Should You Host a Fun Run or Color Run Fundraiser?

If your organization wants to promote movement and time outdoors, a fun run or color run fundraiser checks all the boxes. This engaging fundraising idea is great for schools, youth sports teams, and nonprofits, but can be enjoyed by anyone of any age. 

By incorporating a training period leading up to the event and providing follow-up encouragement, run fundraisers promote physical activity and help boost team morale and fundraising efforts. So, which is the better fit for your organization—a fun run or a color run?

Discover everything you need to know below.

What is a fun run fundraiser? 

A fun run fundraiser is simple: Each participant obtains pledges tied to their achievement during the run. Achievements can include miles run, laps completed, or other goals they met. 

Pros of fun run fundraisers 

Fun run fundraisers for schools and medical-related nonprofit organizations are particularly popular. This is because they offer:

• Wellness—A fun run promotes health and physical activity while earning funds for your cause. 
  
  
• Flexibility—While 5k (3.1 miles) and 1 mile are common lengths, you can engineer your run to whatever span works for your goals related to age, participation, and accessibility.
  
  
• Fundraising without product sales—Selling products or services to raise money can be challenging—it can be hard to sell goods or promote services that appeal to or benefit everyone. On the other hand, a simple sponsorship commitment is something anyone can get behind regardless of age, interests, and other factors.

Cons of fun run fundraisers 

Despite all those benefits, there are still some cons to consider:

• Limited participation—A fun run can be intimidating to some. You may also lose involvement from members with physical limitations or who are less active.
  
  
• Seeking support or sponsors—Although there’s no product to sell per se, a fun run still requires participants to spend time and effort securing sponsors among their family, friends, and colleagues.

What is a color run fundraiser? 

A color run is a fun run variation. While it still promotes fundraising based on sponsor pledges, the difference is that participants have a color tossed on them at each station along the route. By the end of the race, they’re covered in a palette of different colors. These colors are applied dry as powder, typically made of non-toxic corn starch plus food-safe dyes.

Pros of color run fundraisers 

The biggest pro of color run fundraisers is simply the delight of seeing participants covered in a rainbow of colors by the end of the race. Additionally, they offer many of the same benefits of fun runs, including promoting physical movement and time outdoors. 

Here are a few more pros to consider: 

• Motivation—By earning a new color drop at each checkpoint along the route, participants can celebrate after each leg of the journey. Achieving the full rainbow helps them work toward the end goal. 
  
  
• Expressiveness—Fitness isn’t the best draw for everyone, but a color run can help attract the arts crowd. Rather than anointing runners with chalk at checkpoints, you can hand the colors out in individual packets so participants can dab, draw, and design the application as they desire.
  
  
• Freshness—While charitable fun runs and walk-a-thons date back to 1969, color runs were first introduced in the United States in 2011. This means potential participants and sponsors are likelier to find them new and interesting.

Cons of color run fundraisers 

Perception is often one of the biggest challenges associated with color runs—for both participants and sponsors.

• Mess—At the end of a color run, Skin, clothes, and even the ground itself will be multicolored. So, you’ll need to plan clean-up procedures, materials, and communication. For ground surfaces, the first rain or a good hosing down will clear the colors, while regular soap and water will remove colors from skin and hair.
  
  
• Safety—While the colored chalk is non-toxic, it can still be uncomfortable if it gets in the eyes or mouth. You may want to encourage runners to wear a combination of face masks, bandanas, or sunglasses to reduce the risk of getting the color into their eyes or mouths.
  
  
• Confusion—Potential sponsors and participants may be unfamiliar with color runs or associate them with the Hindu religion (as color runs were originally inspired by the Holi celebration). This means your sponsors and participants may need clarification that the event is not a religious practice. 

Fundraise beyond the finish line 

Fun runs and color runs are fantastic fitness-centric fundraisers, but they often require substantial time, careful planning, and post-event cleanup. While these events can generate a substantial amount of money in a single day, they don’t have to be your only fundraising strategy.

Consider adding passive, no-selling fundraisers like RaiseRight for year-round earnings.

With RaiseRight, your members and supporters can earn money back from the purchases they make every day—without paying anything extra. Plus, they can earn more by shopping online through RaiseRight brand partners. 

Instead of paying with credit or cash, participants can choose from hundreds of physical or eGift cards to pay for things like gas, groceries, clothing, travel, and more—even from major brands like Walmart, Starbucks, Dick's Sporting Goods, or CVS.

It’s easy to incorporate RaiseRight into any event-based fundraiser, too. At your fun run or color run, consider handing out RaiseRight gift cards as prizes and promote the program in participant and supporter materials.