Our new report is here, with exclusive event fundraising insights from 500+ charities to help you hit your targets faster.

In 2025, JustGiving fundraisers raised an incredible £235 million through organised sporting and fitness events – a 6% increase year on year.

To understand what’s driving this incredible growth, we created the 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot, our new report combining fresh findings from our survey of nearly 600 charities, plus the latest fundraising data and trends from JustGiving, so you can see what’s working now.

Inside, you’ll find…

• What’s helping charities reach (and exceed) event targets right now
• The most valuable and fastest-growing events and distances
• The biggest challenges teams face and how they’re overcoming them
• How charities are shaping their event budgets and portfolios in 2026
• Reveal your charity’s event profile: are you a Champion, Striver, or Awareness Builder?

Download now for the full findings or keep reading for a quick preview.

Download the free 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now
Discover what’s working, see where other charities are succeeding, and make 2026 your best year yet. Get it free now.

Sporting and fitness events are most valuable

Sporting and fitness challenge events dominate portfolios and 59% of charities rank them as the most valuable type of events.

Nearly 60% of charities are increasing their investment in multi-charity events (MCEs) like the Manchester Marathon, Hackney Half Marathon, and London to Brighton Cycle Ride because of the income they deliver.

Running remains the top activity, raising £139 million alone on JustGiving and accounting for nearly half of all event fundraising pages on the platform.

Get the free report to find out which distance is most popular, which brings in the most donations, and which is growing the fastest (all three are different!)

Get the 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now →

Leadership is a catalyst for growth

Leadership backing is one of the strongest predictors of success. 71% of charities with leadership buy-in exceeded their fundraising targets, compared to just 38% without.

It typically unlocks budget, time, and confidence to test and scale event portfolios. Charities with strong support are also more likely to set clear targets, in turn increasing their likeliness of success.

Get the free report to learn how Endometriosis UK doubled their event income by starting small, proving demand, and keeping leadership engaged.

Get the 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now →

Charities’ challenges and most exciting opportunities

Cost-of-living pressures top the list of challenges for charities, followed by rising event costs, shrinking budgets, and staff burnout.

Despite these challenges, 78% of charities say event fundraising is essential to their strategy. JustGiving data shows people continue to fundraise and donate, even in tough times, showing strong public commitment to supporting good causes.

Emerging trends like fitness-based events (including new formats like Hyrox), virtual events, and AI tools offer new ways to engage supporters efficiently.

Get the 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot now →

One more thing…which type of event fundraiser are you?

With this much insight from charities, we were able to dive even deeper and identify a few patterns in it all, which presented three categories of charities:

• Event Champions
• Event Strivers
• Awareness Builders

Each have their own common challenges, keys to success, and likeliness to run a certain number of events. By aligning your organisation with one of these groups, it can greatly help to identify your best opportunities for 2026!

Exclusive insights for your charity

Get the free 2026 Event Fundraising Snapshot

Get the key data, actionable insights, and top opportunities for your events in 2026.

Download free now