How to celebrate the awesome fundraising heroes

The day of the event is the moment to celebrate the great work of all participants. And it is also time to congratulate those who have been fundraising for their favourite charity, those who have become heroes as they have decided to help others.

A marathon is about overcoming the impossible, to press the body to the limit and see how much each person can resist. But a marathon is also about enjoying sports and celebrating the achievements everyone makes with their friends and family. And the party is much more bigger if, apart from running, participants are helping other people.

There are different ways in which you can tell the viewers who have been the best fundraisers:

1. Call them out when they arrive to the finish line

The day the event takes place is the celebration day. Make a list with the name and the number of the best fundraisers and celebrate with them, not only the moment in which they arrive to the finish line but also how much money they have collected from donations to help others.

Maybe these fundraisers are not the first ones to cross the finish line, but getting the highest number of donations through an online platform is also a good reason to congratulate them once they finish the race. Make sure the viewers are aware of the great job they have been doing months before the marathon. Besides calling out their name as they arrive, you can also show on the big screens their fundraising page, showing the total amount of donations received and the charity they are supporting. That will make them feel special - like the heroes they are- and they will be able to share that happiness with those who helped them in the fundraiser.

2. Create special numbers for them

In that way, everyone will know that they are taking sports to the next level by fundraising for a good cause. Make them feel special that day, because they are special. Thanks to them, other people will be able to have a better life.

Every participant has his/her own personal story, every answer to the question “why do you participate?” is different but all of them have a common factor: overcome a sport challenge. Some participants will be overcoming a solidarity challenge and they need to be recognized for that work. And special numbers will help viewers and other participants see that they are the ones running to make a difference.

For example, in a charity marathon in Tarragona (Spain), the organizers will give special numbers to those people who make a donation to the cause the event is giving support to: innovation projects for social action. The Ultra Trial du Mont Blanc also created what they called “solidarity race-bibs” for those participants making donations to the different charities associated with the event.

3. Give participants something in return

In most of the sports events, the organizers will give as a gift to the participants a T-shirt with the name of the event and the sponsors. But if apart from running, participants are raising funds, they should get something in return for that. Maybe another type of T-shirt from the charity they are giving support to, or any other kind of gift, only for them as a reward of the wonderful work they have made to make the world a little better.

It can also be something else rather than clothes. For example, the DrinkingRunners’ team has organized a special meeting in Madrid for everyone involved in their campaign “kmsXalimentos” (kmsXfood), which objective is to transform into Kg's of food all the Km's they run in different marathons. For this special meeting, they have organized a cupcake workshop leaded by the runner and pastry-chef Alma Obregón.

4. Let them get some VIP treatment

If the event participants are fundraising for a specific charity and this one is going to be somehow present the day of the event, make sure the people in the charity stand are in contact with the fundraisers. Basically, so they have the chance to thank them their amazing work.

Give the charity to option to put a stand after the finish line. In that way, once the participants/fundraisers finish the race they can go there to relax and maybe to get more information about what the organization is working on. For the London marathon 2012, the organization Muscular Dystrophy, prepared two cheering points to give support to the 100 participants that had been fundraising for the organization. Those people were wearing also an orange T-shirt, the organization’s colour. They also prepared a post race reception point where fundraisers could meet up with family and friends in a relaxed atmosphere after the race. That is a really good way to thank the fundraisers for their support.

[embed]http://youtu.be/vzKXwlDW65U[/embed] Someone said once that “once you cross the finish line, that will change your life forever”. If apart from running, participants are also fundraising for charity, that step will not only change their life, but also the life of those they have supported through the charity will change forever.