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Post Overview
- May is a great reason to engage your friends with various fundraising ideas for running a marathon for charity.
- Consider leveraging seasonal cues, quirky holidays and observances to reach your marathon fundraising goal.
- Try engaging strategies like themed runs, email notes and social media campaigns.
- Focus on simplicity and personal connection to encourage donations for meaningful causes.
If you’re raising money for a cause you care about, May is a great time for spring fundraising ideas for non-profits. The month of May is packed with quirky holidays, heartfelt observances, and built-in reasons to connect with your community, all without adding a ton to your plate.
Whether you’re training for a big race, building mileage after a winter break, or just lacing up because it brings you joy, these May fundraising ideas are perfect for busy runners who want to do good and keep moving forward.
Key Topics Included in this Post
Fundraising Ideas for the Month of May
I’ve pulled together a mix of themed days, month-long observances, and fun ideas that are simple to execute, mostly on social media, for this time of year. These are designed to be low-pressure and family-friendly fundraising campaigns. Feel free to take what you need, skip what doesn’t fit your vibe, and don’t forget to celebrate every donation along the way.
May is your chance for a fresh start. These spring fundraising ideas for non-profits are perfect for spring cleaning your goals. These ideas are practically made for clever captions, themed running outfits, and playful donation requests. Perfect for Reels, Stories, or Instagram posts!
Related Post: Looking for April fundraising ideas like you’re looking for Easter eggs? Check out this post with April Fools, Easter and Earth Day social media campaigns!
Creative May Fundraising Ideas
Your marathon fundraiser doesn’t have to just be for one day! You can design a campaign over a week. Be consistent and post throughout the week to ensure it has the most eyes. I like to use a letterboard to help rally my progress throughout the week. By incorporating a theme week, you’ll gain momentum to get to your fundraising goals.
National Nurses Week
When: First Week in May
Ask for donations to honor your favorite nurse and share a short story about their impact. This is also a great way to ask for donations if you are a nurse or supporting a medicine-based charity for your marathon to highlight the importance of nurses.
Teacher Appreciation Week Fundraiser
When: First Week in May
Fundraise in honor of a teacher who shaped your life. Share a story or quote from a teacher and ask for donations to support education-focused organizations. Incorporate props like an apple or a chalkboard as part of your social media campaign.
Kentucky Derby-Themed Fundraiser
When: May 2nd
In the spirit of the biggest day in horse betting, ask your friends to bet on you! Suggest your friends donate the amount they’d wager on a racehorse to your charity instead. This is a great way to ask for donations in a fun manner and celebrate the biggest day in horse racing.
Related Post: Love these ideas? Get fundraising ideas for the whole year with this guide!
Fundraising Ideas for Animal Shelters
National Pet Week
When: First Week in May
This is a great way to support pet-focused charities or an excuse to share your pet. Have some fun and offer to host an online pet parade! For each person who donates, you can feature their pet in your stories at the end of the week and parade them for your friends.
Awareness Campaigns for May
Mental Health Awareness Month
When: The entire month of May
May is mental health awareness month and it’s a powerful time to open up about the connection between running and mental well-being. For many of us, the miles we run aren’t just about physical fitness; they’re a way to process stress, clear our minds, and reconnect with ourselves. Whether it’s the solitude of a quiet trail or the shared energy of a group run, running can be a form of therapy in motion.
For me, running has been a way to take time to myself and disconnect from the scramble of my day-to-day. I am so grateful for having this time to release stress and sort through challenges in my everyday life.
If you’re running for a mental health charity, consider committing to asking for donations throughout the month to offer resources and support to those who need it most.
Physical Fitness & Sports Month
When: The entire month of May
May is physical fitness and sports month! Celebrate youth sports or running programs (like Girls on the Run Chicago) by highlighting key benefits of the programs and asking for donations to support the program. Partner with a local park to add posters with a QR code for your fundraiser on a bulletin board to promote your cause.
Star Wars Day Fundraising Ideas
Star Wars Day is a fan-favorite and a perfect opportunity to get playful with your fundraising.
Try a Star Wars Fundraiser
When: May 4th
Whether you run in costume, rock a Star Wars tee, or map out a route shaped like a lightsaber, this is a day to embrace the nerdy fun. Use the caption “May the Course Be With You” and invite your community to support your cause with a themed donation of $4 to $40. It’s a great excuse to have fun with your training while raising money for a mission that matters.
An alternative idea would be to celebrate Revenge of the Sith on May 5th (or 6th) and ask your friends not to go to the Dark Side by making a donation.
Running Fundraising Ideas
Want to use the miles you’re already using for your marathon training as a fundraiser? Consider starting a run streak to use the miles you’re using for training to help boost your fundraising targets.
