In the past, the mass participation event market has focused mainly on running and walking events. More recently, cycling events have increased in popularity. However, the events market is constantly changing and now people have taken to running through mud, facing electric shocks and being covered in coloured dye all to raise money for the causes they care about. 

So with the rise in MOB™ (mud, obstacle and beer) events and Color Runs™, what’s next?

Should you abandon your marathons and cycle rides in favour of the latest event fundraising trend? In short, the answer is no. Why? Because it’s important to first understand the demographics of your supporters, and then choose a suite of events that will appeal to them.

With over ten year’s worth of event fundraising data on JustGiving, we’ve created the ultimate guide to knowing who your event fundraisers are. Discover insights on age, regions, gender split, and average amount raised per event type in Meet the Fundraisers – A profile of the people taking part in your events.

Once you’ve digested the insights, here are our top tips to ensure that you fill those places:

1. Know your supporters inside out

We can’t stress how important it is to know who exactly is supporting your cause. That way you can ensure you have events that your supporters actually want to do. We’ve found that 70% of cycling fundraisers on JustGiving are men and nearly two-thirds of all cycling fundraisers are aged 40 and over. If you advertise your events on Facebook, knowing this targeting is vital so that you only show your adverts to people that are interested in signing up.

2. Don’t ignore the staple events

Running is still the most popular type of event on JustGiving. With over 250,000 fundraisers taking part in running events in 2013, it still draws large numbers. What’s more, our insights show that a wide age group takes part in running events.

The number of cycling fundraisers has doubled in size since 2011 and triathlons raise over £630 on average per fundraiser. So although it may be tempting to invest less in these events in order to invest more in new events, the staple events are still the most popular. However, as the saying goes, don’t put all your eggs in one basket…

3. Do test new events

MOB™ events have grown rapidly on JustGiving and attract a younger age group – nearly 50% are aged 30 and under. So, if you’re looking to engage a new type of supporter then new events are a way of attracting them. A good way to decide how many places to invest in would be to look at your Facebook insights and see how many people in that age group Like your page to see how big a pool you have to market the event to.

Event fundraising trends come and go but as long as you are choosing a suite of events to suit your supporters, you should have no problem filling those places.

Related reads

Seven ways to win at event fundraising

Event fundraising tips for your marathon runners