Simple Fundraising Ideas to Crush Your Charity Goals

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Running a marathon for charity is an inspiring way to support a cause you’re passionate about. But for most runners, the consideration to fundraise for a race can feel intimidating. While the running a marathon for a charity part of the agreement is really fulfilling, the experience can make you feel really vulnerable since you’re asking friends to contribute. Most people don’t like asking for money because the process can feel really cringy. It can also feel overwhelming because when you think about fundraising, the first thing that usually comes to mind is big fundraising events.

If you think marathon fundraising requires hosting a gala and is a lot of work, think again! You already have enough on your plate with marathon training, meal prep, and your regular life. What you need are easy fundraising ideas that are effective to hit your fundraising targets.

What’s a Simple Fundraising Idea?

A simple fundraising idea is characterized as way to fundraise for a charity low-cost, low-complexity activity or campaign that raises money quickly with minimal planning. The goal is to use simple tactics and require little-to-low effort.

This post offers simple concepts to help boost your fundraising efforts. With these low-lift strategies for marathon fundraising, you can engage your supporters and make fundraising a breeze.

Key Characteristics of a Simple Fundraiser

While the definition of easy is subjective, I’ve categorized an easy fundraiser to have the following key components.

• Low Cost: The cost to promote your fundraiser should be require little to no finacial investment. Most of these concepts use a platform like social media posts or emailing friends.
• Minimal Planning: Let’s not add anything else to your plate. Most of these ideas are so easy you can do them “in the moment” or can be launched with minimal effort.
• Low Risk: These ideas have low to no risk to host.

Simple fundraisers blend these components and offer you a platform to share your running journey, while championing a cause.

Why Simple Fundraising Ideas Work

Simple marathon fundraising ideas remove the barriers that often deter people from getting involved. When you ask for smaller, specific amounts, it removes the feeling of asking for too much or the guilt of not giving enough.

It also frees you up from having to plan huge events or handle complex logistics. These ideas are approachable and easy to execute, making them accessible to a wide audience. The more you speak up about your charity goals, the easier it gets and the more you’re advocate for yourself.

Related Post: This post was in the Top 10 for 2025 for good reason! Get the whole list of the top-ranked posts here.

How to Ask Friends to Donate to Your Fundraiser

As we cover each of these ideas, the goal is to make donating approachable with a suggested donation, usually tied to the event theme. While the individual contributions might be smaller, it still helps you approach your fundraising goal with progress. The collective impact can be significant as more people feel empowered to contribute and support the cause in meaningful, manageable ways. Overall, you’ll get incredible traction for your marathon fundraising goals.

The best fundraising campaigns often have a blend of low-effort requests and bigger donation requests. Fundraising, like marathon training, is about finding a balance for what works for you.

Here are a few fundraising ideas to help you meet (and exceed) your marathon fundraising goals.

How to Use Social Media for Your Marathon Fundraiser

Social media is one of the most powerful tools for charity runners. It’s a free, organic way to reach a wide audience, and can make a big impact when used strategically. The biggest key to using this tactic is to post regularly. To keep up with the algorithm, you’ll need to post often to ensure the message is received.

• Share Your Journey: Post updates about your training progress, milestones, and why you chose your charity. Use your social media to document your journey. Use photos, videos, and stories to make your posts engaging. I love using my run selfies as a way to feature murals from local artists in my social media posts to make it fun! It’s a great way to feature my local community.
• Make It Personal: Set up your fundraising page and share your story. Let your friends know why this cause matters to you. Share your passion, and don’t be afraid to get vulnerable.
• Add a Call to Action: Include a suggested donation amount, such as the number of miles for your weekly long run or a number tied to the post. Include your charity page link so they can make an online donation.

Pro Tip: Speaking of socials, are you following Run. Wander. Wear. on Instagram, TikTok or Pinterest?  

Use Email as a Fundraising Tool

Email remains one of the most effective ways to connect with potential donors. Your friends are more likely to contribute when they receive a personal and heartfelt message. This is a great way to raise awareness for your charity’s mission. You should only email people you personally know (don’t buy a list of strangers to spam your messaging).

Create a contact list in your address book to save valid emails so you can modify the list over time. It’s worth also messaging your friends individually and ask if it’s okay to share your updates.

