How to Fundraise With a Charity Walk
Charity walks are great for raising money for any nonprofit or individual fundraiser. To make sure your next walking fundraiser brings in the donations you need, we’ve put together a list of simple fundraising ideas, tips, and practical advice that you can look to for guidance.
Don’t let unfamiliarity with this type of event impact your fundraising efforts — walks don’t have to be an uphill struggle, and can take your fundraiser to the next level when executed correctly.
What is a walkathon?
You’ve probably come across marathon fundraising events in the past, but far less is known about walking fundraisers and walkathons.
A walkathon is a community fundraising event where participants receive sponsorships and donations for completing a walk over a set course. Think of it as the less-competitive version of a marathon, where participants of all ages and abilities rally in support of a chosen charitable cause.
Walkathons are a popular idea for all types of charity fundraisers, providing participants with a fun day out while keeping costs low for organizers. There are no minimum distances, personal bests or competitive rewards involved — instead, the focus is on fostering a sense of community through the unifying power of fundraising.
How to organize a charity walk or run
While charity walks are some of the easiest and low-cost events that fundraisers can utilize, knowing where to start with your own walking or running fundraiser can be tough. So, whether you’re getting involved with an established walkathon or planning your own event from the ground up — here’s a step-by-step guide to making sure your charity walk marches on to success.
1. Make a plan
No charity walk becomes a success without a large degree of behind-the-scenes planning, so it’s important to get your priorities in line from the outset. Firstly, you will need to choose a charity or other worthy cause to support. If you don’t already have a person or organization in mind, take some inspiration from the GoFundMe heroes who have made meaningful contributions across a range of societal issues.
Next, you’ll need to start planning the logistics of your walking fundraiser event. If you’re organizing your own charity walk, you’ll need to settle on a route, distance, date and location. Keep in mind that you may need to receive a permit from local authorities depending on the location of your walk, and recruit some volunteers to assist you on the day.
2. Start your fundraiser
Once you have planned out the where, when and how of your charity walk, you’re ready to start a fundraiser. Getting started is quick, safe and easy — just follow these simple steps:
- Tell us the basics of where you live, what you’re fundraising for and who you would like your donations to be sent to. This can be yourself, an individual beneficiary or your chosen charitable organization.
- Set a fundraising goal based on how much money you would like to raise with your charity walk. It’s okay to be ambitious, but try to set a realistic target that’s in line with the size and scope of your event. Remember that you can change your fundraising goal at any time, and you don’t need to reach it in order to receive your donations.
- Add a cover photo, as fundraisers with meaningful images tend to perform better than those without. Think carefully about which picture you’d like to share and try to add a photo that captures the spirit of your fundraiser.
- Tell your story by writing 2-3 paragraphs that sum up what makes your fundraiser unique. Being as open, honest and descriptive as possible will help donors understand and identify with your goals. Make sure to include important practical information like who you are, what you’re fundraising for and where any donations will be sent.
If you’re still not sure about how GoFundMe works, check out our helpful guide which answers all the most common fundraising questions.
3. Spread the word
Once your fundraiser is set up, you’re ready to publish it and start receiving donations for your charity walk. All that’s left to do is spread the word and update donors as your fundraiser makes progress.
Start by sharing your fundraiser with friends, family and others in your immediate network. Word of mouth can travel fast, but boost your efforts by sharing a link to your fundraising page through email and text messages. Sharing your fundraiser on social media can be a powerful way to attract donations from all across the world, so start working on some compelling posts that will grab the attention of potential donors on Facebook, Instagram and other social platforms.
Find out more about using the internet to boost your efforts with our top tips for sharing your fundraiser online.
5 creative ideas for walkathon fundraising
While charity walks are always a great crowdfunding idea, adding some creative flair will make your walking fundraiser even more impactful, meaningful and enjoyable. It’s important to choose ideas that can easily be implemented, especially if you’re organizing the event yourself or with a small fundraising team.
You don’t want to organize a walk that requires endless permits or causes logistical planning issues, so remember to choose ideas that are fairly simple to execute. Below are just a few charity walk ideas you can consider. Of course, look for other online charity resources and refer to what other similar organizations have done if you need help getting some fundraising inspiration.
1. Costume walks
Costume walks are a great way to create excitement and boost participation for your walking fundraiser. It makes the walk a lighthearted event, which is perfect for almost any cause. In some cases, you may want to avoid costumes if you are raising funds for a very sensitive issue, but in general, getting people into silly costumes will always go down well.
If it feels like a suitable fit, you can always set a costume theme that ties in with the message of your charity walk. This is a great way of encouraging participants to have fun while reminding everyone of the meaningful cause that they are supporting. Just remember to keep practical issues like visibility, comfort and weather-resistance in mind.
2. Dog walks
We all know how much dogs love a walk, so why not add some extra fun to your charity walk by encouraging participants to bring their four-legged friends? This works especially well if the cause you’re fundraising for is concerned with animals, but don’t feel limited by the theme of your fundraiser. People love their pets, so incorporating them into a fundraising event is a great way to generate excitement while getting more feet — and paws — on the ground.
