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. This guide is focused on the most successful fundraisers I’ve used to reach my fundraising goals. For all the details on how to organize a marathon fundraiser, read the tips outlined below.
Key Topics Included in this Post
Why Run a Marathon For Charity?
Most marathons have a traditional entry process: You go to a website, sign up using an online form, and pay a fee. Some races, including the World Marathon Majors, have become extremely competitive to enter and have moved to a lottery system. In 2025, over 1.3 million people entered the London Marathon lottery to win one of roughly 17,000 spaces.
Running for charity has become a way of gaining access to the race by partnering with a charity connected to the race.
What are the Marathon World Majors?
There are six marathons considered to be the most prestigious marathons in the world, with the highest level of elites competing to win. They include Boston, London, Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago, and New York. In addition to the elites, the races are open in limited capacity to the everyday runners looking to participate.
The World Marathon organization also offers a special medal for runners who’ve completed the six original marathons. Getting into these races is extremely competitive. These races offer various methods to get in, including lottery systems or qualifying times. As an opportunity to make the process easier and to support the community, the World Majors also offer race entries for runners willing to fundraise various minimums through official charity partners.
Related Post: Looking to fly internationally for a marathon? Check out this guide on Global Entry!
How Does a Marathon Charity Entry Work?
Each of the Marathon World Majors has a specific number of entries for the race. Each race has different ways to qualify to run. Within the field, there are specific numbers of entries for charities and the rest of the field.
Depending on the race, there is specific criteria for earning a guaranteed entry, and the remainder of the race bibs are set aside for the lottery and sponsors. Based on the increasing interest in these races, getting a lottery spot is getting harder, and signing up to raise funds for a charity is becoming more popular. In 2025, over 1.3 million runners applied for the 2026 London Marathon lottery alone!
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.
The Most Important Marathon Fundraising Concept
I’ve fundraised for a charity marathon entry in seven of my eleven marathons. While I’ve had various ways of getting a guaranteed entry into the Chicago Marathon on my own merits, I have always opted for a charity bib for Chicago. I personally find the process keeps me accountable for training and sharing my progress.
My Marathon Fundraising Story
For my first Chicago Marathon, I chose the charity route because I was so inspired watching the race from the sidelines the year before. I didn’t want to wait more than a year to experience a marathon for myself. Although I was terrified of fundraising, I set my fears aside to avoid missing out. I was really uncomfortable about asking for money and I was nervous about whether I could reach my fundraising minimum.
Once I signed up, I immediately reached out to two friends who had fundraised in the past and they gave me the biggest piece of advice:
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 biothat inspires donations.
Need Fundraising Ideas for the Boston Marathon?
While fundraising for any marathon is a generous gesture, fundraising for the Boston Marathon is seen as one of the most intimidating since the fundraising minimums are so high.
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.
Related Post: Brian and I spent 48 hours in Boston. Here is how we spent our weekend.
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.
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.
Running Fundraising Ideas
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.
The key to this fundraiser is consistency. Each week I post how many miles I’m running before and ask for a suggested donation. I ask for cheers with the miles as a suggested donation ($12 donation for 12 miles).
Another way to use this idea is to use specific milestones to open the conversation. You can tie in meaningful numbers like 100, 50, 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!
Ultimately, it keeps me consistently posting and letting my friends know I’m committed. 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, whether you’re looking for Boston Marathon fundraising ideas or fundraising for a smaller race! It will keep you accountable to your training. I also love it incorporates the idea of added accountability for your training since you’re sharing with friends on your long run goals.
Related Post: This post is full of really simple and easy fundraisers! Look through this list for super approachable fundraising ideas!
Marathon Fundraiser: Start a Run Streak
My goal race going into 2020 was to run the 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 I 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.
How to Plan a Run Streak Fundraiser
The run streak rules are basically you run every single day for a specific daily minimum. Pick a number of days you’re comfortable running every day. While I usually do 50, I’ve had friends reach their goals with 30 days. The number of days should be impressive while being manageable for you to complete. I’ve included a target range of total miles to make it easier for my friends to understand where their suggestion donation should net out.
How to Collect Pledges for a Run Streak Fundraiser
I usually use Google Forms (if using Google Forms, this step must be handled on a desktop), but you can use any survey service.
I include contact info (first and last name, email), how many miles I plan to run, suggested pledge amounts (3 suggestions and another field), and a field for a note for encouragement. This allowed me to keep track of the pledges in a central location, rather than collecting them from several social media posts.
Tracking Your Run Streak
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 for the fundraiser. I used to find local murals and plan my routes around specific murals to add excitement. I tracked the daily miles in a spreadsheet and synced the mileage to Strava for transparency.
When the 50 days were over, I’d email each person their suggested donation based on their pledge amount and provide the donation link.
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.
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. 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.
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.
Marathon Fundraising That’s Simple
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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