With the improvement in the weather and the appearance of a bit of sunshine, you might have upped your running game. Blue sky and Spring temperatures could get even the most lethargic of runners tempted to get their running shoes on! 

That got us to thinking about upcoming marathons and charity fun runs. Over the past two years, many people are likely to have been touched by the work of various charities providing vital help to those in all kinds of need. 

Whether you’re arranging a fundraiser for your own charity in the form of a sponsored run, or garnering sponsorships and running yourself, there are lots of ways to make it even more fun and engaging. And costumes are a great way of doing that! 

The London Marathon has seen all sorts of bizarre and wacky costumes over the years

Things to Consider When Choosing a Costume to Run In

• Practise – Have a go at running in your chosen costume before the day of the run itself to make sure you can actually move! And not just a quick jog around the block; you need to run a long distance to make sure it actually works. Yes, it may be embarrassing – But better than failing on the day because you can’t run!
• Anti-Chafing – This brings us onto anti-chafing measures. If you practise in your costume, you can identify where it cuts in and chafes and then take necessary precautions on the day of the run. 
• Expectations – Don’t expect to get your personal best if you’re running in a ridiculous costume! It’s for the fun factor, not for setting records. 
• Change – Bring a change of clothes on the day of the run so that you don’t have to go home in your costume. 
• Safety – Bear in mind what the weather may be like. If you’re running during the Summer, then a heavy costume isn’t a wise choice if you want to avoid over-heating. 

Fun Run Costume Ideas

• Swimwear – Complete with goggles, armbands and snorkel! 
• Stormtrooper
• A hot dog or other type of fast food
• Robot
• A bride and groom
• An animal (even better if you’re raising money for it!)
• A gorilla suit
• Pantomime horse
• George and the Dragon
• A waiter with a tray
• Father Christmas
• A prominent political figure, perhaps with floppy blonde hair
• Your favourite celebrity
• Where’s Wally
• Mario and Luigi
• Superhero
• Skeletons, zombies and the undead – Even better if the run is near Halloween!
• Alien
• Pirate
• Baywatch Lifeguard
• The Beatles, Abba or a favourite band
• Power Rangers
• Period dress – Think Bridgerton vibes!
• Vikings
• A statue
• Disney characters
• Supermarket Sweep with a trolley
• 60’s, 70’s or 80’s fancy dress
• Glow in the Dark at a night time running event
• Planet Earth
• Sumo wrestler

Fundraising Tips for Fun Runs

Fun runs can really put the fun into fundraising – But it’s important to get serious about the raising money bit. There are various things you can put in place to make sure that those all important donations come piling in. 

• Runners should try and include their social media handle clearly on their costume so that people can find them later and donate online. 
• Why not utilise QR code technology? A Donater QR code could be added to runners bibs alongside their number. It might not work whilst they’re running, but the better the costume, the more photo opportunities there will be! And if you can stop for a selfie, you’ve got long enough to scan the code. 
• Go digital and make sure you have an online donation page. This makes your fundraiser easily accessible to donors, where they can make a donation quickly and safely on their mobile via Google Pay or Apple Pay (or with their bank details). 
• Always link your fundraiser back to the mission of your charitable organisation. Why are you raising money and why is it important? You want people to land on your website and clearly see where their money will go. Make sure you couple this with a clear Call to Action – A Donate Button on your website is a great way to direct people from your cause to how they can help. 

Digital Fundraising is easy to Integrate with Donater

Here at Donater we have a suite of fundraising tools specifically designed to make giving easier. Easier for the donor to make a donation, and easier for charitable organisations to receive that all-important fundraising.

Our suite of online fundraising tools include:

A dedicated online fundraising page, personalised to your charity or good cause. Supporters will immediately recognise your branding and thus, trust that they are in the right place to make a donation. Online fundraising pages are easy to share online via a handy link, and can be easily linked to your website with a ‘Donate Now’ button.

QR codes. We’ve all become more accustomed to QR codes with the NHS Covid app, so you’ll know how quick and easy it is to scan one with your smartphone. QR codes can be just as handy for taking donations. All your supporter has to do is scan the QR code with their smartphone, and it will take them to an online donation page. Once there, they can choose to donate with a tap via Google Pay or Apple Pay, or pay with their bank details. QR codes are a great addition to any physical marketing about your event, such as posters or newsletters as well as transforming a traditional donation box into a mobile way of taking digital donations.

NFC Tags. Our NFC tags take the above QR code concept a step further, and enable any supporter of yours with an NFC enabled smartphone to merely tap the tag or sticker. They will then be taken to an online donation page where they can make their donation quickly and simply. These work better with in-person events, but could easily be placed at the entrance to your charity or on collection boxes so visitors can donate to your cause if they wish.

Get in touch

If you would like to discuss how Donater could help your charitable cause to raise money digitally, https://donater.co.uk/contact-us/.

How will you be Spring cleaning your digital fundraising strategy? We’d love to hear your ideas too! You can tag us on Instagram or Facebook.