Standing orders instead of traditional fundraising

Hi all,

I found plenty of threads about how to raise sponsorship for golden bond/charity places but wondering if anyone has done it the other way around i.e. is willing to cough up part/most of their sponsorship themselves?

I have a a few charity places for the big events this year, including a charity place for GNR.  The charity I am with gives runners several options for raising the pledged amount, one of which is where the runner sets up a 12 month standing order.  So there is no fundraising requirement, instead the runner pays the donation over the course of a year themself.  I chose that option, as, although expensive (12 months = the average total sponsorship most charities expect) it is spread out over a year and I have absolutely no pressure to get people to sponsor me.  One or two less meals/nights out a month and I barely notice the cash going out.

Traditional sponsorship has become harder and harder as I've had charity places in races before so a lot of my mates are probably getting a bit tired of being asked and I don't want to keep asking the same people!  Plus I have a GB place for VLM next year, which I'd never be able to afford myself, so am having to "save" all my begging/organised fundraising events for that!!

Anyone else come across a standing order/pay your own donation options, or simply been happy to save up and donate all or part of the expected amount themself?

Be interesting to hear other's thoughts.  By the way, I'm not rich at all haha, just very keen to do some of the large/over subscribed events at least once, and unsuccessful in ballots and I see it as no different than saving up for a holiday!

Havent done so but yeah would consider it - I am/was soo keen to so the london marathon but after a few years of no luck with the ballot I started looking at charity places.. and to be fair even fundraising for those would be a huge task as I dont have a huge network of friends/work colleagues. Last year I started a marathon fund in which I would put a bit away each month to cover sponsorship(or at least a good part of it). In the end I gave up and booked a place in the Brighton marathon instead!!!

Marathon fund,  like it.  What was once the exotic holiday abroad fund!

The charity pledge for VLM is £1800 (although fingers still crossed for this year's ballot).  I will probably top that up a bit each month too myself whenever I have a spare few quid.  I don't think there are any tax implications for the charity, it's a donation afterall.  It was my first choice charity and have a connection to them so I'm more than happy to give to them anyway, just now it can be combined with a place for the run.

Gotta do VLM and GNR at least once, but after this will probably just wait for ballot luck.  I have plenty of other races, local 10ks and medium HMs, and another marathon, all own places to enjoy without.

Intermanaut wrote (see)

I'd never go for a charity place. There are so many good events, many far, far better than GNR or VLM, that there's no need.

I agree, thy hype around these big events makes people feel they have to do them, they are so "desirable", but in fact they are just over-crowded and unpleasant.

There are so many great alternatives which you don't need to spend/raise a fortune to get a place in.

Thanks Mr Puffy!  V kind of you!  Hopefulyl I'll still be around in April and ready to run... :O)

I updated my JG page paraphasing the above, and put a link on facebook letting people know what I was doing - and got a £10 donation within minutes!

I think if you can afford to give that to your charity - that's great. My parents give a percentage of their wages every month to our family charity and it's kind of the same.

Good luck for having the dedication and 'putting your money where your mouth is'

I think it's a great idea - a hundred times better than constantly asking friends and family for 'sponsorship' that's partly being used to pay for your place in the race. Like those expeditions where you trek the great wall of China or the Gobi desert for charity but half of the £4k you've raised goes to pay for your free holiday!

I have friends who've done charity events and paid the cost of the pledge themselves. Mostly small events where the amount was £100-150 though, not anything like £1800. I couldn't afford to pay that much myself, not even by direct debit spread out over a year...

I agree that, for those that can afford it, it's a nice way of combining a very generous donation to a charity you care about with something you've always wanted to do (and for some people it's no more than they'd pay for a special holiday, for example).  I've only ever done London on a GFA or champs place so the couple of times I've asked for sponsorship the money has gone directly to the charity, which I prefer.  It's hard to know if I would have cracked and taken a GB place if I'd struggled to get in through the ballot or GFA/champs.  I'm always slightly uncomfortable about the fact that the charity has paid a lot for the GB place, but at the end of the day once they've paid that money out it's better they get it back either through public donations or individuals effectively buying themselves a place! 

i think if you want it enough then go ahead..........i wouldn't do it for a run as i think they are loeads of great ones around the country with no ballet etc........but we all have different things that we want to do /...........

