More than 15,000 London Marathon Fundraising Pages are created to support good causes on JustGiving every year. And again, we see how early momentum is one of the biggest drivers of success.

Starting today, everyone who creates a Fundraising Page on JustGiving for London Marathon 2027 gets a £5 donation, on us! It’s that simple!

We only have 5,000 to give away, so tell your fundraisers about it now: if they get the donation, that means it goes to your cause!

More resources to grow your London Marathon fundraising

• Get the JustGiving Guide to London Marathon 2027
  
• Create your charity’s London Marathon 2027 Campaign Page
  
• Find your Campaign Page’s Fundraising Link
  
• Best ways to steward and support your London Marathon fundraisers

Charities have run hundreds of event fundraising campaigns in the past year. And it turns out the high performers like North London Hospice, Diabetes UK, and Scope are all doing the same things. Here’s the first one.

Make everything as simple as possible

This is the real difference-maker. Your fundraisers are excited, but they’re busy juggling work and life, and need you to guide them. That could be as simple as:

• Make applying as easy as tapping one button and filling out one short form.
• Send a welcome email walking them through making their Fundraising Page.
• Give them ready-to-use content so they know how to ask for donations.

The easier you make it, the more likely they’ll actually do it!

Endometriosis UK and Prostate Cancer Research send new fundraisers an email welcome pack with information about their campaign, best-practice fundraising tips, and ways to connect with the charity’s team.

Use the right communication at the right moment

One of the fastest-growing activities we see from charities reaching their target is lots more communication.

Successful charities don’t wait for fundraising to “naturally” pick up. They’re proactive and use every opportunity to connect and build the relationship, right from the start.

And what’s even better is that strong communication can compound. Checking in early during the campaign builds confidence. Ongoing support keeps everything moving. And post-event communication increases the chances they’ll raise money for you again!

Barnardo’s sends a segmented stewardship journey to their fundraisers over 15 months.

Scope sent fundraisers a card and a KitKat at Christmas, reminding them to “take a break”.

Spinal Research hosts a post-event meetup at a local pub to meet and congratulate their fundraisers after a massive effort.

Motivate more fundraising with incentives

Nearly every charity we hear from says offering fundraisers incentives has helped raise more for their cause. Charities say the incentives that work best are usually tied to their fundraisers’ target.

Diabetes UK asks fundraisers to raise £800 by December and £1,500 by February for a free charity-branded kit.

North London Hospice asks fundraisers to raise at least 75% of their target for a free 7-day pass to a local gym.

Crohn’s & Colitis UK awards the person who raises the most money during their campaign an exclusive vest to wear on race day.

It’s clear the key right now is simplicity, communication, and incentives, And the right emails make all three a lot easier!

Get the templates helping charity teams succeed

From the first “welcome” to the post-event “congrats”! Get our full set of 16 event fundraising email templates, updated, expanded, and 100% free.

Download for free

London Marathon 2027 will span two days for the first time ever, and our updated guide has everything your charity needs to plan earlier, raise more, and make the most of every moment.

London Marathon is the UK charity sector’s biggest fundraising moment: JustGiving fundraisers raised an astonishing £44 million in 2026, with donations still coming in.

Now we’re on the road to 2027, and it’s going to be bigger than ever.

For the first time, London Marathon 2027 will span two days: Saturday 24 April and Sunday 25 April. That’s a bigger fundraising opportunity for your charity, and a more complex one. Getting your planning right has never mattered more.

So whether you’ve got places for both days or are supporting a one-day team of ballot runners, this is your complete playbook for a high-performing London Marathon 2027 weekend on JustGiving. Download it for free now.

Get your free guide

Your playbook for a standout London Marathon 2027 fundraising campaign.

Download for free

What’s inside the guide?

This is your end-to-end roadmap for fundraising success, built around the unique demands of the first-ever two-day London Marathon. Inside, you’ll learn how to:

• Create an amazing, branded Campaign Page designed for your charity’s one or two-day London Marathon Campaign.
  
  
• Plan effectively across both race days with a proven fundraising timeline to see what to do, and when.
  
  
• Streamline your application and onboarding processes.
  
  
• Grow page creation and activation earlier (when it has the biggest impact).
  
  
• Raise more at every stage, from pre‑Christmas momentum to the race‑day surge.
  
  
• Deliver standout stewardship that supports long‑term retention.

Plus, real examples of successful campaigns and stewardship from charities like yours.

Download the guide for free →

What’s new for 2027?

London Marathon fundraisers consistently choose JustGiving as their platform of choice. And with 2027 bringing one of the biggest changes in the event’s history, here’s what’s new in this year’s guide…

• Detailed instructions and recommendations for leveraging Campaign Pages for a two-day London Marathon campaign.
  
