Athon Fundraiser Ideas and How to Run One
Read-a-thons, walk-a-thons, dance-a-thons and more. Pick an event, then run it online with a donation page built for it. Participants collect sponsorship online, teams compete on the leaderboard, and you keep what you raise. No monthly fees, no minimum.
One Platform for Every Athon
An athon is one of the best ways for schools, clubs, and community groups to raise money. Participants pledge to read, walk, dance, or learn, and their supporters back them online. Raised gives you an event-ready page, optional team competition, and secure payments, set up in minutes. No cash tins or paper forms to chase.
- Free to set up with no monthly fees
- Keep everything you raise, with no minimum target
- Live progress tracker with your fundraising goal
- A page and QR code for every participant
- Optional team and individual competition
- Secure payments via Stripe (cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
Every Kind of Athon
If you can pledge for it, you can run it as an athon on Raised. Here are some of the most popular.
Colour run →
Runners collect sponsorship, then dash through clouds of coloured powder. A school favourite.
Fun run or cross country →
Family and friends sponsor each runner for taking part. Finishing is what counts, not speed.
Read-a-thon →
Students collect pledges for the books or pages they read. A favourite for schools and libraries.
Walk-a-thon →
Walkers collect sponsorship for the laps or kilometres they cover. Simple to run for any class or club.
Dance-a-thon
Raise money for every hour on the dance floor. High energy and easy to promote.
Learn-a-thon or Knowledge-a-thon →
Students learn facts or answer questions and collect pledges for what they master.
Maths-a-thon →
Students collect sponsorship for the problems they solve or times tables they master. Easy to run in class time.
Bike-a-thon
Riders gather sponsorship for distance covered. Great for sports clubs and teams.
Jump-a-thon or Fit-a-thon
Skipping, star jumps, or a full workout. Any activity can become an athon.
Colour runs, read-a-thons, maths-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fun runs and learn-a-thons each have a designed page. See the event templates.
How It Works
Create Your Campaign
Add your athon details and set your fundraising goal. Takes about 2 minutes.
Add Participants and Teams
Turn on Teams mode so classes or year groups can compete, each participant with their own page and QR code.
Share and Collect
Participants share their page via email, social media, or messaging apps. Sponsors pledge securely through Stripe.
Get Paid
Funds go directly to your connected Stripe account. No waiting for the event to finish.
Not ready to sign up yet?
Leave your details and we'll email you an overview of running a athon on Raised. Reply with any questions and we'll help you plan it.
Turn It Into a Team Competition
Optional Teams mode is what makes an athon take off. Enable it from your dashboard to add teams, individual pages, and leaderboards.
Teams and Classes
Group participants into teams such as classes or year groups, each with their own fundraising total.
Individual Pages
Every participant gets their own page with a shareable link and a QR code they can print or post to collect pledges.
Live Leaderboards
Team and individual leaderboards drive friendly competition and keep everyone motivated to raise more.
Built-In Features
Progress Tracker
A live progress bar shows sponsors how close you are to your goal, updating as pledges come in.
Flexible Donations
Sponsors choose from preset amounts ($15, $30, $50, $100, $250) or enter any custom amount from $0.50 to $10,000.
Secure Payments
All donations are processed through Stripe with bank-level encryption. Supports Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.
No Cash to Handle
Participants collect pledges online through their own page, so there are no cash tins, envelopes, or paper forms to chase.
Works on Any Device
Your campaign page looks great on phones, tablets, and desktops. Sponsors can give from anywhere.
Team Fundraising
Optional teams and individual pages with leaderboards to turn your event into a competition.
Have questions before you start?
Leave your details and we'll email you an overview of running a athon on Raised. Reply with any questions and we'll help you plan it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about running an athon on Raised
What is an athon fundraiser?
An athon is a sponsored event where participants collect pledges for an activity they complete, such as reading, walking, dancing, or learning. Read-a-thons, walk-a-thons, and dance-a-thons are all athons. Raised gives each participant a page to collect those pledges online.
How much does it cost to run an athon?
There are no setup fees, monthly fees, or subscription costs. By default a 5% platform fee and standard Stripe processing fees are added to each donation and paid by the supporter, not you. You can choose to absorb fees yourself in your payment settings.
How do participants collect pledges?
Each participant gets their own page with a shareable link and QR code. Friends and family sponsor them with a set amount. To back each lap, book or hour, a sponsor can estimate the total and give that up front. Every donation rolls up into your event goal and the leaderboards.
Can classes or teams compete against each other?
Yes. Turn on the optional Teams mode from your dashboard to group participants into teams, give each member their own page, and show team and individual leaderboards.
Do I need to reach my goal to keep the funds?
No. You keep every donation regardless of whether you hit your target. There is no all-or-nothing requirement.
How quickly do I get the money?
Funds are paid out through Stripe, typically within a few business days depending on your country and bank.
Ready to Run Your Athon?
Create a free athon campaign and start collecting pledges in minutes.