Fundraising ... the big ask

With about a month to go until my my first Half Marathon, I thought I'd share some thoughts about asking people to get behind my chosen charity. What have I learned from this sort of fundraising?

1. You've got to hold your nerve! I had a nervous few weeks when I'd only raised a few pounds from those lovely few people who got on board with my challenge and my chosen charity in the first week. Then I read a bit more about this type of fundraising, talked to people who'd done it before, asked people to help me to get the message out and kept talking about it.

2. You've got to keep talking about what you're doing and why. I'd not wholly grasped is that friends and colleagues don't mind being asked twice. Some of them even asked me to keep reminding them. They're busy and they forget.

3. You've got to celebrate your allies. When people get on board with you, they really do. It only takes one person in each social circle to get inspired by your cause and then others wonderfully get involved. I have had a really indulgent few months, catching up with old friends and talking about this personal challenge.

4. A lot of support started from a conversation. Some of my friends and family remain suspicious of any form of social media and some people are happy to support your endeavours without feeling the need to be your virtual friend. Others got on board when I bumped into them on a walk or watching our kids play sport.

5. You've got to ask. Sounds obvious, but unless you tell people you are looking for donations or ask them to help, they won't know.

Thank you to everyone that's got behind my run and chosen charity: The Lewis Moody Foundation.

www.justgiving.com/melitaarmitage