May Running Challenge
Offering to do a run streak as a fundraiser is a great way to support your training. Offer to keep track of your mileage for the month and ask your friends to pledge for each mile you run. I’ve found the easiest way to keep track of pledges is through a Google form (you’ll need to create this on desktop).
What to Include on a Run Streak Pledge Form
Ask for their name, email address and pledge amount. I also like to include a space for them to leave me a note for encouragement. I usually include suggested pledges per mile, my anticipated mileage range and my donation link if they want to place a direct donation instead. Do not ask for their credit card information!
Share a selfie for each day with your mileage to check in. This also helps rally additional pledges throughout the process. Keep it simple with one post each week, sharing your total miles and donations raised.
How to Collect Run Streak Donations
Tally the miles in a spreadsheet to keep track of your progress. Once you complete your run streak, close the Google form submissions and email each donor with their pledge amount with your donation link. This is a great way to use the miles you’re running as part of your training as a fundraiser. It’s a win-win!
Related Post: For more details on a run streak fundraiser, check this post on how to create your own fundraiser.
Fundraiser Social Media Ideas
Coin Fundraiser: National Penny Day
When: May 23rd
National Penny Day is May 23rd. Post to social media for a “Pennies from Heaven” fundraiser. Ask for “all the pennies in their piggy bank” or to send you “pennies from heaven” as a donation to your charity page.
Paper Airplane Day
When: May 26th
Use this holiday as an option to send the donations over your way! This is a great way to use a fun holiday to get the conversation going around your fundraiser. You could also fold a paper airplane and film someone throwing it at you as part of your social post.
National Smile Day
When: May 31st
Tie-in to send a smile by making a donation. Use a script like, “Send a smile and make a donation!” to encourage donations and post selfies with your smile as you get donations!
Spring Fundraising Ideas
May is significant for signaling Spring has arrived! The idea of “April shower bring May flowers” can lend itself to great posts on social media.
Florals for Spring? Groundbreaking.
May Day Fundraiser
When: May 1st
May 1st is May Day. May Day is a European holiday focused on the arrival of Spring! Set up a social media post and ask friends to donate to celebrate the season.
You coud also incororate the N*SYNC song, “It’s Gonna Be Me” song notorious for celebrating the beginning of May since is sounds like Justin Timberlake is singing, “It’s gonna be May.”
Mother’s Day Fundraiser
When: May 10th
Celebrate your mom and all moms with a social media post. Tie to your charity however possible. Share a heartfelt post about the mom or mother-figure who helped you become who you are. Ask to honor mothers with a donation.
Related Post: Celebrate International Women’s Day in March to celebrate all the incredible women! Get details on this fundraiser in this post.
Mimosa Day Fundraising Idea
When: May 16th
My 16th is National Mimosa Day! Ask your friends to “Toast to Strong Miles” – Celebrate post-run with a mimosa or mocktail and encourage others to “cheers” with a donation for the price of a mimosa. Ask for a toast to cheer your efforts!
Garden Party Charity Event
Spring is for golf tournaments and it’s also for gardens! Get outside and host a garden party fundraising event and sell tickets for donations to attend. Include a signature cocktail (with a mocktail alternative) and serve finger foods! It’s a fun social option to gather donations.
If you can get some donations from local restaurants, services or local businesses to raffle or a silent auction, include this as a fundraiser add-on for additional contributions.
Related Post: Find fun mocktail recipes (including a fauxmosa) in this post.
May Fundraisers: A Complete List
Here is a complete list of all the fundraisers on this list.
- Mental Health Awareness Month
- Physical Fitness & Sports Month
- Miles for May: Run Streak
- National Nurses Week (first week)
- Teacher Appreciation Week Fundraiser (first week)
- National Pet Week (first week)
- May 1: May Day
- May 2: Kentucky Derby
- May 4: Star Wars Day (“May the Forth Be With You”)
- May 5th or May 6th: Revenge of the Sith (“Revenge of the Fifth” or Revenge of the Sixth”)
- Mother’s Day: May 10
- May 16: National Mimosa Day
- May 23: National Penny Day
- May 26: Paper Airplane Day
- May 31: National Smile Day
Take What You Need: Fundraise Your Way
There’s no one “right” way to fundraise as a runner in May. The best campaigns are the ones that feel doable and personal. Pick a single holiday that makes you smile. Run for a cause that lights you up. Or try a simple selfie + donation link and call it a day. It all counts.
Which idea are you trying this May?
Let me know in the comments or tag me to let me know which fundraiser you plan on trying! I’d love to cheer you on and share your creativity!
Related Post: Looking for ideas for June-specific fundraisers? Check out the list!
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