  
• Updated London Marathon insights and performance benchmarks.
  
  
• Enhanced guidance on growing page creation, activation, and value across two exciting days.
  
  
• New tools for charities including pre-written email templates, social templates, exclusive JustGiving-funded incentives, and dedicated supporter journeys.
  
  
• Fresh Campaign Page inspiration from leading London Marathon charities

Everything you need to make the most of the biggest London Marathon yet!

Download the guide for free →

Success is built early…start planning now!

Success in London Marathon is built through early planning and doing the right things at the right time. Get the updated guide now to start building your best London Marathon yet in 2027.

Get your free guide

London Marathon’s happening across two exciting days in 2027. Get your free playbook for a standout fundraising campaign.

Download for free

Please note: figures quoted relate to fundraising activity on JustGiving only and include Gift Aid. JustGiving is one of many fundraising platforms that people can choose from when fundraising for events such as the London Marathon.

Today, we’re announcing a new partnership with Run South London, giving your charity exclusive access to one of 2027’s most exciting new fundraising events.

Get ready, London…something big is coming.

Run South London is London’s newest half marathon, launching in Merton in March 2027. And it’s set to become one of London’s most exciting mass participation events!

In our 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot, charities said one of the keys to success is choosing the right events. So we’re thrilled to partner with Run South London to bring you exactly this kind of opportunity: a high-growth event where you get in now, and reap the rewards later.

Skip to:

 ‣ What you get with your package

 ‣ How to access charity packages now

What you get with your package

In partnership with Merton Council, Run South London is put on by The Great Run Company: the trusted team behind the AJ Bell Great North Run, AJ Bell Great Manchester Run, and other iconic events. And it’s the kind of run that’ll get all your fundraisers telling their friends to join too.

The half marathon route spans Morden, Wimbledon, and Mitcham, and weaves through iconic sporting locations and vibrant local communities.

Certain charity packages can give your charity top preference by getting access to:

• A featured placement in the event’s registration flow
  
  
• Inclusion in Run South London’s emails
  
  
• Listing on the Run South London website
  
  
• A cheer space for your charity on the course

Exclusive headline charity and bespoke opportunities are available too (but extremely limited)!

Whether your supporters are first-timers, experienced runners, or taking on a challenge in memory of someone special, Run South London gives them a powerful reason to get moving. Check out charity package options.

How you can get in now

Charities that plan events further in advance often see stronger runner engagement and more consistent fundraising outcomes.

Join the buzzing crowds, inspiring atmosphere, and start planning for the perfect event to rally your community behind your cause!

What does it *really* take to maximise London Marathon fundraising? Diabetes UK shares the strategies that make the difference.

Behind every pound of the £44 million raised for London Marathon 2026 on JustGiving was a charity team planning early, communicating thoughtfully, and treating every fundraiser like they mattered.

In our London Marathon Masterclass, Fabia and Hannah from Diabetes UK shared exactly how they exceeded their target by 17% in 2026…not by doing more, but by doing the right things at the right time.

Here’s what worked for them, and the strategies you can use for 2027.

The milestones that kept fundraisers moving

To help supporters reach their overall targets, Diabetes UK’s two-person London Marathon team introduced two simple, strategic fundraising milestones at the start of the campaign:

Raise £800 by December. Raise £1,500 by February.

Milestones like this help people make a meaningful difference. But what else could you do to make the achievement even more special?

As a reward for reaching their milestones, Diabetes UK sends fundraisers a free charity-branded kit, which also puts the charity’s brand in front of thousands more on race day.

“Milestones have led to really brilliant engagement, and in turn, this has led to increased fundraising. What was brilliant to see is how many more runners we had responding and engaging.”

But milestones like this only work if people know about them (and stay motivated long enough to reach them). And that’s where their stewardship programme comes in.

Plan earlier and raise more in 2027. For more on milestones and incentives for 2027. Get the JustGiving Guide to London Marathon 2027, made for charity teams like yours.

Consistent, campaign-long communication

80% of Diabetes UK’s fundraisers are driven by lived experience: they care deeply and want to feel that connection throughout the campaign. Here’s what Diabetes UK does to plan a consistent journey from day one:

20 emails in total

20 emails, including four welcome emails getting supporters to create a Fundraising Page and join their Facebook community. Every supporter is different, so they segment emails based on supporter context and if they’ve created their JustGiving page.

A comprehensive phone calling plan

Not everyone likes to get on the phone, but it helps build strong relationships now and for the future! Diabetes UK’s strategy incorporates phone calls to welcome supporters, get them started with their fundraising, and say good luck closer to the race.

Three fundraiser training sessions

One in-person Training Day, and two virtual sessions via Zoom.

