How To Raise Money For Charity By Running A Marathon

In nearly xx years of running, one thing I've non done is running for a cause. Meaning raising big money to be part of a clemency group. I adopt races that benefit a cause, but we're talking taking that to the NEXT level.

Which is why I'thou and so thrilled to accept Emily Rudow hither, sharing her incredible journey to fundraising and tips that might help you lot!

Checkout more than about her incredible story running 74 consecutive half marathons (21.1km/xiii.ane miles) while raising over $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. (Exist prepared to get sucked in, she has a lot of keen content!)

Running for a cause

A Guide on Running for a Crusade

Over the past few years, I've set numerous running challenges for myself on multiple platforms – with the ultimate goal of raising awareness and coin for different organizations.

In 2015, my cousin was diagnosed with Hodgkin'southward Lymphoma.

She had plans to travel beyond Europe, which unfortunately had to exist canceled due to her treatment and because she was forced to take unpaid leave from work (as she was a supply teacher at the time). My cousin is an awesome human being; so generous and giving.

It broke my heart that she had to go suffer all these treatments and miss out on a trip of a lifetime. I decided to set up a GoFundMe entrada to heighten coin for her to keep her trip later her treatments.

I chose to run the Toronto Marathon in her honor and ended upwardly raising over $half-dozen,000 for her trip. why run for charity

Time to Take it to the Adjacent Level

In 2017, I set a challenge to break a world record by running 70 consecutive half marathons (coined the '#RUN70 One-half Marathon Challenge'). The prior tape holder, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, had a potent showing at 61 consecutive half marathons. To brand the claiming more than meaningful and deeply personal to me, I set a goal of raising $10,000 for the Canadian Cancer Lodge.

When I was starting to figure out the campaigns for the get-go time, I made a lot of mistakes. I know it can be frustrating and these tips are designed to help you run for a charity with less stress!!

If you're looking to gear up up a fundraiser for the beginning time or are trying to make an even bigger impact with a current campaign, and so you've come to the right identify.

Why practice so many people run for clemency?

The most common reasons:

To make a positive bear upon on the globe.
To bring motivation to our training and even more than drive to consummate our goals.
To honour someone nosotros care about.

It doesn't necessarily have to be for a registered charity, yet. Raising money for my cousin provided just equally much motivation (even more perhaps) as the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS).

So when you start to retrieve nigh how do y'all raise money by running a marathon, start reflecting on the bigger flick and y'all'll notice yourself far more motivated to practise the work. how to run for charity

How Can I Raise Money to Run?

It'southward important to cull a clemency or a cause that'south meaningful to yous.

If yous're able to share a personal story well-nigh how this has afflicted you or why it's of import, information technology volition brand your fundraising efforts much more impactful.

When y'all're crafting your campaign, you desire your story to be authentic and true to your experiences; a personal why. Information technology's important to share your stories since others may have gone through, or are currently going through, something like. Information technology provides a sense of commonage encouragement and motivation – that y'all're all in this together.

#1 Cull Your Fundraising Platform

First, you need to figure out what platform makes the most sense with your fundraising goals.

At the beginning of the #RUN70 Challenge, I set my entrada up on GoFundMe for the first few weeks. Some donations were provided, but I quickly realized that this platform wasn't super conducive for donators, since I couldn't issue charitable receipts.

Afterward reaching out to the Canadian Cancer Lodge's donor team, they warned me that GoFundMe takes fees on donations, meaning that the money wouldn't all go directly to their arrangement. This is definitely a key detail I should accept looked into from the outset of the entrada, so naturally I smacked myself over the head for existence so oblivious.

I was disheartened to hear this but decided to put a pause on the GoFundMe folio and import all the donations directly into the CCS platform (convio), which turned out to be rather seamless.

GoFundMe and like crowdfunding platforms are improve for raising coin for individuals, family members, or friends rather than an established organization.
Near charitable organizations accept their ain mode of collecting donations and can even assistance you lot set upwards your ain fundraiser through their website.

Whatever platform feels like the right fit, it's important to brand sure you connect and collaborate with an system on what's the best manner of collecting donations; and do your research to ensure that the platform will facilitate a seamless experience for the donor (issuing charitable receipts), and is the all-time platform for the organization.