When you write your email, open it with the intention of why you’re reaching out. I like to send a message when I first sign up for the race to share the news. It also helps to email closer to the race to share an update on your fundraising goal, how to track you and details for post-race celebrations. While sharing your fundraiser is part of the ask, sharing about your running journey is the bigger piece.

What to Include in Your Fundraising Email:

• An Introduction: Start by sharing that you’re running a marathon for charity and why this cause matters to you.
• Your Goal: Be clear about your fundraising target and how raising money will make an impact. Include details on where their donation will have the biggest impact.
• Add a Call to Action: Include a link to your donation page and ask for their support. Make it seamless for them to donate with clear instructions. If you are documenting the process on social media, include links to your handles and ask them to follow your progress. I also include notes on whether they’d prefer to send a check and where to mail it.

Once you receive a donation from a donor, send them an email to thank them.

Related Post: If you don’t know where to start with writing a donation email, ChatGPT can help! Use these prompts to write a polished letter to showcase your fundraiser!

Fun Marathon Fundraising Ideas

Make your fundraising campaign stand out by tying it to fun and unique holidays to support your charity’s mission. These themes can inspire creative posts and keep your supporters engaged.

Easy Fundraising Events

• Host a Bake Sale: Partner with a local business to donate pastries or bake your own and donate the proceeds to your fundraising page.
• Games Night for a Cause! Host a board game night and sell tickets to attend! You could also host a bingo night and sell each bingo board individually. Get prizes by asking local businesses to donate prizes for the winners or donate a gift card.
• Host a Bar Night: Ask a local bar if they have a “wristband” package. A wristband package is a set price for an open bar for a window of time. Invite friends and charge a small fee. By selling tickets for a markup, you can donate the proceeds from each ticket to your charity. Add an element of a silent auction or fashion show to encourage additional donations.
• Host a Trivia Night: Work with a local bar to host a trivia night. Request donations to enter the tournament. Get donations for a raffle to raise money towards your goal.
• Sponsor a Car Wash: Ask friends to donate money for a car wash to raise money for your charity.
• Milestones to Race Day: Use milestones until your race day as a reason to post! When you’re 100 days out from your race, ask friends to help raise $100 for that day. You can also ask for $50 or $25 donations when you’re 50 or 25 days out.

Pro Tip: One of the easiest ways you can increase your donation totals is to ask them if their employer offers a donation match program. Match donations are when companies donate money based on the employee’s initial donation (whether it’s one-to-one or a portion of the donation total). It’s a great way to get additional contributions with very low effort.

Fundraising Holidays to Support Your Cause

These holidays are a great way to organically share your fundraiser. Use on of these themes to help give your cause a platform!

• International Women’s Day: Ask your friends to honor a strong woman in your life and connect it to your charity’s mission. Include a suggested donation amount, such as their favorite number(March 8). For more on this fundraiser, check out this list of March fundraisers!
• Kentucky Derby Fundraiser Idea: Ask your friends to bet on you and raise money for your charity as part of the Kentucky Derby (first Saturday in May). You could also host a raffle for friends to pick the winning horse! For more May fundraisers, get the whole list here.
• Beverage-Themed Holiday Fundraiser: Ask your friends to donate what they would pay for their daily coffee on National Coffee Day (September 29th) or a glass of wine (National Wine Day is May 25th). Host a wine tasting (or NA cocktail event for Dry January) and charge an entry fee. Encourage your guests to bring people to your event to get additional donations outside your network.
• Monthly Holiday Fundraisers: Fun social media holidays are a fun way to share your fundraising link without feeling like you’re begging for money. I’ve started building monthly lists with fun and different approaches for fundraising posts. No matter what time of year you start fundraising, you need to read this post to get the full list of monthly fundraisers for the whole year!

Related Post: I’ve put together fun holiday fundraising ideas for the holiday season!

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Simple Fundraising Ideas Raise Awareness

Combine these simple fundraising ideas for even better results. For example, post about a fun holiday on social media and follow up with an email to friends and family. Use hashtags and keep your updates regular and consistent to maintain momentum.

By focusing on these straightforward yet effective tactics, you’ll not only reach your fundraising goals but also inspire others to support your journey. Remember, every post, email, and donation brings you one step closer to reaching your goal. 

Have your own fundraising ideas you’d like to share? How do you encourage people to donate? I’d love to hear your perspective! Leave a note in the comments for how you make this work for your fundraiser! Have a marathon fundraising question? Drop a note below!

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