26 tips for 26 miles

Whether you're running one mile or 26 miles- here are some tips to help you at every step of your fundraising

Mile 1) Think of everybody who might sponsor you and ask them – family, friends, colleagues, clients, suppliers and others.
Mile 2) Use online sponsorship with JustGiving. It’s quick and easy, fun and secure!
Mile 3) Take advantage of Christmas. Write your JustGiving sponsorship page address in all your Christmas cards, and discuss your run at all those Christmas social events
Mile 4) Organise a Sunday countryside ramble and charge an entrance fee to take part. The ramble can take on many different themes – fancy dress, three legged etc – and adds a bit of variety to your training schedule as well!
Mile 5) Get someone who you think will pledge lots of money at the top of each sponsorship form. They will set the tone for your later sponsors who will hopefully follow suit!
Mile 6) Keep your sponsors in the loop. Let them know about your training progress through an email or short newsletter, and thank them after you have collected their pledge with a thank-you letter or through an email greeting card.
Mile 7) Persuade people to give a bonus slimming pledge related to the amount of weight you manage to lose during the course of your training!
Mile 8) When asking people to sponsor you, make sure you know something about Help the Hospices and the work hospices do, and about how the money you raise will be spent.
Mile 9) Create a poster advertising your run and put it up wherever you can – in your gym, church, college, pub.
Mile 10) Be creative but appropriate with the amount you are asking people to sponsor you for. Instead of asking for £20, why not ask for £1 per mile or for £1 for every minute you finish ahead of a friend or colleague.
Mile 11) Start raising and collecting money as soon as you can – the earlier you start, the more you will raise.
Mile 12) Get other people close to you to get you sponsorship pledges. Give forms to your family and friends and encourage them to spread the word.
Mile 13) Get your sponsors to tick the Gift Aid box and provide their full home address details on your sponsorship form – it will boost your fundraising total by 28%!
Mile 14) Check whether your company runs a matched giving scheme – they could double your money!
Mile 15) Have a close shave – head, beard, legs, chest – and raise sponsorship money.
Mile 16) Have that clear-out you’ve always planned and take part in a car boot or jumble sale.
Mile 17) Set yourself an ambitious fundraising target and see if you can better it.
Mile 18) Get publicity locally for your run through an article in the local paper. Use the pro-forma press release in your Runners Pack to supplement your story.
Mile 19) Use the pledge cards we are providing in your Runners Pack to leave with people who you can’t speak to face-to-face when you are asking for sponsors.
Mile 20) Get your local pub, sports or community club to organise a quiz night, with funds going towards your fundraising target.
Mile 21) Use your company's communication vehicles to publicise your challenge – corporate newsletters, Intranet sites and message boards are all good ways of spreading the word .
Mile 22) Change your email auto-signature so that every email you send out promotes your run and catches peoples attention.
Mile 23) Carry a sponsorship form and pledge cards everywhere you go - you never know when a sponsorship opportunity might arise!
Mile 24) Organise a sweepstake at work where people can guess your final race time. Create a poster and put it in a communal area at work and then charge people £1 a guess. The person closest will win say £10, with the rest of the money going towards your sponsorship total.
Mile 25) Make the best of Easter (Easter Sunday is on Sunday 8 th April next year) and organise an Easter event – sponsored Easter egg hunt, chocolate egg eating competition etc.
Mile 26) Bring in your official finishing photograph to persuade any doubters that you actually finished the race!