Fundraising events still a growth area: up by 8% last year
Howard Lake | 23 October 2013 | News
Organised fundraising events continue to grow in number and value to charities, according to JustGiving and ACTIVE Network.
Using data from their sites and survey data, the online giving and events management companies have published the first issue of ‘The Event Fundraising Monitor: What’s Next for Events?’.
Event fundraising is increasing
The report reveals that
- event fundraising grew by 8% in 2012 (based on the number of JustGiving fundraising pages created)
- since 2007, the number of fundraising events has increased by 700% and participant numbers have doubled.
Types of fundraising event
- Running events remain the most popular kind of event, accounting for 77% of all event fundraising pages
- 25% of the charities surveyed said that running as the leading category for generating income
- Fundraising via triathlons grew by 21% between 2011 and 2013
- Cycling fundraising events have grown the most, up by 30% since 2011.
- Fundraising managers report that the three most popular types of event are running, walking and cycling.
Which events raise the most?
Based on Justgiving pages in 2013, the following types of event raise the most. The figure is the average sum raised by an event of that type.
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- Treks – £885
- Triathlon – £740
- Cycling – £610
- Parachuting/skydive – £465
- Swimming – £390
- Running – £360
- Walks – £300
Trends in fundraising events
According to ACTIVE Network and JustGiving, the rise in cycling and triathlon events is likely to have been caused by the success of Team GB in the 2012 London Olympics.
Event participants are continuing to use social channels to encourage their friends and contacts to donate to their cause. In addition 40% of fundraisers surveyed reported that their fundraising had inspired at least one other friend or family member to get involved in a fundraising event.
Of this 40%, nearly half (47%) reported that their friend or family members participated in the same event as them, and over half (51%) reported that their friend or family member chose the same charity to support.
Their research points to the increasing popularity of social, large scale and even international events like MOB events, mud runs, obstacle courses and adventure runs.
Sejal Pietrzak, Senior Vice President at ACTIVE Network, said: “While traditional endurance events continue to be popular, including the Prudential RideLondon which drew in more than 65,000 participants across the event weekend, we are also seeing the globalisation of events like The Electric Run and The Color Run, which present a tremendous opportunity to help philanthropic causes raise money.”
You can download the full “The Event Fundraising Monitor” report at no charge.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.