Six text message reminders

SMS has a super-high open rate. They send six well-timed text messages to fundraisers throughout the campaign – three pre-event, one race day text, and two after the race.

In-person race day cheer points and celebrations

There’s nothing like the London Marathon atmosphere. Diabetes UK shows up to cheer and help their participants get over that finish line on race day. Once they do, they’re treated to a special reception with free food and a massage!

Follow-up communication to keep supporting flowing

After the big day, the charity sends personalised thank-you postcards and certificates for top fundraisers after the event. Then they send six more emails over the next three months to keep the relationship going.

Recruit people with strong stories (and a plan)

With 750 fundraising applicants but a limited number of charity places, getting fundraiser recruitment right is essential. All are reviewed thoroughly against five criteria:

Strong personal stories

80% of the charity’s fundraisers are motivated to raise money because they’re personally affected. According to the charity, “the closer the connection to the cause, the better the fundraiser.”

A cohesive fundraising plan

Creating a JustGiving page is just the start. From there, the high target favours fundraisers planning to host events like coffee mornings or pub quizzes to raise money.

Network and community reach

Applicants with large networks (school communities, social groups, run clubs) tend to raise more. The charity also considers fundraisers who may be able to get their employer to match donations.

Special consideration for London Marathon

An important element of recruitment is the charity’s “special consideration” category. This is for applicants with exceptional stories who may not score highly on paper but may be a good candidate once the charity learns more (usually via a phone call).

To keep it fair, everyone’s scored with their personal information hidden. 22 volunteers across the organisation participate, and on top of this, the volunteers involved were more likely to show up to cheer on race day too!

Scale London Marathon stewardship without losing connection

Davinia Batley, Founder of Champion Fundraising joined us during the session to talk growing fundraising stewardship at scale.

Her message was clear: scalable doesn’t have to mean impersonal. Move from “one‑size‑fits‑all” stewardship to experiences that fundraisers remember.

The London Marathon Masterclass made one thing clear: the biggest gains come from early planning and intentional stewardship! Watch the full webinar free or grab our guide to London Marathon 2027 for the blueprint to success in next year’s event.

Get your free guide

London Marathon’s happening across two exciting days in 2027. Get your free playbook for a standout fundraising campaign.

Download for free

London Marathon 2026 was another incredible event for the JustGiving community. Here are the stunning results…

That’s right: the JustGiving community did it again. In 2026, thousands of passionate JustGiving fundraisers raised £44 million (and counting), turning months of hard work into real impact for the causes they care about.

14,000 Fundraising Pages were set up to benefit over 2,600 charities. And we’re not done…donations from the 2026 event are still pouring in.

So if you had fundraisers in London Marathon, a massive congratulations to you and your team on all your hard work. Thank you and well done.

Let’s check out some highlights from this year’s event.

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What defined London Marathon fundraising in 2026

JustGiving is consistently the first choice for London Marathon fundraisers, with the majority of the event’s fundraising happening here. And we couldn’t be prouder to support charities like yours in continuously smashing targets.

Here are a few trends we noticed as the London Marathon campaigns went on.

Successful charities started early

Charities driving success set up their Campaign Pages early – as in, May and June the previous year! They leveraged the whole year to build supporter relationships and raise more money, and used our email templates and timeline to maximise donations on key dates.

Fundraisers told the world about their “why”

And that authenticity went a long way. Fundraisers raised more money by linking their fitness apps to their pages, then kept the updates flowing with photos and thank-yous. So far, fundraisers in 2026 have achieved an average page value of £2,700…a 14% rise vs 2025!

Race day was icing on the cake

Donation activity surged, growing every day in the lead-up to London Marathon, then peaked on the day of the race!

Did you have London Marathon fundraisers this year? Now’s the time to follow up! Get our pre-written email templates to discover exactly what to send and when.

Charity examples from London Marathon 2026

Check out a few examples of charities who grabbed our attention (and raised a heap of money for their cause) in London Marathon 2026.

NSPCC created a Campaign Page that celebrates their fundraisers, shares their impact, and puts their branding front and centre. They also gave people a clear path to different types of support: join our London Marathon team if you’ve got a place or donate instead.

WellChild show how powerful a simple “shopping list” of impact can be! Clear donation amounts tied to specific types of support helped donors quickly understand where their money went.

Evelina London Children’s Charity leveraged all their page’s story features – links to join their Strava Group, quotes, images, and headings – to make their Campaign Page a strong fundraising hub.

There’s a powerful “why” behind every medal

People showed up for their causes in 2026. We saw first-time finishers, creative supporters, and notable names combine for a massive impact.

