Marathon Fundraising Tips From The Iconic Running Stormtrooper

When looking to sign up for a marathon, half marathon, or any other kind of running event, charity places can seem very attractive. Raising money for incredible causes in exchange for entry into incredible events all across the globe, seems like a win-win right? 

However, one thing that many runners find quite daunting about running for charity is achieving the fundraising goal. Whether people feel awkward about asking people to donate or are just stuck for ideas on how to actually fundraise, this alone can put many people off the idea. But you needn’t feel like fundraising is too hard. 

We have teamed up with one of the most iconic charity runners there is, The Running Stormtrooper, to offer four tips to help you fundraise for your next event. 

Find Out More About The Running Stormtrooper

The Running Stormtrooper, known in his everyday life as Jez Allison, is an icon of the running fundraising scene. Jez has for over 10 years been known as the Running Stormtrooper and has completed a host of marathon events dressed in a full Stormtrooper costume. During this period, he has managed to raise an astonishing £82k for Make-A-Wish & Spread-A-Smile. 

In 2017, Jez recorded a Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon ever dressed as a Star Wars character with a time of 4:59.12. He then went on to break his own record in 2020 with a time of 4:55.23. 

Why You Should Run For Charity?

Make your miles mean more - One of the most important reasons for running for charity is that your miles are no longer just about yourself. You have extra motivation as you are no longer simply running for you, you are running for a cause that will be benefitting so many people. This makes it far easier to go out on those days that you do not want to and put in the extra effort needed to succeed. 

Raise awareness for incredible causes - Another reason to run for charity is the amazing awareness that you are bringing to great causes. By hosting fundraising events, posting about the charities on social media, and running the events with the charity on your back, you are helping to spread awareness of these charity organisations. 

Added extras - Running for a charity also makes the race day experience that little bit more special. You will often get a branded running vest, extra fundraising packs, meet-ups and also so much extra support from other runners who are running for the same cause as you. 

Improve your health - One of the other reasons why you should run an event for charity is the amazing health benefits that it provides. Sticking to a running training plan for a specific event helps to create healthy habits that will therefore help to improve your life and your routine. 

4 Fundraising Tips & Ideas From The Famous Running Stormtrooper

Here at realbuzz, we are proud to have built an incredible relationship with the Running Stormtrooper as he has run with us on numerous occasions for our incredible charity partner, Make-A-Wish. When speaking with him, he gave us four pieces of hugely valuable advice for helping to make fundraising as fun and as easy as possible. 

Tell People About Your Challenge

The Running Stormtrooper says: “Runners often feel shy or embarrassed about promoting their activity online but there really is no need to feel that way. People will donate if they see the effort and passion, so tell them about it. People might not be able to donate when they first see your request or they may be distracted, so maybe on their second or third exposure to your fundraising efforts, they will gladly donate. No one will get tired of seeing you post about a charity project. If they don’t see, they won’t donate.”

In theory, the more people you discuss your challenge with and make aware of your challenge, the more likely you are to raise as much money as possible. This is because if people do not know about your fundraising, how are they ever meant to donate and help you reach your goal? 

Keep It Fresh & Fun 

“A simple fancy dress costume will ensure that people will pay attention, people will remember and you’ll also have fun. In fact, you could contact Guinness World Records and see if you could ‘create a new record’. My Guinness World Record was a great way to generate more awareness and fundraising.”

Making your challenge memorable. If you were to see a guy dressed as a Stormtrooper running down the street, you are likely going to remember it. The more memorable you are, the more likely people are to look into your cause and donate. Also, it makes it a little bit more fun and interesting for you too. Just remember to if you’re donning a costume, you’ll need to run in it!

Engagement is key

“Keep the conversation going. If anyone comments on your social media, make sure that you reply to them. Maybe even make a fuss of other people's contributions and comments. This may give non-donators a sense of FOMO and generate more interest. You may also begin to influence social media algorithms if you do well with engagement.”

In essence, one of the best things you can do is to engage with people who have similar interests on social media. If you talk about the donations you have received and how well you are doing, they are more likely to donate and support your cause. This will help you to raise as much money as you need for your fundraising campaign. Many online fundraising platforms have reported that fundraisers who regularly provide updates on their journey via their page can up their donations by as much as 80%. 

Fundraising Marathon or a Sprint?

“Fundraising Marathon or a Sprint? What I mean by this is do you create a drawn-out fundraising campaign, or endeavour to create a special event to bring in the fundraising? Both work, however, if you are able to think outside the box and create a ‘fundraising evening’ then most of the pressure you may feel will be removed overnight.”

As Jez says, there are two different ways you can look at fundraising. You can look at it as a sprint where you try to get as much money as possible, as quickly as possible. Or there is the marathon, where you stick to your goal and take your time to get there. Neither one of these is right or wrong. 

However, by creating an event or “evening” around your cause and fundraising in a fun and interactive way, you can take away the pressure of fundraising. This is because you could raise every last penny you need in one single night. You can also do one-off, large-scale fundraising initiatives like raffles, competitions, quiz nights etc. There are so many ways to raise. 

Fundraising Advice From Fundraising Experts At realbuzz

Here at realbuzz, we have helped facilitate over £1bn worth of fundraising for a huge range of amazing charities and we have over twenty years of fundraising experience. Because of this, we can offer you our expert advice and tips to make sure that you reach your fundraising goals. 

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