The deadline for most official Boston Marathon Charity program applications is Friday, October 31, 2008.

These applications can be daunting, and may induce flashbacks to college application essays in some marathon hopefuls. Don’t worry; the charities aren’t interested in the quality of your prose. They just want honest answers, so they can be sure you will be successful, both as a runner and fundraiser.

Most of the applications are pretty much the same, and can be broken down into a few parts.

• Your connection to the charity. Why are you raising money for this cause? This is arguably the most important set of questions. Charities want to see that you are connected to and passionate about the cause. If you have a person connection the cause, this is the place to talk about it.
• Previous running experience. Your best marathon time? Oh no! If you are a couch potato, don’t sweat it. Be honest, and speak more about your motivation to get fit than your current condition.
• Previous fundraising experience. This can be intimidating if you have never fundraised before. Again, be honest. Passion and a sincere interest in doing will outweigh any lack of fundraising prowess. And, by next April, you will be a fundraising juggernaut.
• Your credit card info. Don’t worry; they won’t need it. It’s easy with our fundraising tips.

Applications are available on the Boston Marathon’s Charity Program page.  You can see a list of participating charities here.

If you or your training buddies need a tool to raise money online, use Firstgiving.  It’s easy, fast, and so much more effective than a snail-mail letter-writing campaign! Learn more.

Drop us a line if you have any questions or want to share your story.