Alongside accepting donations for his “Crowd Fund a Crowd Scene” project, Dan Woodger also took submissions for characters he’ll include in a giant illustration of the London Marathon crowd!

Endurance and fundraising legend Manny Kang walked 156 miles over three days, finishing by running his sixth London Marathon – all without any sleep! That’s only Manny’s latest challenge in seven years of raising over £345,000 for Dementia UK.

Comedian Fern Brady ran the marathon for Autistica to help fund autism research through things like mental health support, accessibility, and longevity.

And Lloyd Martin continues to inspire the world with his running, fundraising…and dance moves! In 2024, Lloyd set the world record as the youngest person with Down Syndrome to complete a marathon and completed another London Marathon in 2025 and 2026. Watch the clip!

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New JustGiving features for more fundraising

Alongside £10,000+ in bonus donations, special medal page totalisers, social shoutouts, and coaching plans through our partnership with Runna, we launched a few things to make your fundraisers’ support event stronger. Check out our new social media templates, milestone updates, and Add to Wallet offline sharing tool!

Thank you for making a difference

We continue to be inspired by the hard work and heart of our amazing charities and fundraisers. Pascale Harvie, JustGiving President and General Manager said:

“We are blown away by the remarkable efforts from everyone that took part in this year’s London Marathon.

Congratulations to everyone who took part, and on behalf of all our charity partners, thank you.”

Pascale Harvie, President & General Manager, JustGiving

Thank you for everything you do to make good things happen and we can’t wait to see what next year holds for you.

Looking ahead to two exciting days in 2027…

London Marathon is happening across two exciting days in 2027. Get our London Marathon 2027 guide for the strategies, tools, and examples for your charity’s campaign!

Get your free guide

London Marathon’s happening across two exciting days in 2027. Get your free playbook for a standout fundraising campaign.

Download for free

Please note: figures quoted relate to fundraising activity on JustGiving only. JustGiving is one of many fundraising platforms that people can choose from when fundraising for events such as the London Marathon.  All figures quoted include Gift Aid and are accurate as of June 2026.

Your fundraisers pour their hearts into raising money for you. It’s time to nominate them for a 2026 JustGiving Award!

Behind every JustGiving page is a story worth sharing. The 2026 JustGiving Awards are our way of celebrating impact, kindness, and inspiring the next generation of giving.

Nominations are now open and it’s your chance to shine a spotlight on the fundraisers who went above and beyond for your cause.

Give them the recognition they deserve. Nominate a fundraiser for a 2026 JustGiving Award.

Nominate a fundraiser now

Give your fundraisers the recognition they deserve! Nominations close 10 May.

Nominate a fundraiser

How nominations work

Last year, our winners were chosen from over 36,000 votes for making a real difference for the causes close to their hearts.

Now we’re looking for the fundraisers who deserve that moment in 2026. The ones building communities, changing lives, and inspiring the world.

Nominating someone shows your appreciation and will mean the world to them.

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And if they win, they’ll receive a sparkling trophy, plus an incredible, personalised experience: think a visit from a football legend, a celebrity showing up unannounced, or a moment they’ll never stop talking about!

Check out how we brought the celebration directly to our 2025 winners:

Ready to put someone forward? Nominate a fundraiser now.

Who do I nominate?

Nominate anyone who’s created a JustGiving Fundraising Page for your charity between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2026. That means your marathon runners, birthday fundraisers, mountain climbers, and everyone in between!

We’re looking for the ones really going the extra mile: those building communities, changing lives, and inspiring the world.

Nominate as many people as you like, and we’ll make sure they know they were nominated whether they become a finalist or not.

Not sure who to nominate? See how to find your top fundraisers in your Reports (requires JustGiving’s Grow Plan) →

Need some inspiration?

Here are just a few examples of what JustGiving Award‑winning fundraising looks like.

Content warning: this story references contains references to sexual violence and suicide, reader discretion is advised.

David Foster walked 140 miles in memory of his daughter Emily, raising over £12,500 on JustGiving for Rape Crisis England & Wales and helping shine a light on the need for better survivor support.

Sam Perkins completed the London Marathon despite losing all movement due to motor neurone disease, raising over £40,000 on JustGiving for Stand Against MND.

Gabriel Clarke turned his woodworking skills into a viral fundraising moment with his handmade “Bowl for Ukraine,” raising over £278,000 for Save the Children and inspiring young fundraisers across the UK.

See more JustGiving Awards winners from past years or nominate someone now.

Pro tips for a standout submission

We want to hear the stories of the most incredible fundraisers you’ve got. When you submit your nomination, tell us…

• What motivated the fundraiser to make a difference?
• What challenges did they overcome?
• What impact did their efforts make for your cause or community?
• How connected are they to do your cause or mission?

