So, you’ve signed up for an Ultra Event and you are wondering what you can do to help you fundraise?  I took part in a UWCB and raised over £2,500 for Cancer Research UK and I’m going to share with you some of my top tips to boost your fundraising.

Tell people what you are doing

It sounds obvious, but no one is going to sponsor you if they don’t know you are fundraising! Use email, social media or tell people in person what it is you are doing and when. Make sure to include your JustGiving link so people can easily donate to you.

Update your email signature

If you use email for work, a great way is to update your email signature (if allowed) and include a link to your fundraising page and a line about what you’re doing. This way people who you work with will see it and donate.

Post on social media regularly

People are more likely to sponsor someone when they can see that they are actually doing it. You train for 8 weeks so make sure to post regular photos of you training or of your charity total. This way people can see what you are doing and how hard you’re working and be more likely to sponsor you.

Set a target

Have a goal in mind that you want to hit, post this on social media and then up it. If your goal is £500 and your page is at £480, someone might want to give the £20 to help you reach your goal. And you don’t have to stop there – my goal was £1,000 but due to the amazing generosity of family and friends, I kept upping this target to see how much I could raise.

Thank the people who have donated

When someone donates to your page, thank them on social media with a post and a screenshot of their donation. They will be tagged so their friends will also see the post, or they may share the post which means more people will see what you are doing and want to sponsor you.

Ask companies to sponsor your vest

If you have friends or family who run businesses you can ask them to sponsor your vest for £50, this will be read out on the night and they will have their logo printed on your vest too. You can also ask your work if they’d like to sponsor your vest, it’s a great way to boost fundraising.

Ask your company about match funding

Some companies might offer match fundraising to employees where they will match however much you raise. It’s a great way to double your total and for companies to give back to charity. Not all companies will do this, but it’s worth an ask to find out if it is available.

Put posters up at work

If you work in an office or have a shared kitchen/canteen you can put up a poster to tell people what you are doing and add how they can support you. You have a poster in your welcome pack that you can use for this too.

Host a fundraising event

You can host a bake sale, a raffle, a virtual quiz or a fundraising night at a local pub – there are lots of ways to get creative and fundraise. You can order fundraising buckets from Cancer Research UK to use and you can put up posters to tell people what you are doing and why.

There are lots of things you can do to boost your fundraising, but these are just some ways that I found worked to help me raise money and be awarded Top Fundraiser on the night.