Recollect you want to heighten coin with your running? Apply these tips every bit a guide from someone who has done information technology repeatedly! #runchat Click To Tweet

#ii Swallow Your Discomfort

Let's confront information technology, sometimes asking for donations tin exist a chip bad-mannered. You don't want to pressure anyone into donating and you don't want anyone to experience discouraged considering of the amount they're able to donate.

It'south of import to reassure anybody that every fiddling scrap counts – every donation, whether it'due south $100 or $1, signifies support for the organization and can cumulatively make a big affect.

run for charity

#iii Create a Plan of Activeness

The dollars won't ringlet in just because you make i announcement. You lot're going to demand to map out a program and continue to promote your efforts.

Remember to go on using STORIES in all of your efforts to create that connection.

Week ane: E-mail friends
Weed two: Facebook post to friends and family
Week iii: Social media mail to everyone
Week 4: Following upward with emails
Week 5: Condition update on all your channels
Calendar week 6: Maybe a giveaway for anyone who donates that week
Calendar week 7: Status of your preparation update and why it means so much to you

Tips for Promoting Your Fundraiser

So you've laid out your challenge, connected with your cause or clemency, and yous take your fundraising page all ready and ready to go. Now what?

I'm going to put my marketing hat on for a second considering but like promoting a product or service, there is a fleck of skill, effort, and persistence on your part to hit your fundraising goal.

1. Close Contacts Starting time

I e'er start by reaching out to immediate family and close friends to back up the cause earlier announcing it publicly. I get anxious when I share my fundraisers for some reason. I'thou similar UGH what if no one donates or I'thou really far off from my goal. You need to deal with those fears and just pull the trigger anyhow.

For my cousin, I reached out to my whole family unit through email and Facebook.

When raising money for the #RUN70 Half Marathon Challenge, I followed a like approach past asking for donations from my close family unit and friends by e-mail. raise money for charity

2. Social Media Next

I and so shared the campaign publicly. Here was my get-go proclamation postal service:

In the fall I partnered with the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and ran a campaign on my social media to help them promote the Scotiabank Charity Claiming. Here's an instance of the offset post I did on Instagram:

iii. Maintain Top of Heed Sensation

Those are just a few examples of some ways to denote the challenge.

Once you announce the campaign, it's also important to go along people posted on the progress of the campaign. You lot're connecting with people and jubilant a charity collaboratively. Sure, the claiming is ready upwardly and completed by you – merely donations role as a manner of encouragement and support.

Running for a cause

What Happens if You Oasis't Striking Your Goal on Race Day?

If information technology'south any reassurance, I've never hit my goal on the designated last solar day of the campaign. Just because you've finished your running claiming, doesn't mean that y'all will quit your fundraising efforts.

Let your audition know that there's still time to donate and yous'll leave the campaign open up another week or so you lot can reach the goal together!

I did this exact same matter with the #RUN70 challenge.

Although I was at effectually $9,900, I posted that I was going to continue after twenty-four hours 70 considering we still had a goal to hit. Afterwards twenty-four hour period 71, we surpassed the goal by $600. Granted, my cousin donated an additional $200 to tell me to STOP what I was doing to my body (lol), but I digress.

Don't Let Fright Cease You

Setting up your first fundraising campaign can exist overwhelming at first, but hopefully, these tips can aid you get started. Setting a difficult goal for yourself can be that much more rewarding while raising money for a cause that's deeply important to y'all.

Running for a cause tin as well bring more meaning into your training and be a driving cistron to become you through those actually tough training days.

If you lot accept any questions regarding your campaign, feel free to email me at emilyrudow@gmail.com and I'll try to help you out as much as I can.

Emily Rudow is an avid long distance runner from Toronto, Ontario. She started her fitness journey dorsum in 2008 and since so has run several marathons (including two world majors: the TSC NYC Marathon and the Boston Marathon), a 50-mile trail, race and a 100-mile race in 2019. In 2017, she bankrupt a world record past running 74 consecutive one-half marathons (21.1km/13.ane miles) while raising over $x,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. Subsequently finishing her 74th run, well, she simply kept running. She'south now surpassed her 1,060th day of consecutive running and has no plans of stopping someday presently.

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