The London Marathon in April is one of the biggest charity fundraising events of the year. But with places becoming harder to secure, many charities are raising targets and feeling the pressure to support their fundraisers more than ever.
Our recent surveys of more than 100 charities and 1,000 fundraisers that participated in this year’s marathon revealed key insights.
Early activation boosts results
The earlier marathon runners create their page and get their first donation, the more money they tend to raise for their cause.
Fundraisers that activate their page six months in advance of the event date raise more money (averaging around £3,000).
On top of that, fundraising pages created before Christmas raise an average of 18% more.
Fundraisers prefer email, WhatsApp, and phone
Fundraisers love to know you care about them and their journey, but want their charity to contact them in these top three ways:
- Email (preferred by 88% of fundraisers).
- WhatsApp.
- Phone calls.
However, there’s a mismatch in how charities actually contacted them: email, phone, then WhatsApp, in that order. This suggests a significant opportunity to add WhatsApp into your communication strategy, as supporters appreciate hearing from charities through this platform.
When it comes to frequency, only 2% of fundraisers said they had too much contact. However, of those who raised £3,000 or more, not a single fundraiser felt there was too much – so keep giving lots of attention to those high impact fundraisers.
With charity place fundraising pages on JustGiving averaging £3,230 in 2025 (and fundraising targets having risen to £2,500 on average), it’s more important than ever to support your fundraisers in the ways they want.
Impact and incentives motivate the most
London Marathon fundraisers told us they want more information on the true impact they’re making. They also appreciate stories from real people who have been helped by the charity as well as practical tips on how to raise more with their Fundraising Page.
And when it comes to making an even bigger impact through their fundraising, survey respondents said these incentives would have helped motivate them to raise even more money for their cause:
1. Free running kit.
2. Prize draw to win a £1,000 donation to their charity.
3. Free training tech (eg Apple Watch).
Personal connection = powerful fundraising
Some 40% of fundraisers said they chose to raise money because the cause had affected them or their family. This shows that people aren’t just participating, they’re invested. And that emotional connection means they’re more likely to tell their story and inspire more donations from others.
To better support these passionate fundraisers, you can use your communications to show the real impact of their fundraising by sharing stories, stats, and outcomes fundraisers can pass on to donors.
While first-time fundraisers bring fresh energy to your campaign, returning fundraisers tend to raise more and often have strong ties to the cause.
Build a fundraising team that blends experience and enthusiasm. A mix of first timers and returning fundraisers gives you both and can combine for a community that supports and motivates each other.
As charities prepare for London Marathon 2026, these insights can help provide a clear roadmap: encourage early page creation but also reduce the time between your fundraisers creating their page and receiving their first donation (activating their page), fine-tune your communication, tell stories and offer incentives, and build a diverse team.
