Participation in mass fundraising events exceeds pre-pandemic figures

The Mass Participation Pulse 2025 report has found that participation in mass fundraising events has not only recovered from pre-pandemic levels but exceeded them for the first time.

This report was based on a survey of over 11,000 UK adults which was conducted in October and November 2024. The report found that the recovery was ‘driven by a diverse and growing demographic of particularly younger and female participants, who are engaging more frequently and spending more on events and related activities’.

Here are some of the key findings from the report:

• Running was still by far the most popular fundraising activity
• 25% of respondents said they were new to their chosen sport in which to fundraise which increased from 9% in 2023.
• The average number of events people participated in during 2024 was five.
• A large proportion of new participants were women (women made up almost two-thirds of participants aged under 35 years of age).
• Perhaps unsurprisingly, running remained the most common fundraising activity by far (79% of respondents were runners)
• The average age of participants was 44 compared to 49 in 2023.

This report highlights that the increased participation in fundraising events post pandemic has been driven by an increased engagement in younger and female audiences. Despite this, there are still a couple of factors that are causing some individuals to either stop participating in fundraising events all together or cut back on the number they are currently doing. The first being affordability and the second being a lack of fitness. Although lack of fitness was a less relevant concern in 2024 with 24% of respondents citing this as an issue compared to 43% in 2023.

Overall, these statistics are still encouraging for the charity sector.

How can we help?

At Hawsons our accountants recognise that not-for-profit organisations have very different requirements from other businesses and are currently exposed to a challenging economic climate.

Our dedicated team of charity accountants fully understands the complex, ever-changing regulatory requirements of the charity and not-for-profit sector. Irrespective of your size we wish to support you to maximise the benefits you could achieve through our specialist professional advice.

Charities & not-for-profit organisations are currently facing extensive changes in their regulatory and legal framework. Given the additional pressures on fundraising, complex tax regimes, internal risk exposure, and stakeholder demands, it has never been more important to obtain specialist professional advice.