but then rhat is just asking for money for nothing which is why you thought of the bake sale in the first place!

It is tricky for sure!

Boot sale FB marketplace with a big sign saying "all money going towards my cancer reasearch half marathon" ?

So why didn't you do that, and raise money for Cancer Research separately? Serious question.

I presume a 'charity place' is a fast track/guaranteed entrance option, as opposed to the ballot. So you're essentially buying yourself a place by means of a 'charity donation', so it's the cost of doing the activity, which really you should bear.

I’m always happy to donate to friends doing tough physical challenges like this. A half marathon from basically no running base is hard work! Plenty of people around me are fundraising for stuff a lot of the time, and good for them. I donate to the stuff that resonates and don’t feel bad about not donating to the stuff that doesn’t. Good luck!

Go for it and good luck

I appreciate it might be diffcult, but your mum has already agreed to donate £150. So that's a big headstart. If you save the money you would have spent on bake sales, and also have a clear out to sell unwanted items, making up the remainder might not be as diffcult as you think.