How to Fundraise for the Top UK Marathons and Half Marathons
You’ve got your place in the race, and your training plan is ready. You’re all set to go. There’s just one question: how to organise a marathon fundraiser?
Crowdfunding has changed the landscape of charity fundraising for the better. Through the power of social networks, people can now start online fundraisers that raise thousands for good causes with just a few clicks. That means no more sponsorship forms and spreadsheets. Money will get sent straight to the charity with Gift Aid included. The only thing you need to decide is who to fundraise for.
Find a marathon cause that you believe in
In the cases of ballot races such as the London Marathon or Ride London, sometimes the charity chooses you. Runners and riders who decide to participate often sign up to fundraise for charities with open places.
Choosing a charity is a hugely personal decision. Start by thinking about the causes closest to your heart. For example, are you an animal person? Or have you experienced diseases such as dementia in your family and want to help others in the same position? Or do you want to protect the environment?
For some, charity begins at home—or at least as close to it as possible. When it comes to fundraising, many people want to put their communities first. You may want to find a local branch of a national charity, or a smaller organisation dedicated to your local school or homeless shelter to run for.
The good thing about local charities is you can watch the results of your giving. You can also strengthen your relationship with your community by fundraising for those closest to you.
One thing to make sure is that the organisation is registered with the Charity Commission, which means it is regulated. Our GoFundMe charity product won’t allow you to collect donations for a non-registered charity.
When thinking about where to fundraise, there are five key things to check:
- Does the charity fundraising platform have a platform fee or take any fees from Gift Aid?
- Does it offer team fundraising?
- Does it offer 24/7 customer support?
- Does the platform provide a mobile app?
- Can the fundraising site collect Gift Aid automatically?
GoFundMe doesn’t take any platform fees or slice money off Gift Aid. But we do offer team fundraising, 24/7 customer support, a mobile app, and automatic Gift Aid collection.
What are the best UK marathons?
Once you’ve chosen your charity, it’s time to find a marathon. There are many UK marathons, and one of the ways to find the top UK marathons is to look at the size of the event and where it is. For example, these are the number of participants and some information about the following events:
Edinburgh marathon
More than 36,000 runners took on the Edinburgh marathon festival last year and the event raises more than £60 million for charities.
London marathon
Probably the UK’s best known marathon, more than 42,000 people took part in the London marathon last year. h3: Brighton Marathon We do like to be beside the seaside. This event is held shortly before the London marathon and boasts around 12,000 participants.
Blackpool marathon
For those who haven’t made the London marathon ballot, this event is also held in April – but it only boasts hundreds, rather than thousands, of runners.
Baxters Loch Ness Marathon
This is a monster of an event, which offers its 8,000 runners a chance to spot the infamous creature said to be lurking in Loch Ness.
Don’t want to run a full marathon? Here are the best half marathons for you
For those who completed the couch to 5k app more recently, running one of the top UK marathons may be a little much. However you can find a half marathon to participate in instead. What about:
Great North Run
Size isn’t everything, but the Great North Run is the biggest half marathon in the UK, with more than 57,000 runners involved.
Cardiff half marathon
This is one of the best half marathons. Around 25,000 runners get involved with the event, organised by Run 4 Wales.
Great Manchester run
One of the best half marathons in the UK. Last year organisers pulled out all the stops, even offering runners prosecco.
Royal parks half marathon
Join one of 16,000 runners and take in some of the capital’s greatest landmarks on the only half marathon to go through four of London’s beautiful royal parks.
Scottish Half Marathon
Enjoy a run along the East Lothian coast with this race, finishing at horse racing Musselburgh racecourse.
Get started today!
At GoFundMe, we are proud of our fundraising model. It allows our users to raise funds for their favourite charities without any platform costs, meaning more money goes to the people who need it most. Helping others couldn’t be quicker or easier with GoFundMe. We hope we’ve inspired you to start charity fundraising right away. All you need to do is pick an organisation or an event, create a page, and begin making a difference today.