# London Marathon runners raised record £54.1 million in 2015 - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/10/27/london-marathon-runners-raised-record-54-1m-in-2015/ - Published: 2015-10-27T08:22:18+00:00 - Author: Howard Lake **Runners in the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon raised £54.1 million, the ninth year in a row that the world record has been broken for an annual single-day charity fundraising event.** An estimated three quarters of participants ran for a good cause. Runners have now raised over £770 million since the event was founded in 1981. This year over £22 million, including Gift Aid, was raised through Virgin Money Giving, the official fundraising partner of the London Marathon. Over £40 million was raised online this year by runners using Virgin Money Giving and JustGiving. ## Advertisement [Virginmoneygiving.com](http://Virginmoneygiving.com) is free for fundraisers, charges a flat registration fee of £100 + VAT for charities and a 2% fee on all donations before Gift Aid. For every £10 raised, charities receive £12.15. ## Five ways to raise more at the London Marathon Wth the aim of making it 10 record-breaking years in a row, Virgin Money Giving has shared tips on how individual runners can raise the most money at the London Marathon. They are based on a post-Marathon online survey of 315 Marathon fundraisers conducted in June 2015. ### 1. Set up a fundraising page early Those who set up a fundraising page as soon as they receive their Virgin Money London Marathon place on average raise **up to £700 more** than those who only start to fundraise in the two-month period before the race in April. ### 2. Set a fundraising target 81% of fundraisers set a target and those who do raise on average £1,495, compared to an average of £914 raised by those who leave their goal unspecified – a **64% increase**. ### 3. Use social media Those who don’t use social media channels to seek support raise on average £1,276, compared to averages of over £1,900 through the use of Instagram and Linkedin, over £1,500 using Twitter, and over £1,400 via Facebook. ### 4. Use the mobile app If you are fundraising and interacting with supporters on-the-go, you are likely to raise more. Those who downloaded the Virgin Money Giving app raised on average** 19% more** than those who do not. ### 5. Create a personalised Stephen Fry fundraising video   ![Stephen Fry's personalised video includes the name of the runner and the charity they are supporting.](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/stephen- fry-virgin-money-giving-personalised-video-for-joanna.jpg) Stephen Fry’s personalised video includes the name of the runner and the charity they are supporting. To give runners and their fundraising activities a novel way to stand out, Virgin Money Giving offered 2015 London Marathon runners the opportunity create a [personalised video appeal featuring Stephen Fry](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/2015/03/31/stephen-fry-creates-personalised-videos-for-london-marathon-runners/). Over 6,000 films were created by [myfundraisingfilm.com](http://myfundraisingfilm.com): those who used the tool raised on average 10% more than those who did not, say Virgin Money Giving. The site will be available for the 2016 race. Jo Barnett, Executive Director of Virgin Money Giving, said: > “Our analysis of the 2015 London Marathon reveals the secrets to fundraising success. > To help those who will run to raise money for charity in the 2016 event, and maximise > their fundraising potential, we wanted to share the news in a series of top tips… > “By raising money through Virgin Money Giving, those who will put themselves through‘ > untold pain’ next April to run those 26 miles in aid of a good cause, can also > rest assured that we won’t take a penny in profit from their hard won cash.”   _Main photo: Runners cross Tower Bridge in the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon. Photo: Bob Martin for Virgin Money London Marathon._ * **[London Marathon runner wins £25k donation for Starlight](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/04/22/london-marathon-runner-wins-25k-donation-starlight/)**( 22 April 2016) * **[Virgin Money Giving partners with Reebok Spartan Race](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/05/17/virgin-money-giving-partners-reebok-spartan-race/)**( 17 May 2016) * **[Dry January campaign opens up to other charities through Virgin Money Giving](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/11/02/dry-january-campaign-opens-charities-virgin-money-giving/)**( 2 November 2016)