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GETTING SPONSORSHIP - and then making sure that everyone pays up - can be the hardest part of running a marathon. But not if you follow these insider's tips...
- Be a royal pain in the arse. Tap everyone you know for a donation. Go through the address book, Friends Reunited, the work intranet, gym, friends of friends, their friends, and send a press release to your local rag. The work of your charity, and your pride, are far more important than the vague irritation of others.
- Multiply the effect with Pledgebank [1]. As soon as you can, get friends onto this site to pledge something like, “I will sponsor Neil £20 to run the London Marathon for the Butterfly Conservation Society if 10 other people do the same”. Get them to chase their friends and watch the donations snowball.
- Add 28 per cent. A no-brainer. Tell your (tax-paying) mates that they must tick the Gift Aid box on sponsorship forms - and you’ll instantly add 28p to every £1 you raise.
- Guarantee the donations. Avoid the grief of chasing everyone for sponsorship money (research shows that 30 per cent of those who promise cash end up not paying). Instead, use a fundraising website that removes the hassle and guarantees a higher return. Try Justgiving [2] or Bmycharity [3]. Although between five and eight per cent goes to admin, these sites are very efficient, largely because Gift Aid is added automatically, and almost everyone shells out.
- Warm up your sponsors. Stage a pre-race charitable knees-up. Get your mates together in a bar and charge them for the pleasure, then get them hammered and ask for even more. Or arrange a coffee morning or a quiz night. Be imaginative. It might double your donations and your mates will think you’re a saint, not to mention a heavy drinker.
- Get your boss to contribute. An increasing number of companies will match the money you raise pound for pound – doubling your donation without you lifting a finger. They may even give you time off to go out and fundraise. Ask your boss if your company offers a scheme like this. If it doesn’t, apply the guilt until they do.
> See our article: Get the boss to help your charity [3]
Best of luck with the fundraising - and the run!
> More features [3]
> Watchdog articles [3]
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