Great North Run Fundraising Tips: How To Raise More Money For Charity in 2026

The Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon and one of the UK's biggest charity fundraising events. Every September, around 60,000 runners make the journey from Newcastle to South Shields, raising millions of pounds for charities of every size. Whether you are running for a national charity or a small local organisation, the Great North Run provides an incredible platform to raise awareness and generate sponsorship.

Unlike many other events, the Great North Run has a unique community atmosphere. The streets are packed with supporters, entire families travel to Newcastle for the weekend and the North East comes together to celebrate the event. Making the most of everything that is unique about the Great North Run can help you raise significantly more money than simply sharing a fundraising page and hoping for donations.

Start Fundraising Before The Summer Holidays

The Great North Run takes place on September 13th which means many runners can lose valuable fundraising time during the summer holidays. Schools break up, colleagues take annual leave and people often switch off from social media while they are away.

Launching your fundraising page as soon as you secure your place allows you to build momentum before the holiday season begins. By the time race day approaches, you will already have established a strong fundraising total instead of trying to catch up during the final few weeks.

Make The Most Of Summer Fundraising

One advantage of running the Great North Run is that your fundraising takes place during the warmer months of the year. Longer evenings and better weather make it much easier to organise outdoor fundraising events than they would be during the winter.

Garden parties, charity barbecues, coffee mornings, sponsored walks and community fun runs are all excellent ways to raise money while bringing supporters together. These events often generate far more engagement than online fundraising alone and give people another reason to support your challenge.

Sponsor A Mile Of The Great North Run

The Great North Run route naturally lends itself to a sponsorship campaign. Ask supporters to sponsor one of the 13 miles and then share updates as you reach their chosen section of the course on race day. It gives people a personal connection to your run and provides plenty of opportunities to thank them afterwards with photos and stories from the mile they sponsored.

Listen to this podcast about sponsoring parts of a running event.

Use The Course And Its Landmarks

The route from Newcastle to South Shields is full of iconic moments that supporters can easily recognise. Before race day, tell people about the famous Tyne Bridge, the cheering crowds lining the streets, the long climb towards South Shields and the unforgettable finish by the coast.

Afterwards, share photographs and stories from each part of the course, showing supporters exactly where their encouragement helped carry you through.

Using the landmarks and atmosphere of the Great North Run as part of your fundraising helps supporters feel involved in your journey and makes your campaign much more memorable than a standard sponsorship appeal.

Use Newcastle and South Shields landmarks in your fundraising

Involve Family And Friends On Race Day

One of the Great North Run's biggest strengths is its incredible atmosphere. Thousands of spectators line the route, creating an unforgettable experience for runners from start to finish.

Encourage family and friends to support you from different points along the course and ask them to share photographs and videos throughout the day. Some supporters even carry QR codes linked to your fundraising page, allowing spectators to donate instantly while cheering you on.

Turn Your Long Runs Into Fundraising Opportunities

Rather than treating your long runs as just another training session, use them to generate fresh fundraising opportunities. Ask people to sponsor each long run you complete, invite friends to join you for part of the route or organise a group training run that finishes with breakfast or coffee together.

These activities help maintain fundraising momentum throughout your preparation while giving supporters another reason to stay involved in your Great North Run journey.

Make The Journey To Newcastle Part Of The Experience

For many runners, travelling to Newcastle is one of the highlights of the Great North Run weekend. Whether you are travelling with friends, family or your charity team, share the excitement as race day approaches.

Photographs from the journey, exploring the city all help supporters feel involved. These updates naturally remind people that race day is getting closer and often encourage those who have not yet donated to do so before you reach the start line.

Organise A Great North Run Sweepstake

A finish time competition is always popular because everyone enjoys making predictions. Ask friends, family and colleagues to donate in return for guessing your official finishing time, with the closest prediction winning a small prize.

This works particularly well in workplaces, sports clubs and community groups where large numbers of people can get involved for a small donation while following your progress on race day.

Fundraise As A Team

Many charities have large teams taking part in the Great North Run, making it an ideal opportunity to work together. Instead of organising fundraising events on your own, consider joining forces with other runners from your charity.

Quiz nights, race nights, coffee mornings and sponsored walks often attract more people when organised as a group. Sharing the workload also makes events much easier to organise while helping everyone raise more money.

Read more about fundraising with another runner here.

Keep Fundraising After The Finish Line

Many runners stop promoting their fundraising page as soon as they receive their medal, but some of the best fundraising opportunities come afterwards. Supporters who have followed your journey often wait until they know you have completed the challenge before making a donation.

Share photographs from the finish in South Shields, thank everyone who supported you and let people know your fundraising total. Continuing to promote your page for a week or two after the event can generate a surprising number of additional donations.

Remember Gift Aid

If you are fundraising through platforms such as JustGiving or Enthuse, remind eligible UK taxpayers to add Gift Aid when making their donation. This increases the value of qualifying donations by 25% at no additional cost to the donor and provides valuable extra income for your charity.

Although Gift Aid does not usually count towards any minimum fundraising target set by your charity, it still makes a significant difference to the overall amount raised.

Read more about gift aid here.

Final Thoughts On Great North Run Fundraising

The Great North Run is much more than a half marathon. It is one of the UK's greatest fundraising events and offers countless opportunities to involve your supporters throughout the summer and on race weekend itself. By making the most of the event's famous landmarks, incredible atmosphere and unique community spirit, you can create a fundraising campaign that people genuinely enjoy supporting.

Start early, keep your supporters updated and make your fundraising as memorable as your run from Newcastle to South Shields. With a little creativity and consistent effort, you may find yourself raising far more than you ever expected.