The fundraising activities that grew the most in popularity over the last 12 months include sponsored skips, car washes, and ultra marathons – raising over £80 million for charitable causes. Data from fundraising platform, JustGiving, has revealed the top 10 physical activities which have seen the biggest increase in popularity year-on-year.
Sponsored skips have made a 286 percent jump, raising almost £230,000, while car washes grew by 47 percent, bringing in £47,000. And ultra marathons – any footrace longer than a marathon – increased by 34 percent, raising £1.6m.
Charitable skydives went up by 42 percent, amounting to £5.7 million, while walking challenges also grew by 42 percent, collecting a whopping £57 million.
However, a poll of 2,000 people, commissioned by JustGiving, found nearly 32 percent have never fundraised for charity.
Some of the reasons why people have not fundraised include not liking to ask people for money (32 percent), and not having the time to do so (15 percent).
One in 10 haven’t got involved because of their social anxiety, and eight percent simply struggle to come up with ideas or activities to raise money.
Pascale Harvie, president and general manager of the fundraising platform, which also created a “Spin the Wheel” fundraising idea generator for those stuck with how they can support good causes, said: “The enormous generosity that we saw throughout 2023 made it a record-breaking year for giving, with more than 18 million donations to almost 20,000 UK charities.
“Every individual who fundraised or donated made an enormous difference to so many great causes, and we feel privileged to play our part, by providing a platform for people to fundraise through.
“We understand how tricky it can be to come up with a fundraising activity that is right for you, so we hope that our Fundraiser Finder quiz will help people of all ages and abilities match with an activity that best meets their needs, and inspires them to fundraise for a cause close to their hearts.”
The research went on to find that one in five have done activities in the last 12 months that, in hindsight, could have formed part of a fundraiser – such as running, cycling, or baking.
And when people have fundraised themselves, not only have they felt a sense of pride (12 percent) and generosity (15 percent), but 11 percent also said it helps their mental wellbeing.
Four in 10 adults support charities, either by taking part or sponsoring, because they want to make a difference, while a further 29 percent think everyone needs to play their part.
Meanwhile, 37 percent are driven by a cause close to their heart, and similarly, 36 percent will donate to a cause they know is important to friends or family.
And, as a result, 62 percent would be willing to sponsor a charity they don’t typically support, if someone they knew was fundraising for it.
According to insight from the online fundraising platform, the charities people donated to most in 2023 were those related to cancer, children, mental health, and humanitarian efforts.
The study, conducted via OnePoll, also found UK adults give around £83 a year to causes, with 26 percent making monthly contributions.
Among the most common ways people support charities are donating clothes or other items (57 percent), as well as purchasing from charity shops (40 percent).
Putting loose change in collection tins is also a common charitable effort (40 percent), along with paying a direct debit (26 percent), and contributing via fundraising pages to support other people’s efforts (22 percent).
And looking to the future, some of the top activities people would consider taking on to raise money include bake sales (12 percent), car boot sales (11 percent), step targets (10 percent), and hosting a pub quiz (eight percent).
Pascale Harvie, from JustGiving, added: “Despite it having been a very difficult year for so many people, I was consistently amazed by the incredible lengths that so many individuals went to in order to raise money and awareness for the causes closest to them. To every single person that has supported a good cause, on behalf of all of our charity partners, thank you.”
