Charity running - Fundraising tips for people running for charity

Be focussed
As already stated you should plan your fundraising strategy. Go through the points here. Make a check list. Write in your diary what you are going to do and when. Write a list of everyone you can contact. Write lists of who these people can also contact on your behalf. Be sure to be organised otherwise race day will be on top of you before you know it and you’ll be scrambling for sponsorship at the same time as trying to finalise your race preparations!

Get your story ready
What are you doing? Why? Make sure you know the answers to all the questions that people will ask you when you ask them for sponsor money. Be clued up as to exactly what the charity you are supporting does and why. Be clear on why you have chosen this charity above the hundreds of others. Be clear on the difference a sponsor’s money will make.

Be personal
Charities help thousands of people, and thousands of people help charities. Charities can deal with complex medical or social problems. Try not to start by telling people a list of statistics or scientific facts. A good cause can quickly seem faceless if you do this.
Give an example of someone who has been helped by the charity. For example, explain the problem this person has had, how it has affected their life, how it has affected their family, and how the charity you are running for was able to help them. Explain what more the charity would like to be able to do for people like this. Be emotive. These are real people facing real situations who are being helped by the charity.
It is best if the example you use is someone you know, whether someone in your family, a friend or a workmate. It’s not emotional blackmail. It is explaining why the work this charity does is so important, why it is so important to you and why this cause should matter to the person you are speaking to.
You can then follow this up by saying how many other people are affected in similar ways and how the charity you are raising money for wants to be able to help them.

Think big
A disproportionate amount of your sponsor money will come from a few big sponsors. Think about who might be willing to make a bigger payment. Businesses can offset charitable donations against tax. Some companies will offer to match any sponsorship their employees raise. Are there other local or national companies who might be willing to help? Think of the reasons that different people or organisations might be willing to help out on a larger scale. If you are raising money in memory of someone contact their former employers. If they were a member of any sports clubs or social groups contact those too. Ask if they would be willing to make a donation and/or publicise what you are doing. Take the time to contact these people who are likely to make the larger donations. Even if most say ‘no’ it will be well worth your while if just a few say yes and make a large donation.
With these bigger sponsors many will receive a relatively high number of requests. Set yourself apart. Nothing beats personal contact. Letters are ok, phone calls are better, going in to see someone face-to-face is best. Remember to give them a good reason as to why what you are doing is important and why it is important to you.

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