London Marathon is the largest fundraising occasion on the planet.
As somebody taking care of charity fundraising, this may appear intimidating…particularly for those who’re a small crew. However the fundraising potential for charities of all sizes on this occasion is extraordinary.
We caught up with Charlotte Brennan from the Prostate Most cancers Analysis’s small occasions crew on our current webinar hosted by Fundraising In all places. In 2023, the charity smashed its £188,000 goal for London Marathon 2023, elevating £250,000 with a couple of key methods any charity can use!
Maintain studying for loads of helpful suggestions, our London Marathon 2024 fundraising timeline, and the subsequent steps your charity ought to take for the perfect fundraising attainable.
Soar to a piece:
LONDON MARATHON FUNDRAISING SUCCESS
Prime suggestions from Prostate Most cancers Analysis
Prostate Most cancers Analysis (PCR) smashed their preliminary goal of £180,000, occurring to lift a whopping £250k in London Marathon 2023, with a median raised of £2,930 per participant!
How did they get there?
Whereas everybody has their very own crew, time, and price range constraints, each charity can adapt the following tips for their very own neighborhood.
Right here’s how they did it.
Recruit passionate individuals
Getting the proper individuals on board within the first place could be a game-changer to your fundraising. Charlotte’s recommendation: recruit people who find themselves passionate.
The crew made telephone calls to the strongest candidates to get to know their fundraising plans and connection to the trigger.
“You need individuals to be as engaged as attainable all through the journey. You’re going to get way more out of somebody who’s dedicated to fundraising [over simply giving a donation to meet the target amount].”
Charlotte Brennan, Prostate Most cancers Analysis

Optimise your onboarding
When you’ve chosen your runners, you wish to make their welcome particular! PCR gave their new fundraising crew a couple of particular items to have fun upon becoming a member of:
- A personalised working high
- Coaching guides and an invitation to an in-person Coaching Day occasion
- A PCR Cheer Squad current on occasion day
- A post-race occasion
- Ongoing fundraising assist

Boost your stewardship
We discuss loads about this, however what’s it? It merely means taking care of your runners all the best way to race day… and past!
“The very first thing we did was arrange our JustGiving Marketing campaign Web page and share the fundraising hyperlink with runners, to allow them to get their fundraising pages began as quickly as attainable.”
Charlotte Brennan, Prostate Most cancers Analysis
Utilizing a Marketing campaign Web page permits all of your London Marathon fundraising to enter one web page, offering a collective aim and wholesome competitors.
Working backwards from the occasion, PCR centered on their key touchpoints: common contact by e mail, telephone, in addition to a Fb and Strava group.
“Take a look at alternative ways of speaking. If one thing doesn’t work, change it. Should you’re struggling to get somebody on the telephone, ship them a textual content message.”
Charlotte Brennan, Prostate Most cancers Analysis
Use incentives for fundraising motivation
On JustGiving, London Marathon pages created earlier than Christmas go on to lift a median of 24% extra!
Prostate Most cancers Analysis used this stat to facilitate a contest to get individuals fundraising early. It doesn’t have to interrupt the financial institution – it may be so simple as gifting away your current charity merchandise!
Line up a coaching day
Simply after Christmas, PCR held a particular coaching day in central London to maintain motivation excessive throughout what’s usually a sluggish interval.
The coaching day included a session from a private coach, talks from the PCR crew, and a particular fundraising workshop. This boosted their neighborhood’s morale and allowed runners to satisfy one another and develop into extra built-in within the charity’s neighborhood.

Help all of your runners
Poll runners vs charity runners: what’s the distinction?
Poll runners are individuals who have already got a spot within the marathon, then would possibly select to fundraise for a charity. Charity runners are these recruited by the charity and who will then use the charity’s personal locations within the occasion, which the charity’s obtained from London Marathon occasion immediately.
However the important thing takeaway right here? They’re each simply as vital!

Picture and graphic supplied by Prostate Most cancers Analysis.
At each alternative, take all of your fundraisers on the identical journey and provides them the identical assist.
Strive advertising and marketing segmentation
PCR used a well-proven advertising and marketing technique to higher communicate to their totally different fundraisers: segmentation.
“We segmented our fundraisers into Excessive-Medium-Low fundraisers after Christmas and tailor-made their communications from there.”
Charlotte Brennan, Prostate Most cancers Analysis
Utilizing advertising and marketing segmentation, the charity may higher tailor their communications. For instance, they might encourage fundraisers who hadn’t reached their aim but to maintain going.

Present up on occasion day
Cheer, cheer, cheer!
PCR made certain their supporters had a giant crowd as they ran the London Marathon, in addition to a particular after-party at a close-by venue to have fun their runners.
Should you’re not capable of get your cheer squad collectively on occasion day, no worries. Our JustGiving crew cheer squad will probably be there to assist your runners and make as a lot noise as attainable to spur them on over that end line!

Say thanks!
PCR recommends sending handwritten thank-you letters to these individuals who went above and past: your fundraisers. Exterior of simply displaying your appreciation, you may share complete fundraising outcomes, and detailed details about how their contribution will make a distinction.
NEXT STEPS FOR YOUR CHARITY
Begin fundraising in London Marathon 2024
Begin your journey to London Marathon 2024 fundraising success with these key actions.
1. Create your Marketing campaign Web page
This acts as your London Marathon occasion touchdown web page. Right here you may carry all of your fundraisers and donors collectively in a single central hub!
When you’ve created your web page, be certain it’s related to the official Occasion ID 8149436. Study extra about tips on how to make an ideal London Marathon Marketing campaign Web page.
2. Share your Marketing campaign Web page hyperlink
Whenever you share your marketing campaign’s Fundraising Web page Hyperlink, any fundraiser who begins fundraising from this hyperlink will robotically be related to your London Marathon Marketing campaign Web page and can contribute to your collective aim!
TIP
Share your hyperlink by going to Campaigns > View current Campaigns > Extra > Share fundraising hyperlink |
3. Fill your locations
Use our tailored Charity Place Finder to seek out runners to your London Marathon fundraising! You merely record your open locations you have already got, and we’ll work to advertise them with and excited runners.
4. Overview your comms
When fundraisers signal as much as JustGiving, they’ll get our personalised and high-performing emails that give them the boldness to ask for donations and updates on their progress as they go.
Test your messaging towards the timeline beneath to be sure to’re encouraging the perfect behaviours on the proper time, being attentive to whenever you’re encouraging web page creation, web page activartion, or web page worth:

NEW FUNDRAISING INITIATIVES
How we’re serving to you elevate extra in London Marathon 2024
In 2023, London Marathon fundraisers used JustGiving to lift greater than £39 million for two,500 charities. We’re trying to develop this much more in 2024, since you and your fundraisers deserve the perfect!
Along with optimising our checkout course of, stewardship, and charity assist, we’re launching three new initiatives for a enjoyable and profitable London Marathon in 2024:
Charity Place Finder
Our tailored platform for connecting passionate fundraisers with charities they wish to assist.

Prime of the Coaching Tracks
A model new music primarily based JustGiving competitors with the prospect for fundraisers to win £500 donations.

£1,000 donation bonuses
An opportunity at £1,000 donation boosts for fundraisers who create pages between 23 Oct 2023 – 30 Nov 2023.

READY TO GO?
Should you haven’t already, watch the total stream for much more of Charlotte’s suggestions for London Marathon success. Able to go? Discover ways to create a Marketing campaign Web page and get extra info on our London Marathon information web page.
HUGE because of Charlotte and Prostate Most cancers Analysis for sharing their expertise, and techniques. We hope this helps you attain your targets in subsequent 12 months’s occasion!