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All fundraising ideas
Fun run fundraising ideas
Charity fun runs invite large groups of people to come together and run, jog, walk, or roll to raise awareness for good causes. Flexible, inclusive, and designed for all levels of athleticism, walks/runs are the perfect way to rally your community and raise money at the same time.
We’ve collected all of the best walk/run fundraising ideas together in one place, including themed 5ks, color runs, walkathons, and a whole lot more to get you across that fundraising finish line.
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Family fun run
Encourage families to run, walk, or jog for a cause by featuring kid-friendly activities, prizes, and course options.
Use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word about the cause.
Use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word about the cause.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Pajama run
Ask participants to don their favorite PJs while tackling a walk, jog, roll, or run for the cause. Encourage everyone to set a donation goal and spread the word about the fundraiser with peer-to-peer fundraising. Don’t forget to award prizes to the coziest runners!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Pet run/walk
Invite community members to bring their furry friends along to walk in a charity 5k. Encourage participants to create individual fundraising pages that feature their pets, set a donation goal, and help spread the word about the cause.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Obstacle course
Challenge supporters to complete a course of obstacles like walls, mud pits, and rope climbs. To amplify your impact, and spark some friendly competition, encourage team fundraising: all supporters can join an existing team or create their own to compete!
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Color run
Spray participants with brightly colored powder along the course of your charity fun run. By the end, runners will be rainbow-ed! Create a photo booth at the end with your scan-to-donate code where runners can take selfies and encourage more donations on social media.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Virtual fun run
Take your fundraising run online or create a hybrid event by encouraging participants to complete a designated distance anytime, anywhere! Be sure to use peer-to-peer fundraising to spread the word and bring in some major funds.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Walkathon
Ask supporters to lace up their shoes and gather pledges or donations for every mile they walk.
Sell official charity gear, encourage supporters to share updates on their own personal donation pages, and award top fundraisers with exciting prizes.
Sell official charity gear, encourage supporters to share updates on their own personal donation pages, and award top fundraisers with exciting prizes.
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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5k walk/run
Map out your fundraising run route and have supporters donate to participate. Then, use peer-to-peer fundraising tools that allow supporters to make their own donation pages, set their own goals, and ask friends and family to contribute!
Cost:
1
Effort:
3
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Ugly sweater 5k
Get festive by encouraging supporters to wear their ugliest sweater for a fun run (and award the best dressed)! Use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word about the cause, along with photos of them in their ugly regalia.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Halloween costume run
Ask supporters to wear their spookiest Halloween costume during this fun run, walk, or roll. Be sure to use peer-to-peer fundraising to encourage participants to set a donation goal and spread the word.
At the end, award the winners of the race, the teams or individuals who raised the most, and, of course, the best dressed with special prizes.
At the end, award the winners of the race, the teams or individuals who raised the most, and, of course, the best dressed with special prizes.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Sell swag or merch
Raise some extra funds for your organization or club and spread the word about your cause by selling branded swag like totes, stickers, and t-shirts.
With advanced ticketing features, you can offer each item on a mobile-friendly platform and add an image and available amount so supporters can easily purchase and share their sizing info, too!
With advanced ticketing features, you can offer each item on a mobile-friendly platform and add an image and available amount so supporters can easily purchase and share their sizing info, too!
Cost:
2
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Events
Donation forms
Auctions
Food truck smorgasbord
Invite food trucks to a big game or event and ask them in return to donate a portion of all food sales to your team. To really sweeten the sponsorship opportunity, offer benefits for these small businesses, like free marketing and publicity.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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High heels walk
Instead of a 5k, organize a high heels walk down a “runway” of your choice. Challenge supporters to see who can raise the most funds leading up to the event through peer-to-peer fundraising—and who can rock the best look. Encourage your supporters to personalize their pages to attract more donations!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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10,000 steps challenge
Encourage members to set up a fundraising page and accept pledges based on how long they’ll commit to their 10k-steps-a-day habit.
Invite participants to set up a peer-to-peer fundraising page where they can share their personal stories and interact with supporters.
Invite participants to set up a peer-to-peer fundraising page where they can share their personal stories and interact with supporters.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Field day
Invite participants to register for a day of fun outdoor games and competitions, like relay races, a water balloon toss, and a good old-fashioned tug-of-war.
Make your fundraising event a success with sponsorships from local businesses to offset costs and bring in more participants.
Make your fundraising event a success with sponsorships from local businesses to offset costs and bring in more participants.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Skate-a-thon
For a fun twist on a walk-a-thon, swap the walking shoes for a pair of rollerblades or quad skates and raise money for a good cause.
Leading up to your event, encourage your participants to create their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages, which they can personalize with their own stories and updates.
Leading up to your event, encourage your participants to create their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages, which they can personalize with their own stories and updates.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Superhero run
Participants pay an entry fee to partake in a costumed fundraising run. Encourage runners to raise more for your cause with their own peer-to-peer fundraising pages, and award prizes for race winners, best super hero costumes, and most donations!
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Donation matching
Build relationships with local businesses and major donors that can offer matching donations to feature during your next campaign.
Matching gifts create an enormous incentive for supporters who understand that they can automatically double (or even triple or quadruple!) their impact for your cause.
Matching gifts create an enormous incentive for supporters who understand that they can automatically double (or even triple or quadruple!) their impact for your cause.
Cost:
1
Effort:
2
Impact:
3
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Fundraising page
Text-to-donate
With text-to-donate, raising funds is as easy as sending a text message. Post your shortcode on signs at fundraising events, share it on social media, and offer it as a payment option so your supporters can contribute using their mobile devices right on the spot, no matter where they are.
See for yourself how easy it is — text “DEMO” to 53-555.
See for yourself how easy it is — text “DEMO” to 53-555.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
3
Inspiration
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Fundraising page
24-hour relay race
Create the ultimate relay race for rival schools in your district and charge an entrance fee for spectators. Encourage each school to create a team fundraising page where friends and family can show their support with donations and progress toward their goal in real time.
Cost:
2
Effort:
3
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Fitness challenge
Participants commit to completing a certain number of workouts and collect pledges for each milestone achieved using personal peer-to-peer fundraising pages.
Watch as donations come in through the leaderboard in real time and friends and family share words of encouragement on the supporter feed.
Watch as donations come in through the leaderboard in real time and friends and family share words of encouragement on the supporter feed.
Cost:
1
Effort:
1
Impact:
2
Inspiration
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Frequently asked questions
How do you organize a fun run fundraiser?
Whether you’re looking for new 5k fundraiser ideas to liven up your big annual donation drive or you’re exploring fundraising walk ideas for the first time, coordinating this kind of event includes a few essential pieces. To start planning, you’ll need to pick a theme, recruit volunteers, and choose a fundraising platform for registration and donations.
How do you raise money for a fun run?
Changemakers can raise money for a fun run in all sorts of ways. Popular options include creating sponsorship proposals, selling merchandise like custom water bottles before or on the day of the event, collecting pledges, and charging registration fees.
Be sure to create an online donation page and encourage participants to join in peer-to-peer fundraising to help spread the word and encourage giving before the big day.
How do you promote a fun run?
One of the most important things to check off your fundraiser planning checklist is promotion. To help promote your event, you can send emails, post flyers around your community, and create social media posts for your supporters to share with their networks.
Remember to ask your sponsors to help with promotion, too, and consider reaching out to local media, especially if you have an exciting theme that will make for good visuals (like colored powder!).
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