Learn how to raise money for a charity marathon through these fundraising ideas. Explore strategies for increasing donations and awareness for your cause through a charity marathon fundraiser.
Key Takeaways
- Explore effective fundraising ideas for charity marathons to increase donations and awareness.
- Running for charity helps gain entry to competitive marathons through partnerships with charities.
- Boston Marathon requires high fundraising minimums, making fundraising strategies essential.
- Consistent updates on training progress can encourage donations and keep friends engaged.
- Consider run streaks and split-the-pot fundraisers as creative, engaging methods for raising money.
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If you’re running a marathon for charity, it can be overwhelming knowing where to start. You might have a lot of fundraising questions like,
- How should I tell my friends I’m running a marathon for a charity?
- How do I ask strangers to donate?
- How do I set up my fundraising page?
- How am I going to reach my fundraising goal?
If you’re especially stressed about the last question, don’t worry! I’ve raised over $35,000 for charity using really basic fundraising ideas. Most of my fundraisers have been through a social media post, emailing friends, or a fundraising challenge.
This post is focused on the most successful fundraisers I’ve used to reach my fundraising goals. I’ve outlined each fundraiser below with helpful tips for how to share your fundraiser in an effective way and how much money I’ve raised with each fundraiser. If you’re ready to dig in, let’s get started.
Related Post: Speaking of the best, this post was in the Top 10 for 2025! Get the whole list of the top-ranked posts here.
Key Topics Included in this Post
What Makes a Fundraising Idea the Best?
Honestly, this is a pretty subjective term! I’ve categorized these ideas based on fundraisers I’ve hosted throughout my years as a charity runner as the ones that have been the most successful. Ultimately, the best fundraising ideas depend on how willing you are to put yourself out there and share your story. Depending on your required fundraising amount, you might want to focus on fundraising strategies to target bigger donations.
What is the Required Fundraising Amount for a Charity Marathon?
While there are required minimums determined by the marathon for charities to offer entries, every charity has its own criteria for fundraising and deadlines. It’s a great opportunity for charities to get visibility through word-of-mouth advertising. The non-profit organizations get financial support by offering runners the opportunity to run with a charity, spread the word about the charity, and gain entry into these exclusive races.
Races like the Boston Marathon have higher minimums due to the limited number of entries. Some charities require applying ahead of time through an application process. The process can be really competitive, and it’s important to ensure you’re picking the best charity for you. It’s also important to note that the charity sets its fundraising requirements, and it’s important to understand what is included as part of their marathon charity program.
Related Post: Have questions about running the Boston Marathon? Check out this guide focused on fundraising for the Boston Marathon!
The Number 1 Rule in Fundraising
Since the race requires very competitive qualifying times to enter, if you don’t meet the qualifying time cutoff, the only other option to run this race is through a charity. The minimums are several thousand dollars ($7,500 to $10,000 minimum) and can be very intimidating. The fundraisers I’ve noted below are some of the bigger fundraisers I’ve done, which can help get you steadily closer to your goal.
Regardless of how much you need to raise, remember this one thing:
You’re not asking for money; you’re asking for support.
It was such a perspective shift to realize that as a charity runner, I’m not asking for money. What I’m asking for is support. I’m asking my friends to support a great charity! I’m also asking them to support my dream of running this race. Every year, I’ve fundraised a little more than the previous year.
Related Post: Need tips for how to set up your fundraising page? Read these tips for writing a bio that inspires donations.
The Best Fundraising Ideas for Charity Marathons
I’ve learned a ton as a charity runner over the last ten years. Here are my most successful fundraiser ideas to date. I wanted to share some of the best marathon fundraising ideas to help the community reach its fundraising goals.
Use Your Mileage as a Fundraising Post
One of my favorite ways to introduce new charity marathon runners is to use the miles you’re already running as the springboard for your fundraising campaign. I also love that it incorporates the idea of added accountability for your training since you’re sharing with friends on your long run goals!
Long Run Mileage Inspiration
The key to this fundraiser is consistency. Each week, before my long run, I post on social media how many miles I’m running and ask for a suggested donation based on the mileage. It’s meant to be a “cheer for me” type of messaging. I ask for cheers with the miles as a suggested donation ($12 donation for 12 miles). While I don’t get a donation every week, this is a great reminder to friends who mean to donate; they just haven’t yet.
Social Prompt: I’m running [# of] miles to train for the [your marathon] in [month]. Cheer for me on my training run by making a $# donation to support [your charity]. Link in bio!
