Fundraising Tips

It can be hard asking people for money especially during a recession but remember a large number of small donations can add up to a significant amount. Also, five euro goes a lot further in Africa than it does in Ireland.

Here are some tips which you might find useful over the next few weeks;

Communicate

Make sure that you tell everyone you know that you’re taking part in the Mini Marathon for World Vision and are looking for sponsorship.

Send texts and emails to your friends and family, put up a poster in work, your local shop, gym or community centre. Don’t forget to keep people informed about how your efforts are going.
You could also contact your local newspaper or radio station which may be covering the event and interested in stories from local people taking part in it.

Online Fundraising

Online fundraising is simple, fast and secure and a great way of promoting your event. It’s very easy to do. Just follow these quick and easy steps – any technophobe can do it;

1. Set up a fundraising page

Set up a fundraising page on http://www.mycharity.ie/ which takes about 5 minutes. Try to make it personal by adding a short message about why you chose to fundraise for World Vision and maybe a photo of yourself.

2. Email your contacts

Emailing your contacts the link to your fundraising page is the quickest way to spread the word about what you are doing. Before you email your entire address book though, ask your family and close friends to donate first. People tend to match the amounts already listed on the page so if they’re generous ones, so much the better!

3. Keep your supporters updated on your progress

Let people know how you’re getting on. This will keep everyone involved and encourage them to support you.

4. Keep telling people after the event

When the Mini Marathon is over, keep telling people about the event. 20% of all online donations come in after the event has taken place.

Not a fan of online fundraising?

If online fundraising isn’t your thing, don’t worry. Just use the sponsorship forms you received in your fundraiser pack to keep a record of your funds coming in.

It’s also a good idea to identify a safe place to store the money you collect and organise how you are going to send the money in to World Vision Ireland. Don’t forget to thank all those who supported you.

Sending your donation to World Vision

If you have collected cash, we would be grateful if you could send a cheque, postal order or bank draft of the same value payable to World Vision Ireland. If sending a cheque our address is;

The Mews
Garland House
Rathmines Park
Dublin 6.

You can read more about fundraising on our website - just click here.

We would also love to see any photos or hear any stories you have to share about your mini marathon experience.

Docklands 8K Fun Run - May 19th

The Docklands 8 Km Fun Run is on next Tuesday May 19th at 7.45 pm at Grand Canal Square.

You won’t be able to register on the night this year though. The organisers are ONLY accepting online registration,which closes at lunchtime Wed May 13th (that’s tomorrow).

The number is capped at 2,500 participants so you’d need to get your entry in asap if you want to do it. Places are going fast.

The run starts at Grand Canal Square, goes through Ringsend, over the Eastlink and to the O2 , up to CHQ building, over Matt Talbot Bridge and back to the south Quays to finish in Grand Canal Square.

The race costs €20 for an adult or €22 if you want a timing chip. Students/Seniors pay €10

It’s a great chance to run around the city centre and there’s usually a great crowd out to support. Crusaders AC will be on hand to give you some much needed water at the end.

If you can do 8k next week, 10k on June 1st will be no bother at all.

Click here to register >

Building up your core strength makes you run better and helps prevent injury. It's a good idea to take five minutes after your walk or run to work on your abdominal muscles.

You’ll notice the benefits very soon. It can be hard going but totally worthwhile. Watch this video for some inspiration.

Oh What to wear..

There’s some great running gear out there but the most important thing to consider when deciding what to wear on the day is comfort. Don't wear anything new on the day. Make sure you've worn your gear at least twice before race day so you don't get any nasty surprises.

There’s a whole range of gear that you can get that will keep you dry no matter what the weather. (here's hoping it's a sunny day though) To help keep you dry you can buy ‘technical’ t-shirts which are made of a more ‘breathable’ fabric than cotton t-shirts and work by allowing air to circulate between your body and the t-shirt.

You would really only need this if you are doing a ‘fast run’ though. The cotton World Vision t-shirts that you should have got in your fundraising pack should be fine for most people but if you want a World Vision technical t-shirt we do have some for purchase. They cost €25 which just covers the cost of production. ( Ryan and Sarah Hall are wearing one in the pic below)

For the legs, a lot of people like to wear three quarter length ‘tracksters’ on the day – they are close fitting but also very stretchy so they don’t restrict your movement. Some very brave women will wear knicker shorts and crop tops but they are mostly ‘elite’ runners. Bicycle shorts are also quite good.

Specialist running stores in Dublin where you can buy great gear include
http://www.runways.ie/
http://www.amphibianking.ie/

Men's Mini Marathon

Well done to everyone involved in the ARC Mini Marathon that took place in the Phoenix Park last weekend - what a great event!
Particular congratulations to Tom O'Connor who won the race and of course to all other runners for their great effort!

If you'd like to read more just visit the Evening Herald online.

I don't know about you, but this has me motivated to keep on training this week. Don't forget only 4 weeks to go to the Flora Women's Mini Marathon!