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The Complete Guide to Charity Fundraising on Bluesky
- 9 hours ago
- 5 min read
Social media has become an important tool for charity fundraising, helping runners share their stories, engage supporters, and attract donations. While platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X have traditionally dominated this space, a growing number of people are now turning to Bluesky. With more than 40 million registered accounts worldwide and an expanding user base in both the United States and the UK, Bluesky is quickly establishing itself as a valuable platform for community building and personal storytelling. For runners taking part in charity events, this presents an opportunity to reach new audiences, build stronger connections with supporters, and keep fundraising momentum going throughout their training journey
How Many People Use Bluesky in the UK and US?
Bluesky has grown rapidly since launching as an alternative social network to X (formerly Twitter), reaching more than 40 million registered accounts worldwide by 2026. While Bluesky does not publish official user numbers by country, available traffic and analytics data suggest that the United States is its largest market by a considerable margin. Estimates indicate that around 20–25 million Bluesky accounts are based in the US, representing more than half of the platform's global user base. The UK is believed to be one of Bluesky's strongest international markets, with an estimated 1–3 million users. Although significantly smaller than the US community, the UK has seen growing adoption among journalists, academics, technology professionals, and users seeking alternatives to larger social media platforms.
What's special about using Bluesky for Fundraising?
When you're fundraising for charity through a running event, success often comes down to keeping people engaged with your journey. Bluesky offers a few advantages that can help. For a charity runner, it isn't just another place to post a donation link, it's a platform where you can tell your story, connect with like-minded people, and build support throughout your fundraising journey.
People Follow the Story, Not Just the Donation Link
Rather than posting a fundraising link once and hoping people donate, Bluesky allows you to share your training, challenges, milestones, and race-day experience. Supporters become invested in your journey and are often more likely to donate when they feel part of it.
Less Competition for Attention
Compared with larger social networks, Bluesky is still relatively uncrowded. Your updates may have a better chance of being seen by followers without being buried under large volumes of content.
Easy to Build a Supportive Community
The platform has active communities around running, fitness, local events, and charitable causes. By engaging with other runners and supporters, you can expand the reach of your fundraising campaign beyond your immediate friends and family.
Authenticity Matters
People on Bluesky tend to respond well to genuine, personal updates. Sharing why you're supporting a particular charity, what motivates you, and how training is going can often be more effective than repeatedly asking for donations.
Race Day Becomes a Fundraising Opportunity
Posting updates before, during, and after the event gives supporters a reason to stay engaged. Photos from training runs, countdown posts, race-day updates, and crossing the finish line can all help drive last-minute donations and celebrate the impact of the campaign.
You Can Reach New Donors
Many runners find that their fundraising stalls once they've asked their immediate network. Bluesky gives you the opportunity to connect with people who share your interest in running or your chosen cause, potentially reaching donors who would never have seen your fundraising page otherwise.
It's Free and Takes Little Extra Effort
If you're already sharing training updates on social media, posting the same content on Bluesky requires very little additional work but can expose your fundraising effort to a new audience.
How to Get Started With Charity Fundraising on Bluesky
You don't need a large following to use Bluesky effectively. The goal is to take people on your fundraising journey and make them feel connected to your challenge. Here is how to use Bluesky to raise money for charity.
Set Up Your Profile
Make it clear who you are, what event you're running, and which charity you're supporting.
Example bio: "Running the Great North Run for Cancer Research UK. Training updates, race-day progress, and fundraising milestones. Donate here: [link]" Include your fundraising page link in your profile.
Announce Your Challenge
Start with a post explaining what event you're running, why you chose the charity, your fundraising target and a link to donate. People are much more likely to support you if they understand your personal motivation.
Share Your Training Journey
Post regularly about your long runs, early morning training sessions, personal bests, challenges and setbacks, as well as weekly mileage updates. Instead of repeatedly asking for donations, show people the effort you're putting in.
Use Photos
Photos from training runs, local routes, running clubs, and fundraising events help bring your story to life and typically receive more engagement than text-only posts.
Engage with Other Runners
Follow running communities, local runners, charity fundraisers and event participants. Commenting on and supporting others often leads to people discovering and supporting your own fundraising effort.
Share Fundraising Milestones
Celebrate progress, like "£100 raised!", "Halfway to my £500 target!" and "Just 10 days until race day." Supporters enjoy seeing momentum and may donate to help you reach the next milestone.
Build Excitement Before the Event
In the final week share countdown posts, post your race number, share your goals and remind people that donations are still open. This is often when fundraising activity increases.
Post on Race Day
Share pre-race photos, updates from the course, finish-line pictures and your finishing time
Race day is usually when engagement is highest.
Thank Your Supporters
After the event share your final fundraising total, explain the impact of the donations and thank everyone who contributed. People remember being appreciated and are more likely to support your next challenge.
A Simple Formula
A good rule of thumb is 80% story and training updates, 20% donation asks. People donate because they connect with your story. The fundraising link is important, but the journey is what inspires support. A simple posting schedule might be:
1 post announcing your challenge
2–3 training updates per week
1 fundraising milestone post every £100–£250 raised
Daily posts during the week before the event
Several updates on race day
A thank-you post afterwards
That alone is enough to run an effective fundraising campaign on Bluesky.
Summary
Bluesky may still be a relatively new social platform, but its growing user base and community-focused culture make it an attractive option for charity runners looking to raise awareness and donations. With millions of users in the UK and US, it offers access to an engaged audience that values authentic conversations and personal stories. For fundraisers, the key advantage of Bluesky is the opportunity to take supporters on a journey. By sharing training updates, fundraising milestones, race-day experiences, and the reasons behind your challenge, you can build meaningful connections that encourage people to donate and stay engaged. While Bluesky should complement rather than replace your existing fundraising channels, charity fundraising on Bluesky can be a powerful addition to your toolkit. With a little consistency and storytelling, runners can use the platform to expand their reach, inspire support, and ultimately raise more money for the causes that matter most.
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