Fundraising tips for your marathon

Before your marathon, you'll need to raise funds through events or parties. We'll give you a useful checklist of things to think about when planning your fundraising event as well as ideas for some great fundraising parties.

Before

• Decide on your fundraising activity
• Ask your friends, family and colleagues to help you organise and plan your event
• Set a date
• Choose your venue
• Promote, promote, promote!

Tell your story
Getting the local press along to an event can be a great way of adding to your fundraising total. To gain publicity for your event the best thing to do is to phone your local paper or radio station and tell them about it. You can ask for the editor or news desk or anyone you know working there. Don’t forget to leave your contact details!

On the day of your fundraising event

• Keep a checklist - tick things off as you go to make sure you’ve remembered everything.
• Create an atmosphere - we can supply you with balloons and posters to create a fun atmosphere.
• Be sure to take some photos and send them in to us – we would love to see what you got up to at your event!

After

• Remit your proceeds as soon as possible so that we can add this to your total fundraising amount.
• Thank everyone for taking part and let them know how much you raised together.

Some fundraising party ideas

A - Auction, Auction of Promises

B - Breakfast event, Baked beans bath, Bazaar, B-B-Q, Bed push, Bingo, Book sale, Bring-and-buy sale

C - Cake sale, Car boot sale, Carol singing, Casual day at work/school, Children’s sports day, Coffee morning, Curry Party, Car Treasure Hunt

D - Donations in lieu of presents, Dinner dance, Disco, Darts tournament, Dog walking

E - Easter egg hunt, Egg-and-spoon race, Exhibitions

F - Fashion show, Fancy dress, Film show, Firm wide raffles, auctions and collections, Football tournament

G - Give up something for Lent and get it sponsored! Gigs, Go-karting, Garden Party

H - Halloween fancy dress party, Hill Walk, Head and beard shaving, Hurling solo run

I - Inter-departmental quiz in your workplace, Indoor football competition

J - Jumble sale, James Bond event, Jelly eating

K - Karaoke, Keep-fitathon, Knit-athon, Knockout pillow fighting

L - Leg waxing for men, Line dancing, Lottery

M - Midnight feasts, Musical chairs, Music quiz Marathon and mini-marathon

N - No smoking day, Non-uniform day, Novelty fashion show

O - Obstacle course, Odd clothes day, Outdoor bazaar, Open Gardens, Garden parties around your neighbourhood

P - Parties, Penalty shoot-out competition, Photo competition, Pyjama party, Pedal-athon. Pancake breakfast/party, Pizza party

Q - Quiz night

R – Raffle, Rock 'n' Roll night, Role reversal day, Race night

S - Slim-athon, Sponsored dog walking, Sponsored silence, Sponsored ANYTHING!, Swear box

T - Talent competition, Table quiz, Tea party, Tug of war

U - Underwear as outerwear dares, (non) Uniform day, Unwanted gift sale

V - Valet services, Volleyball marathon, Variety show Valentine’s Day event

W - Water games, Wellie throwing competition, Wheelbarrow racing

X - Xmas Pantomime,

Y - Yard clean, Yogathon, Yo-yo competition

Z - Zany clothes day Zzzzz – a sponsored sleep in or even stay-awake!

Get in touch

If you have any questions about how to raise money for your trek, call us on 1850 60 60 60 or email us at fundraising@irishcancer.ie.