The selection panel looks for genuine impact and heart, so let that come through in your own words! See more tips on how to submit an award-worthy nomination.

Nominate a fundraiser now

Give your fundraisers the recognition they deserve! Nominations close 10 May.

Nominate a fundraiser

Event fundraising in 2026 is BIG, and this quarter, we introduced new resources and tools to help your charity raise even more at every stage of your campaign:

The Event Fundraising Hub: your new home for templates, timelines, and expert event fundraising guidance.

Ready-made templates to help you reach your goals before event day.

A new email programme designed to drive action at just the right moments.

And that’s just the start. Whether your supporters are running, cycling, or taking on another challenge this year, check out more on what’s new below.

Event Fundraising Hub and expert charity resources

We’ve reorganised and expanded our charity resource library to make it easier for your team to learn, grow, and raise money with confidence.

The new Event Fundraising Hub brings together:

• Ready-to-use templates, timelines, and checklists.

• A practical event fundraising toolkit covering planning, promotion, and fundraising for any event on your calendar.

• Interviews and stories from charities from charities who have succeeded in recent events.

London Marathon 2026 social media templates

Our copy-and-paste social posts are pre-written for you and created specifically to highlight your London Marathon team, generate engagement, and share your campaign’s impact. They’re designed specifically for the crucial weeks leading up to the event.

And they’re all easy to customise so you can spotlight your fundraisers, add your links, and reflect your charity’s voice.

Get the templates

Email journey for fitness fundraisers

Fundraisers who connect a fitness app raise 31% more on average: a stat that matters even more in event fundraising season, when thousands of fundraisers are logging miles and trying to boost their donations.

But one of the biggest challenges for page owners is knowing what to say, and when.

We’re making this easier with a fresh email series built specifically for fundraisers taking on fitness challenges:

• Reminders to connect a fitness app
• Reminders to log their first activity
• Celebrations for their first activity
• Distance-based celebration emails at 5km, 10km, 20km and 42km
• Expert training tips at key moments

It’s still early, but engagement’s been incredibly strong, with click‑through rates averaging 65% above benchmark.

Shareable fundraising graphics

We know early fundraising can be crucial for success, so our ready-to-share graphics are made specifically to help you start strong in the first few weeks of a campaign.

Share them all via your charity’s social channels and email to grab supporters’ attention and make the most impactful actions for your campaign:

• Create your Fundraising Page early to raise more money
• Customise your page’s story section to share the “why” behind your fundraising
• Create an instant connection with donors by adding photos and videos
• Raise 29% more by donating to yourself first
• Raise 31% more by connecting your fitness app
• Get more donations by sharing your page

Get the graphics

Fundraiser dashboard (in testing)

Fundraisers create their pages with great intentions but don’t always know what to do next. JustGiving’s new Fundraiser Dashboard is designed to help your supporters easily see their impact, their next steps, and how to get the most out of their pages.

Fundraisers will be taken to the Dashboard straight after creating a page, or when they select Manage page. From there, they’ll see:

• A friendly, personalised greeting
• Clear progress towards their fundraising target
• A message from your charity you can add to say thanks and reinforce their impact
• Simple next steps, like sharing their page
• “Fundraiser essentials” – quick actions proven to help raise more
• Helpful tips and guidance to get the most out of their page
• Clear routes to support and resources, if they need help

The new dashboard is currently in testing and rolling out in a phased release. We’ll share more updates as it evolves and becomes available to more fundraisers.

Revamped Donations view for fundraisers and crowdfunders

We’ve introduced a clearer, more intuitive Donations view, making it easier for fundraisers and crowdfunders to manage and interact with their donations in one place. Page Admins will now see…

• A dedicated “See all donations” view to explore full donation history
• A snapshot of their most recent donations
• A streamlined flow for adding offline donations (Fundraising Pages only)
• An improved “Thank your donor” experience for Crowdfunding Pages
• Foundations laid for future enhancements, including search, filters, and improved message visibility

And if the donor’s chosen to share their email address, fundraisers and crowdfunders can still send custom thank-you messages, right from their Page Admin.

All these are designed to make fundraising simpler, clearer, and more effective, whether you’re wearing every hat or supporting thousands of fundraisers at scale.

Join our newsletter to be first to learn about new features, fundraising reports, strategies, and more 

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Discover JustGiving’s new fitness fundraising tools and how charities are raising more money with high‑value challenge events.

Sporting and fitness challenge events are now by far the most popular and highest-value event type for UK charities

One of the keys to this success is fitness and activity-tracking apps. Apps like Strava and Fitbit have become powerful tools that help motivate fundraisers, tell their story, and drive more donations.

