Been there, run that...

This month we are pleased to welcome to our Confessions of a Fundraiser blog, three fundraisers who have taken on epic physical challenges to not only boost their fundraising totals but train for their upcoming climbs of Kilimanjaro.

Read on to hear their advice and reflections.

In April 2022, I took part in the Southampton half marathon as part of my fundraising efforts for the Kilimanjaro challenge. Having pretty much zero prior experience of proper running, I thought this would be an immense challenge, all whilst getting fitter for my Kilimanjaro preparations! This challenge for me was extremely rewarding, not only through being able to get in lots of donations (which is obviously a great benefit), but also it gave me a goal to aim for whilst training and get a bit of a taste of how physically enduring the challenge will be. My main source of promotion was Instagram. I would recommend choosing a physical challenge for fundraising since you can do it by yourself or with friends, it doesn’t require too much coordination, and you end up fitter than you were at the start of it!

Will Tall, Warwick Team

At the beginning of 2021, I started getting into running and challenged myself to run a sub 20minute 5K and use this as a fundraising opportunity. So I ran a 5K, after some time off, achieving 21m 13s. This provided context to donors as to the journey that would be undertaken to achieve sub 19. I then promoted my runs on Facebook, building up in frequency leading up to the 5K attempt, as well as using word of mouth through family and friends. It's important to put your updates on social media, and not just your donations page, as more people will see what you're up to, increasing the likelihood of donations. Unfortunately, with a time of 19m 27s, I didn't quite hit my target but still raised £275. Looking forward, this just adds to the journey to sub 19 which means more social media posts and an even sweeter feeling when I do get to reach that target!

For anyone out there fundraising, don't be put off if an event or fundraiser isn't as successful as you'd hope, especially if you have spent a lot of time working on it. See if there's anything you can learn from that experience and apply those lessons to your next fundraiser. Ultimately, the more activities you organise and the more people who hear about what you are doing, the more likely you are to receive donations and hit your target!

Nicholas Lilley, Edinburgh Team

I signed up for the Birmingham Half Marathon in July 2020, having started running in March during the lockdown and planning to run the half marathon in October 2020. Starting running was very coincidental and not planned at all with the intention of fundraising for Dig Deep, but that's how it ended up! Then the race was re-scheduled for May 2022. At this point, I had reached my fundraising target but decided to promote the half marathon again as a way to raise more money! Overall the half marathon helped me to raise an extra £155, which I was over the moon about as I wasn't expecting to raise any more! All of our friends and family were so supportive, and I especially loved being able to fundraise supported by my twin sister, who ran with me and got her friends on board to donate as well!

I would recommend getting people on board and invested in what you are doing to fundraise. A lot of people had followed our running journey for two years and so were very aware of what we were doing and why. I would definitely recommend utilising your hobbies and things you do for fun to help with your fundraising and make it more enjoyable! I also found that each time I posted, at least one more person donated. Never feel bad about spreading the word as much as you can and posting about it, you never know how many people will donate off the back of another Facebook or Instagram post!

Hannah Buck, Birmingham Team

Thank you, Will, Nicholas and Hannah for pushing yourselves all in the name of fundraising. Thanks to our amazing supporters like you we are accelerating access to water, sanitation, and good hygiene for over 1 million people, helping marginalised children and families lift themselves out of poverty.

If you have been inspired to start fundraising for Dig Deep but are not sure where to start, then please pop one of the team a message: support@digdeep.org.uk.