As some dogs may not be suited to a charity walk environment as much as others, consider sending out registration forms to participants in advance. Gathering information on breed, size and temperament will allow you to organize walking groups based on compatibility. For a rewarding finishing touch, you could even create branded goodie bags for the dogs who make past the finish line.
3. Charity t-shirt walks
Boost donations for your charity walk by selling specially-designed fundraiser t-shirts . Sell t-shirts before the event so people can wear them while walking. Many charities offer branded t-shirts for fundraising events, but you could go the extra mile by requesting a custom design for your fundraiser.
If you’re fundraising individually, contact local businesses that may be willing to sponsor your event or create personalized t-shirts. Custom merchandise like t-shirts serve as a free advertisement for your fundraiser and are great for encouraging donations, so try to incorporate them in whatever way works best.
4. Kid-friendly walks
Charity walk ideas should always be fun and light-hearted, and what better way to create this atmosphere than by making your event kid-friendly? Many of your supporters will likely have children, so including them will make sure that you attract as many participants as possible.
Clearly state that your event is kid-friendly in your fundraiser marketing, and don’t forget to encourage parents to bring strollers for longer walks. Make sure to choose an unchallenging route that’s accessible to everyone, and provide treats or simple goodie bags to keep those little faces smiling.
5. Make it a food event
We all know how effective a motivator tasty treats can be, so why not make your charity walk a potluck event as well? Ask supporters and volunteers to bring a treat of their choice to your walk, and savor the contributions together once you have all crossed the finish line.
It’s important to prioritize food safety for this charity walk idea, so distribute a registration form in advance. Participants can let you know what they’re bringing to ensure a nice variety, and you can also make note of any potential food allergies. You’ll need to plan accordingly to ensure there is enough food to go around, but the enthusiasm and extra support you’ll receive will be more than worth the effort.
Get inspired by successful walking fundraisers
If you’re still not sure where to start with your fundraiser, it’s always wise to take inspiration from other organizations that have run successful charity walks in the past. Here are some examples to get the fundraiser ideas flowing:
Act out the cause
When most of us want water, all we need to do is walk to our sink. Not everyone is so fortunate. Globally, 200 million women and children must walk daily — sometimes up to 5 hours — to retrieve fresh water.
The Water 1st Carry 5 Walk For Water shows participants exactly what this feels like. During the walk, everyone carries a gallon of water for five kilometers. It’s an exercise in empathy and raising awareness as much as fundraising, and puts a powerful spin on the classic charity walk.
Take it all off
Of all the ways to raise awareness for a cause, few are as eye-catching as Cupid’s Undie Run. Runners raise money and visibility for neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder, by jogging in their underpants. It’s a great way to draw attention to your cause in a dramatic, conversation-starting way.
Help others give thanks
Thanksgiving is a day for expressing gratitude and over-indulging, but for many people, it’s just another day without enough food. The YMCA Turkey Trot has participants donate canned food while burning off a few of those Thanksgiving calories.
Americans have been holding turkey trots since 1896. It’s a cause that clearly resonates with a lot of people because it’s still the most popular race in America.
Your charity walk checklist
Now that you have a list of creative walking fundraiser ideas, you can move on to starting your own. We’ve created this simple checklist which you can use to get your fundraiser off on the right foot. Like any fundraising event, charity walks require plenty of organization and planning, so you’ll need to make sure that you’ve done all the necessary prep work before announcing your event.
1. Get the word out
Choose a fundraising platform that allows you to easily spread the word about your walking event. Picking the right fundraising platform is crucial to communicating information about the event to your supporters and raising awareness for your cause.
Sharing features that include social media and easily shareable fundraiser links can play an important role in your event’s overall success. You can also consider getting the word out by relying on offline promotion tactics like local bulletin boards and printed flyers.
2. Create walking teams
Designate teams for your charity walk to encourage some healthy competition among them. Teams can compete to see who can raise the most money for your fundraising event.
Generating friendly competition creates excitement and real interest for your fundraiser among participants. While not a necessity, developing teams can be a great addition to your walking fundraiser plans.
3. Find corporate sponsors
If you’re not experienced or sure of how to raise money for charity walks, focus on communicating a compelling story for your fundraiser. This may attract the interest of businesses willing to offer corporate sponsorships like donation matching.
Sponsors may also be willing to help fund activities that will make the event more fun. For example, they could provide in-kind donations like custom t-shirts, food, or photos at the finish line.
4. Stay in touch and share results
As you plan your charity walk event, make sure to think about how you’ll share the progress of your fundraiser with supporters. If you don’t want to plan ahead and create a schedule for reaching out via email or social media, keep things informal by updating your supporters when you reach a new milestone.
For example, if you are registering participants for your walk and reach or exceed your goal, post an update or email supporters about your achievement. The same can be done for reaching 50% of your fundraising goal, or hitting any other relevant milestone. The key is to make sure that you incorporate communication when planning your walking fundraiser.
Start your charity walk fundraiser with GoFundMe
After sorting through ideas and planning out your walking fundraiser event, you’re ready to hit the pavement. If your charity organization still isn’t sure how to raise money from here, GoFundMe is a fantastic option.
Our platform offers fundraising tools to make it simple for you to create, share, and raise money for your charity walk.