Let’s take a deeper look at how fitness fundraising and fitness apps work on JustGiving and some exciting new updates and tools to help you find even more success.

Jump to a section

 ‣ Why fitness fundraising matters

 ‣ How fitness apps work on JustGiving

 ‣ Proven charity event fundraising strategies

 ‣ Inspiring charity campaigns in action

 ‣ New JustGiving fitness fundraising tools

New! JustGiving’s Event Fundraising Hub
Take the stress out of planning and running your events. Our new hub is your home for event fundraising and packed with new resources, templates, top events, and more! Explore the hub.

Why fitness fundraising matters more than ever

Fitness fundraising delivers real results. Fundraisers love setting goals, sharing their progress, and celebrating achievements. And donors love backing a challenge with purpose.

In fact, JustGiving fundraisers who share their fitness activities on their page raise 31% more money on average!

Our 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot shows why:

• 80% of fitness event pages on JustGiving receive at least one donation
• Over 75% of charities include fitness events in their portfolios
• 59% call these the most valuable event type

And in 2025 alone, JustGiving fundraisers raised £235 million through organised sporting and fitness events like London Marathon…a 6% year-on-year increase.

Next, we’ll look at how fitness apps work on JustGiving and the creative ways you can use them to drive even more impact for your cause.

JustGiving’s seamless fitness app integrations

JustGiving’s fitness app integrations like Strava and Fitbit let your fundraisers share their training and activities straight to their JustGiving Fundraising Page, completely free!

With the integration, they can connect their app once, then their progress automatically flows from there, creating a dynamic story around each fundraiser’s journey.

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Strava

Strava is the world’s most popular app for tracking fitness activity. With over 135 million users in 190+ countries, devices like Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, and Garmin devices can easily be connected to Strava to log these fitness activities:

Activities

• Run (Run, Virtual Run)
• Walk (Walk, Elliptical)
• Ride (Ride, Virtual Ride, Handcycle, Velomobile)
• Swim
• Wheelchair

Metrics (fundraiser-controlled options): 

• Distance
• Pace
• Routes
• Activity-specific photos

Fitbit

Fitbit devices are owned by more than 120 million people in more than 100 countries. As a Google product, Fitbit makes their own hardware fitness trackers in addition to the popular app. Fundraisers can share these activities and metrics from Fitbit:

Activities

• Walk

Metrics:

• Step count (Walking)

Manually uploading fitness activities

If fundraisers don’t have a fitness device or choose not to automatically their app to their page, no sweat – they can manually add their Strava and Fitbit activity too!

Fitness app privacy and control

Fundraisers control their privacy and can choose the information they share. If someone changes their mind after syncing an activity, they can also delete individual activities from their page. Synced activities are only shown on their page from the time their account is connected, and they can pause sharing at any time.

Proven strategies for event fundraising success in 2026

Explore a mix of events

Test different types of events to see what works best for you and your fundraisers (and your budget). For example, you might find the most success by combining large-scale events (half marathons, marathons, and walks) with shorter distances (5k and 10k). Or maybe the right balance is low-cost virtual events that can be done from anywhere.

Turn workouts into fun challenges

Keep people engaged with creative goals. For example, ask participants to walk, run, or wheel a set distance over a month, aim for weekly mileage targets, or even map their routes into shapes (like hearts or imagery tied to your cause).

Encourage early and consistent fundraising

Set clear targets for your campaign and default personal fundraising targets from the start to keep the giving going. Use simple, regular communication through email, social media, WhatsApp and SMS to remind fundraisers to log activities and ask for donations.

Build a supportive community

Strengthen relationships around your challenge by creating a Strava Group for you to connect with your participants and encourage them to share their progress. And get to know your fundraisers and supporters in person by hosting group training sessions, virtual meetups, and a post-event thank you party.

Inspiring fundraising campaigns in action

Many charities are thriving with fitness-based fundraising by tailoring challenges to their supporters.

WWF’s WWF Great Wild Walks campaign asked fundraisers to walk five or 10 miles on a route of their choice to raise money and help protect the planet. Fundraisers also received a WWF t-shirt and medal on the day.

National Autistic Society’s Move 28 campaign asked supporters to raise money for the cause by moving 28 minutes every day in February with a physical challenge of their choice! They could swim, cycle, or even dance their way through the month, and earned charity-branded gear for reaching certain fundraising milestones.

Fundraisers love to create their own challenges too! Check out Karen and Paul’s Wonky Heart Challenge, where they cycled the shape of a giant “wonky” heart over 19 days, raising £64,000 in memory of their son Harry.

Introducing new JustGiving event fundraising tools

We’re excited to announce the launch of two new fitness fundraising tools to help your fundraisers feel confident, stay motivated, and raise more!

