How do I reach my fundraising goal?

It is important to set yourself a fundraising goal for two main reasons - firstly, to motivate yourself to raise funds, and secondly, to encourage your friends, family and colleagues to support you. When people can see their donation bringing you closer to your goal, they are more likely to show their support and tend to give higher amounts! It can feel like a huge challenge to reach your fundraising goal, but there are lots of things you can do to edge towards your target:

• Write a personal message to your friends, family and colleagues explaining why you have chosen your challenge and the charity you are supporting
• Tell your supporters about the cause you have chosen and what difference their donation will make
• Start telling people about your fundraising page as soon as it's set up - in person, by email, through social media, by letter, on noticeboards (at work or school, for example)...
• Update your fundraising page with your progress in preparing for your challenge (change your shout box, add photos, etc.), and send out regular updates so people feel engaged with your fundraising
• Ask the charity you are supporting to help you spread the word through their social media channels, etc.
• Ask your friends and family to forward your email on to their networks so you're reaching as many people as possible

It's all about being positive and persistent - if you sound enthusiastic and passionate about what you're trying to achieve, the people you are asking will feel the same!

Top tip: It's always a good idea to get your closest friends, family and colleagues to make their donations first so when you send your page out to your wider networks there are already some big donations leading the way.