Webinar wrap: Organising running events for a charitable cause

By Rachel Payne
21/04/2021

Now you can view the first of our European Mile webinar series on demand to gain valuable insights into organising and funding running events, big or small – and adjusting your events at uncertain times – from UK power-fundraiser Derby County Community Trust. 

Emma Pilgrim has been Derby County Community Trust’s (DCCT) Fundraising and Events Manager for the past 6 years. As well as helping to scale the Derby 10K event up to 5000 participants, she helped develop DCCT’s fundraising portfolio to not only raise unrestricted funds for the charity, but to support other charities with cash donations totalling up to £33,000 in an event year. 

How did she do it? Watch our webinar below to find out – but here are her top 3 tips:

  1. Build your team, including getting local authorities, partner organisations, volunteers and emergency services on board, depending on the size of your event.
  2. Look at ways to keep costs down with in-kind donations and sponsorship (this can cover costs equivalent to £10,000 for the Derby 10K event!)
  3. Don’t over-complicate your first event. Whatever the scale of your event, think of the customer journey from start to finish.

“Take a step back and think about it from a runner’s perspective,” Emma recommends. “Think about what the participant does and how their journey is and how you can provide that wraparound support to make that as easy as possible. Go right back to how people hear about your event.”

To make the Derby 10K more accessible to recreational joggers and families, DCCT added a fun run to its event programme, which has been such a successful addition that some of the 10K runners will stay back to take another jog around the block with their families after running their race. A good hint that the short distance of the European Mile is a great way for people of all ages to #FindTheirMile! 

Watch the full webinar below for inspiration and tips on how to organise your own running event – in person or remotely – for the European Mile. 

Want to give it a try? Read our How-to Guide and Register your own event here.

Posted on 21/04/2021 by Rachel Payne

European Mile is an initiative of the International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) as part of the NowWeMOVE Campaign.

All activities under the European Mile title are voluntary and should take into consideration accessibility requirements for people with disabilities and medical conditions.

"Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union not the granting authority can be held responsible for them."

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European Mile & ISCA

European Mile is an initiative of the International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) as part of the NowWeMOVE campaign. ISCA launched the NowWeMOVE campaign in 2012, with the aim of bringing the sport for all sector and a variety of other sectors together to tackle the physical inactivity epidemic across Europe. ISCA is a global platform open to organisations working within the field of sport for all, recreational sports and physical activity.

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