Tailored fitness fundraising email journey

Our brand new email series is built specifically for fundraisers doing fitness events!

The emails prompt fundraisers to do the actions proven to raise more money: connect their fitness app, log activities, and celebrate and share their achievements.

It’s in testing now, so some of your fundraisers may already be seeing it! More information is coming soon.

Fitness activity Page Updates

Fundraisers doing fitness events recently got a new way to share their activity on their page and inspire more donations.

If they’ve linked their fitness app, they can post choose fitness activities to post as Updates to their Fundraising Page.

And when someone goes to share an update, they’ll also see great examples of updates from others to inspire storytelling and boost engagement.

By leveraging the tools and strategies above, you can tap into the growing excitement around fitness and event fundraising! Check out the Event Fundraising Hub for everything you need to help launch your next campaign.

Explore the Event Fundraising Hub

Get campaign launch instructions, best-practice strategies, timelines, checklists, templates, and more!

Explore the hub

Shuhana Zareen from Endometriosis UK shares how the charity doubled their challenge event income in just one year.

Event fundraising is booming in 2026. Despite the challenges facing charities, fundraising isn’t slowing down, especially in organised sporting and fitness challenge events.

As part of our 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot research, Shuhana Zareen from Endometriosis UK shared how they took their challenge event income from £123,000 to £252,000 by…

• Choosing the right event mix
• Creating awesome supporter experiences
• And securing senior leadership buy-in

Keep reading for an overview of our conversation (and how you can use these strategies too).

Download the free 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now
Discover what’s working, see where other charities are succeeding, and make this your best year yet. Get it free now.

Choosing the right fundraising events

The right mix of events can help grow your cause, serve your supporters’ interests, and make the most of the budget you have.

69% of charities say running events are the most valuable for their cause, and Endometriosis UK prioritises their budget toward buying spaces for larger core running events like London Landmarks Half Marathon and Great North Run. 

From there, they extend their reach by partnering with organisations like Run for Charity and Action Challenge for smaller events in their local area. The charity is also happy to trial new events, even those based on supporters’ requests.

“[Fundraisers are] able to contact us directly and say, “I’ve actually had my own space at the Loch Ness Marathon, and I would love to see Endometriosis UK there.” We trialled the smallest package and that worked really well.”

Leadership buy-in helps reach fundraising targets

Our report shows that teams with leadership support are nearly twice as likely to reach or exceed their fundraising targets.

Endometriosis UK’s culture of strong leadership buy‑in was formed by starting small and proving their growth over time. In 2022, they had 10 charity places in London Landmarks Half Marathon but grew a waiting list of 102 people: clearly a major opportunity! Now in 2026, the charity has 41 spaces, enabling even more people to raise money for them.

Shuhana and team showcase growth by sharing weekly updates on spaces filled and income generated, and always keep events high on the agenda.

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Stewardship makes a difference

Endometriosis UK says improving their stewardship is what’s helped them grow the most. Here’s what that looks like for the charity’s cornerstone events like London Landmarks Half Marathon:

• A fundraiser welcome pack containing more about the charity, the campaign, JustGiving’s fundraising tips, and an invite to the charity’s WhatsApp Group.
  
• A nine-email stewardship journey sharing the first fundraising deadline, minimum targets, and incentives for fundraisers to meet their goals.
  
• Endometriosis Action Month is the charity’s month-long event dedicated to keeping fundraisers motivated, including in-person fundraiser meetups.

“We see a lot of repeat fundraisers….and I think that also shows us that the stewardship is working. It’s a really positive outcome to see that long term relationship.”

Growing from £123,000 to £252,000 over the past year…isn’t that incredible?! The charity’s story offers an actionable blueprint for small teams looking to grow with fundraising events in 2026.

But the above is just a snippet of the full story! There’s much more from Endometriosis UK in our 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot report, including…

• The targets they set for fundraisers in London Landmarks Half Marathon
• The incentives that motivate fundraisers to raise more
• The digital channels they use to connect fundraisers with each other

Get the new report now for all this, plus the key data, actionable insights, and top opportunities for your events.

Exclusive insights for your charity

Get the free 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot

Access the insights and recommendations from nearly 600 charities, plus exclusive JustGiving data to help you smash your events!

Download free now

Our new report is here, with exclusive event fundraising insights from 500+ charities to help you hit your targets faster.

In 2025, JustGiving fundraisers raised an incredible £235 million through organised sporting and fitness events – a 6% increase year on year.

To understand what’s driving this incredible growth, we created the 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot, our new report combining fresh findings from our survey of nearly 600 charities, plus the latest fundraising data and trends from JustGiving, so you can see what’s working now.