Amount raised through this fundraising idea: varies week to week
Marathon Countdown Fundraising Posts
Another way to share your training journey is to use specific milestones in a social media post. You can tie in meaningful numbers like 100, 75, 50, or 25 days to race day for suggested donation amounts. I’ve asked my friends to celebrate 100 days until the marathon by making a donation. Get creative; this can be a lot of fun!
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Help me raise $100 today to celebrate 100 days until [your marathon]
- To celebrate the [your marathon] in 50 days, I am asking for $50 donations
- The [your marathon] is in 25 days; can you cheer me on with a $25 donation?
- Asking for 10 friends to donate today to support [your charity], how much can we raise together?
Ultimately, using these milestones is a great way to regularly post about my fundraiser and let my friends know I’m committed to helping raise awareness. I’m never sure who the algorithm shows my posts to or when they’re engaging with the content. This fundraiser is more of a reminder for friends who were planning on donating anyway.
This is a great fundraiser, and it’s incredibly effective, whether you’re looking for Boston Marathon fundraising ideas or fundraising for a smaller race!
Amount raised: Varies by marathon milestone and call-to-action messaging
Related Post: This post is full of really simple and easy fundraisers! Look through this list for super approachable fundraising ideas!
Host a Run Streak as a Fundraiser
This fundraising idea came to me as a COVID pivot idea! I was planning on running the 2020 New York City Marathon for Imerman Angels (a cancer support charity), and I completed the paperwork two weeks before the world shut down.
The minimum $3,000 fundraising total was more money than I had ever raised. I was so nervous, I threw up that night. Once COVID-19 had escalated to a global pandemic, I was even more nervous about asking friends to donate to a charity. I didn’t know if I’d get the chance to run in New York that year or if I’d be responsible for raising the minimum. I had to get creative since event planning wasn’t an option. I had read about run streaks (the concept of running a minimum mileage every day in a row) in Runner’s World magazine, and it occurred to me this could be an opportunity.
Since it was the 50th anniversary of the New York City Marathon, I planned to run every day and ask my friends to pledge small change for every mile during those 50 days. The total number of miles multiplied by their pledge amount would give them a suggested donation total.
I post a selfie daily of how many miles I ran that day as part of my running streak. While this part is intended for accountability, it also helps share the cause and advertise that I’m hosting a fundraiser. I used to find local murals and plan my routes around specific murals to add excitement and make it interesting. I tracked the daily miles in a spreadsheet and synced my Garmin data to Strava for transparency.
Amount raised through this fundraiser: $200-$650
Related Post: For the full details on a Run Streak Fundraiser, check out this full post.
Quick Marathon Fundraising Ideas: Split the Pot Fundraisers
I have hosted a few split-the-pot fundraisers for football squares (for the Super Bowl, big football rivalries like Bears/Packers, and March Madness brackets). There are a few options for this setup, like the Kentucky Derby, the Oscars, or even a traditional raffle. I’d have everyone pay me directly for the entry and make one charity donation with 50 percent of the pot and the other 50 percent is available for winnings.
Amount raised through this fundraiser: $200-1,000
Related Post: Want to host a football squares fundraiser for the Super Bowl (or any other football matchup)? Read this guide and host your own football fundraiser!
Marathon Fundraising Tip: Final Push Campaign
In the last few years, I’ve set my goals incredibly high in an effort to challenge myself to stay consistent all the way through until race day. In the last ten days before the race, I’d post a “final push” goal of the remaining amount and post updates every morning.
To monitor my progress, I’d update the totals through a letter board I’d update with the amount remaining. It helped me use the momentum to get me excited for the race, and it inspired me to understand the magnitude of the overall goal. It’s a last-minute fundraiser that can really help create excitement before race day!
Amount raised through this fundraiser: $1,000-$2,000
Marathon Fundraising Frequently Asked Questions
Marathon fundraising typically involves partnering with a charity to fundraise in exchange for a race entry. Many major races require runners to meet minimum fundraising goals to participate.
The amount can vary by charity and marathon race. The fundraising minimum is usually between $2,000-$10,000. As these programs get more popular, the minimums have slowly started to increase.
Start with your close family and friends and share your fundraising goal consistently. Use simple suggested minimums, like $25, or offer fun trade-offs for donations.
Planning on Trying These Best Fundraiser Ideas?
Fundraising for a marathon can be intimidating, but it can also be incredibly inspiring. Donating to a marathon fundraiser is a great way to support the running community without running.
Let me know if you plan on trying any of these fundraisers, and leave your fundraising pages in the comments for community support! What are some of your best fundraising ideas for charity marathons? Drop a note in the comments!
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