Charity running - Fundraising tips for people running for charity

Show commitment
You will be asking people to make a financial sacrifice to support your charity. If you are blasé about what you are doing other people will not be inspired and will be less likely to be sacrificial in their giving. If you show that you are making sacrifices, that you are viewing it as a big deal and that this is something that matters deeply to you then your fundraising is going to be far more successful.

What’s at the top?
On your standard sponsor form you should start each sheet with someone making a larger donation. Get a few sheets ready and go to people who will make the larger donations to start each of them off. This will encourage other people to be more generous as you work down the page. At the end of each page it can make a big difference to how much that sheet has yielded.

Think of the smaller people
Of course family, friends and colleagues will be willing to make donations. Try to think of everyone you can possibly ask and get donations from as many people as you can. People won’t often say 'no' so try to put your sponsor form in front of as many people as possible. Try to always have a sponsor form to hand so if what you are doing ever comes up in conversation that you are doing an event you can pull out the form and get another donation. You may be surprised at how generous some people will be. What you are doing may strike a chord with someone for a reason you did not expect before you asked.

Get publicity
Think of all the ways you can gain publicity for your fundraising. Think of the local newspapers, local radio, company newsletters, and the school or club noticeboards that you can use to let people know what you are doing. When dealing with newspapers or radio stations think about what ‘angle’ is likely to be of most interest. A simple test some journalists use is to think the first thing they would tell someone about if telling them the story in the street or pub. They wouldn’t start with the background they’d start with the most interesting point and then fill in the detail. Is the ‘angle’ that you have suffered from the illness yourself? Is it that you are going to be running in an unusual costume? Are three generations of your family all taking on the same challenge?
Be sure to include information on how people can donate money or sponsor you. If something of interest happens to you after the initial story then send a follow-up report.

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