Inside, you’ll find…

• What’s helping charities reach (and exceed) event targets right now
• The most valuable and fastest-growing events and distances
• The biggest challenges teams face and how they’re overcoming them
• How charities are shaping their event budgets and portfolios in 2026
• Reveal your charity’s event profile: are you a Champion, Striver, or Awareness Builder?

Download now for the full findings or keep reading for a quick preview.

Download the free 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now
Discover what’s working, see where other charities are succeeding, and make this your best year yet. Get it free now.

Sporting and fitness events are most valuable

Sporting and fitness challenge events dominate portfolios and 59% of charities rank them as the most valuable type of events.

Nearly 60% of charities are increasing their investment in multi-charity events (MCEs) like the Manchester Marathon, Hackney Half Marathon, London Marathon, and London to Brighton Cycle Ride because of the income they deliver.

Running remains the top activity, raising £139 million alone on JustGiving and accounting for nearly half of all event fundraising pages on the platform.

Get the free report to find out which distance is most popular, which brings in the most donations, and which is growing the fastest (all three are different!)

Get the 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now →

Leadership is a catalyst for growth

Leadership backing is one of the strongest predictors of success. 71% of charities with leadership buy-in exceeded their fundraising targets, compared to just 38% without.

It typically unlocks budget, time, and confidence to test and scale event portfolios. Charities with strong support are also more likely to set clear targets, in turn increasing their likeliness of success.

Get the free report to learn how Endometriosis UK doubled their event income by starting small, proving demand, and keeping leadership engaged.

Get the 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now →

Charities’ challenges and most exciting opportunities

Cost-of-living pressures top the list of challenges for charities, followed by rising event costs, shrinking budgets, and staff burnout.

Despite these challenges, 78% of charities say event fundraising is essential to their strategy. JustGiving data shows people continue to fundraise and donate, even in tough times, showing strong public commitment to supporting good causes.

Emerging trends like fitness-based events (including new formats like Hyrox), virtual events, and AI tools offer new ways to engage supporters efficiently.

Get the 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now →

One more thing…which type of event fundraiser are you?

With this much insight from charities, we were able to dive even deeper and identify a few patterns in it all, which presented three categories of charities:

• Event Champions
• Event Strivers
• Awareness Builders

Each have their own common challenges, keys to success, and likeliness to run a certain number of events. By aligning your organisation with one of these groups, it can greatly help to identify your best opportunities for 2026!

Exclusive insights for your charity

Get the free 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot

Get the key data, actionable insights, and top opportunities for your events in 2026.

Download free now

2026 is here, and so are we! Unlock your full fundraising potential with new JustGiving tools that help your fundraisers raise money faster, give your donors clear outcomes, and keep admin simple.

Jump to a section

 ‣ Enhanced Facebook sharing

 ‣ Post page creation prompts

 ‣ Suggested amounts and real-time outcomes

 ‣ Settings and Edit sections refresh

Enhanced Facebook sharing

Our new partnership with Meta makes social media giving even easier! Facebook app users will now see Donate buttons on JustGiving pages shared as posts on Facebook.

You and your fundraisers can use it now: just make sure your charity’s registered with Meta and your charity number matches what’s on JustGiving. Learn more and get registered.

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Post-page creation prompts

Creating a Fundraising Page is a big step…but what fundraisers do next is just as important.

Immediately after publishing their page, fundraisers will now see recommended next steps – Donate, Share, and Add to Wallet – so they take the right actions at the right time. In our tests, fundraisers who see these prompts get donations faster and raise more.

Suggested outcomes and real-time donations

We know that donating money to causes is deeply personal, and it’s important for people to see how their donation is helping. Now when a donor on JustGiving chooses their donation amount, they’ll instantly see the impact, dynamically based on the Fundraising Page’s target.

• E.g: “£1,000 moves them 10% closer to their target”
• E.g: “£150 smashes the goal”

Refreshed Edit and Settings sections

We’ve made the Edit and Settings sections of a fundraiser’s account easier to view, manage, and edit.

Top tips for the most important Edit options

Fundraisers want to do their best, and we have plenty of data to show them how! Now we’ll include some expert tips in subsections like Page title, target, and story to let them know what works best and raises more.

Dedicated sections for Settings and Edit options

We’ve given customisable page options like Page title, URL, Fundraising target, story, and page cover their own space (and some extra breathing room) for easier navigation.

We applied this to the Settings section too, so Gift Aid options, Team fundraising, and fitness integration options are easier to navigate.

See more of what we’ve released! Explore past editions of What’s New on JustGiving.

Start 2026 with confidence!

The Digital Fundraising Fast Track

In four short videos (less than 45 minutes total), we’ll show you how to build a plan, write an email, share on social, and report your performance!

Watch free now