How to organise your physical fundraising challenge
From solo walking challenges to tournaments with friends or colleagues, we've got plenty of ideas to help you fundraise for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity (GOSH Charity) in the way that suits you best.
Planning your physical fundraising challenge
Follow these steps to plan a great fundraiser:
Choose a challenge from our suggestions below or design your own. Once you’ve chosen, register your fundraiser to get dedicated support from our team.
Email us to order materials to promote your activity – you can choose from t-shirts, banners, posters, balloons and more.
Plan your route if your challenge requires one. You can use websites and apps to follow established routes. If you’re creating your own route, make sure to plan ahead and ensure it’s safe by considering things like: is it hilly or flat? Will it be too muddy if it rains? Is there lots of traffic or is it safe for pedestrians?
Be sure to choose an activity that is right for your level of fitness. Maybe you’re using your challenge to improve your fitness or to push yourself to the next level – you can find plenty of training advice online, including the NHS website.
Keep things safe and legal. Remember to read our Fundraising Guidelines and the Code of Fundraising Practice to make sure your event is safe, legal and compliant and get in touch to request a risk assessment form.
Spread the word and get your community involved. Family, friends and colleagues can be part of your journey whether they’re:
> Helping to promote your challenge with our promotional guide.
> Supporting your fundraising by taking part in a Guess my finish time sweepstake.
> Cheering you on from the sidelines - just email us to order banners and balloons for them.Start fundraising by setting up a JustGiving page and remember to keep people updated by posting on socials. You can use sponsorship forms or a collection tin for cash donations.
Have fun!
Email us and let us know how it went. We’d love to hear how you got on and see any photos.
Don’t forget to pay in your fundraising no later than six weeks after your challenge. Online donations on JustGiving and Facebook will make their way to us automatically. Find out how to pay in cash donations.
Classic fundraising challenges
Walk, wheel or scoot
A walking challenge is a fantastic way to raise funds for GOSH Charity while enjoying some time outside. You can organise it to suit you, whether it’s a daily step goal or a monthly distance challenge – maybe you can walk the same distance from GOSH to your home in stages. Lace up your trainers and rack up those miles to support seriously ill children. You can find local walks on Ramblers.
Run
Whether you’re a total novice or a seasoned runner, there are plenty of challenges to choose from.
If you’re new to running, try a Couch to 5k. If you want to, from there you can increase targets from 10k, to a half-marathon and even a full marathon. Why not make it a bit more fun by running in fancy dress or set up a sweepstake to guess your finishing time?
Hike and trek
Get sponsored to take on one of the incredible hikes the UK has to offer, like the Jurassic Coast in the southwest, the West Highland Way in Scotland or the Three Peaks challenge which will take you across the nation. The National Trails website is a great resource for planning your hikes.
If you want to take your challenge international, consider an adventure to famous destinations – like the Dolomites, Kilimanjaro and Mount Everest.
Cycle
There are lots of fantastic routes to choose from to suit all abilities. Choose a popular route like London to Brighton, set yourself a Coast to Coast challenge, such as Whitehaven to Tynemouth, or design your own local route.
You can even go global with popular routes like London to Paris or the Camino de Santiago.
Swim
Challenge yourself to laps at your local leisure centre or go wild with a river or sea swim if you’re feeling brave. There’s no goal too big or too small to help raise vital funds for GOSH Charity.
Try something new
Group challenges
Get your family, school or colleagues involved. One popular activity is to choose a shared step or distance goal you can all achieve together. For example, can you collectively walk the equivalent distance of the Great Wall of China in a month or maybe the equivalent distance from Cornwall to Scotland in a week?
Canine challenges
Get your dog involved in supporting GOSH Charity. Whether they join you in a solo challenge or you decide to organise a group challenge with a local dog walking group, your cute canine is bound to help you secure more sponsorship.
Adventurous alternatives
Challenge yourself with something new or different. How about getting sponsored while learning to rollerblade, facing fears with a skydive or organising a dance-off?
Tournaments
Bring together friends or colleagues for some competitive fun. You can choose from golf, tennis, padel, pickleball, rowing, darts and so much more.
Virtual
You can take most of these challenges virtual if it suits you. If you’ve got access to a treadmill or static bike, you can choose your favourite challenge and get sponsored to cover the equivalent distance. Popular examples are Land’s End to John O’Groats or get really ambitious with an Around the World target.
Organised fundraising events
If you’d prefer to take part in an organised event, check out our challenge events page for more information.
Useful resources
Visit our resources page for access to even more ideas and useful materials like sponsorship forms, printable decorations and much more.
Remember to read our Fundraising Guidelines and the Code of Fundraising Practice to make sure your event is safe, legal and compliant and get in touch to request a risk assessment form.