The UK’s 25 largest charity mass participation events raised £132m last year, the same as in 2023, with a reduction in virtual experiences included on the list.
Three virtual events, the lowest number since 2019, made it into this year’s Massive Top 25, published today, with in-person experiences claiming the top nine positions and accounting for 88% of all income raised.
The report says it remains to be seen whether this represents a fundamental shift in preferences for real-life experiences over digital engagement.
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life retained the top spot, raising £37m in 2024, while the rest of the top four – Movember and Macmillan’s Coffee Morning and Mighty Hikes events – were the same as the year before.
Collectively, the top four raised £77m, representing 58% of the total income from all events in the list.
Income generated by Prostate Cancer UK’s Run the Month grew by 143%, the highest increase in the list, to £1.8m.
Three events entered the top 25 for the first time including Medical Aid for Palestinians’ Stride for Gaza, which raised £1.75m.
Most events in the list based around walking, trekking or cycling reported higher entry levels last year than in 2023, while average participant fundraising levels grew by more than 15% year-on-year.
Massive also reported that, for the first time ever, there were 10 events that raised more than £1m which did not make the list.
“Things haven’t been easy for events fundraisers, but this year’s Top 25 feels like it reflects a real shift in people’s preferences for how they want to spend their time and how they want to support the charities they care about,” said John Tasker, partner at Massive.
“We know in-person events tend to engage people better and have more longevity as fundraisers, so this goes some way to explain the changing balance and the increases we’ve seen in average fundraising levels.”
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