Challenge-based fundraising activities such as runs, walks, cycles and swims are the main driver of donations for charities of all sizes, new research shows.
According to JustGiving’s 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot, which is based on a survey of organisations across the charity sector, 59% of charities think sporting and fitness events are the most valuable fundraising activities for their organisations.
Running remains central to charity event fundraising, with 87% of charities saying it is a core part of their events programme. Two thirds (66%) reported that running events are the most popular within their portfolio.
More than three quarters of charities surveyed said they currently offer sporting and fitness events as part of their fundraising portfolio, which compares with 49% that offer bake sales and coffee mornings, and 40% that run quiz nights.
Last year, a total of £235m was raised through organised sporting and fitness events via JustGiving; running accounting for just under half of all fundraising event pages.
Half marathons were the most frequently chosen event, while marathons generated the highest total donation values. The London Marathon was cited as the most valuable multi-charity event by over half (57%) of respondents.
Despite increasing costs associated with securing charity places at major events, more than half of charities reported increasing their investment in multi-charity events over the past year. Almost 60% said they plan to raise investment levels again next year.
However, the report also revealed capacity challenges across the sector. Only one in four charities said they feel sufficiently resourced to grow their events income.
Among charities that exceeded their fundraising targets, 71% said their leadership teams treated event fundraising as a strategic priority. Across the sector as a whole, leadership engagement was evenly split, with 50% viewing events as a strategic focus.
“Year after year, charities continue to drive remarkable impact through events and our research shows the charities that prioritise event fundraising strategically are most likely to exceed their fundraising targets and engage fundraisers,” JustGiving president and general manager, Pascale Harvie said.
“Challenge events such as running, walking, swimming and cycling can make a huge impact and that’s especially the case for multi-charity events like the London Marathon, which have a huge positive impact on charitable giving.
“As a fundraising platform, we’ve seen growth in the amount of donations for people participating in challenge events over the past year and we anticipate this trend continuing over the next year.”
The 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot report is available to download here.