but if i ever wanted to do one of the treks or foreign cycling ones then I would definitely pay all the costs myself......i would never ask for sponsorship for me to go and have a holiday and do something I really want to do.............the cost would have to come out of my own pocket

Seems reasonable to me.  Many people have standing orders to make regular charity contributions, so "buying" a place in this way could be seen as a bonus if that's something you really want to do.  And I respect people's rights to not like the London Marathon, and yes there are other marathons...

seren nos wrote (see)

ibut if i ever wanted to do one of the treks or foreign cycling ones then I would definitely pay all the costs myself......i would never ask for sponsorship for me to go and have a holiday and do something I really want to do.............the cost would have to come out of my own pocket

It still amazes me how certain activities are inextricably aligned with charity fundraising in some people's eyes.  (A major triumph for the charity event marketeers?)  I can imagine my mate feeling aggrieved because I didn't pay towards his sky-dive; the look on my aunt's face when I explained that I don't raise money for charities any more when I run marathons, like I've just killed a puppy...

I was going to scoff and say "well more fool you" but then I thought again. A couple of years ago I did a three-day event and sought donations for a particular charity. Like others here, I would never have entertained the idea of the donations or the charity paying for me to do something I wanted to do anyway so of course I stumped up for the entry fee, the travel, the kit etc, which in total came to a few hundred pounds.

So yes, this is a good way to donate. Personally I wouldn't ever touch a charity bond place because I think they're invading the sport and the sums involved are tbh more than I would want to donate. But if that doesn't bother you and you want to do one of the big-name events then go for it and best of luck, I say.

PhilPub wrote (see)

It still amazes me how certain activities are inextricably aligned with charity fundraising in some people's eyes.  (A major triumph for the charity event marketeers?)  I can imagine my mate feeling aggrieved because I didn't pay towards his sky-dive; the look on my aunt's face when I explained that I don't raise money for charities any more when I run marathons, like I've just killed a puppy...

It's spreading, too.  I told a colleague that I was doing a cycle sportive, and she immediately offered to sponsor me.

When I said I wasn't raising money, she was perplexed - why would I cycle 100 miles if it wasn't for charity?

Wilkie wrote (see)

PhilPub wrote (see)

It still amazes me how certain activities are inextricably aligned with charity fundraising in some people's eyes.  (A major triumph for the charity event marketeers?)  I can imagine my mate feeling aggrieved because I didn't pay towards his sky-dive; the look on my aunt's face when I explained that I don't raise money for charities any more when I run marathons, like I've just killed a puppy...

It's spreading, too.  I told a colleague that I was doing a cycle sportive, and she immediately offered to sponsor me.

When I said I wasn't raising money, she was perplexed - why would I cycle 100 miles if it wasn't for charity?

Completely agree with this. Although, i've noticed a real difference between the UK and Europe. If I say that i'm running a marathon to people in the UK - they automatically ask who i'm running for - in Europe - I get the response: you're crazy but kudos.

A friend of mine is fundraising 3000 GBP for her Great Wall of China trek and when I asked her why she didnt pay for her own travel she said " it's not just for cancer but the community and team feel of the entire trek". She wants the team spirit and the charity is just a way of achieving it.

No-one has ever asked me to sponsor their holiday, for which I am grateful. 

I don't think I could avoid giving offence!

I think its a really great idea, more charities should offer that and publicise it! I would be much more likely to sponsor someone who had got their charity place that way.

@xine267 yes I looked for a quite a while after signing up for the charity for GNR that offered a standing order option - and couldn't find any others.  Quite surprising - I'd have thought it offered a lot more security for them as they would begin to get a steady flow of funds in from the month the runner confirms the place.  Rather than waiting for JustGiving amounts and cheques coming in - or the possibility of them not raising enough and having to insist on direct debits to make up for it later on.

If a standing order is available as an option to give as a personal donation then I would guess it cannot be considered a payment, therefore this is not the same as charity runners purchasing their place, so can still claim gift-aid etc and not get taxed (i think!!).  So winner all round.

Can understand why some people would rather not do a big charity run, but some are certainly on my list!!  I'd do anything from the local 10k with less than 200 runners to VLM, me.

Those who ask for sponsorship to pay for "challenge holidays" do get on my nerve, I might sponsor a very close friend for a charity i supported though.  But not as a rule.  It annoys me when people say it's work, not a holiday - well if you don't find this sort of thing fun when why not do something useful in your own city for a fraction of the cost, such as volunteering as a homeless shelter!!