It’s time to stretch your imagination and get creative with your marathon fundraising. Here are a few creative tips Firstgiving has seen that are sure to put you over the top.

• Go metric. Many of our fundraisers ask for a dollar per mile, and have no trouble getting the $26.20 from friends. Why not step it up ask for a dollar per kilometer? That’s $42.20 per donation!
• Let your donors sponsor a mile. Decide what your marathon is worth per mile, and let your donors buy a mile. Keep your page up-to-date as to how many miles you have left to sell so they can make sure they get in before they’re all spoken for.   26 miles x $100 = $2600!
• Sell a body part. Tell potential donors that they can buy an arm or leg, then write their name or message on it come race day. Not only is it a great way to encourage donors, but it makes your sponsors feel like they are crossing the finish line with you.
• Use your social network. Put a link to your fundraising page in the footer of any forums you are active in. It’s a great way to get the word out about your cause and pick up a few donations. If you’re not, you’re missing out on a great way to talk to the community about running, fundraising, and everything else. Join in:
  • Fastloop.com is the gathering place for runners to meet, great, share and compare. If the founder of Facebook had gone to the University of Oregon instead of Harvard, this is the site he would have created. There’s now a section in the forums just for fundraising, so help kick it off by sharing (or asking for) fundraising help.
  • Cool Running
  • Runner’s World

If you have any tips to share, or are looking for ideas, leave a comment below or on Fastloop.com. Happy running!