Fundraising information
How do I collect money for my event?
You can create a JustGiving page and send the link to your friends so that they can donate to your page. The money then gets sent straight to St Mungo’s. If you wish to collect donations offline, you can contact events@mungos.org for alternative ways to pay funds in.
Is there a minimum amount we need to raise?
There is fundraising target of £50 that we ask you to commit to when signing up.
What is Gift Aid?
Gift Aid is a government run scheme that allows charities to reclaim the tax that has already been paid on donations made by a UK taxpayer, which means your donations will be worth an extra 25%.
You can find more information on our website here.
How can I ensure I reach my fundraising target?
When you register to take part in Take The Lead, an online fundraising page is automatically created for you. There are a few key things you can do to make the most of your fundraising page, including:
- Uploading a photo, video, or story
- Setting your target
- Sharing your story
- Promoting your page
- Keeping everyone updated
How will my money help?
By raising £50 or more, you could help a homeless person off the streets for good.
· £25 helps keep our outreach vans running for a week
· £50 funds a counselling session for a person who is homeless
· £100 buys resources for our Recovery Colleges
About the event
Does my challenge need to be on a specific day?
No! As long as you clock up the miles between 1 and 31 August, it can be at a time and pace that suits you.
Is there a registration fee?
No, this event is free to sign up for all. We just ask you commit to a fundraising target of £50 and help fundraise as much as you can for St Mungo’s.
What is JustGiving and how do I use it?
JustGiving is an online fundraising platform which makes it easy for you to record the miles you cover and fundraise. Once you sign up to Take the Lead, a JustGiving page will automatically be set up for you.
Online donations are paid directly to St Mungo’s each week, so they start making a difference immediately. Plus, JustGiving automatically collects Gift Aid for us on every donation made by a UK taxpayer.
Can I take part in Take the Lead as a member of a team?
Yes, absolutely! Once you have signed up and created your personal JustGiving page, you can then create a JustGiving team page too. When your friends, family or colleagues sign up to take part in Take The Lead, they can join your team during the registration process.
If you plan to walk with other team members, we ask that you follow Government guidelines on social distancing and social gatherings.
Is there an age limit for taking part in Take the Lead?
If you are under 18 you will need a parent or guardian to email events@mungos.org to provide you with permission to take part.
Can I track mileage on my JustGiving page using a fitness tracker?
Yes, you can track your distance and link it to your JustGiving page via the Strava app. This will ensure your mileage is automatically recorded and added to your page. If you are unable to link to this app (or forget to track your activity whilst walking your dog) you can manually add the mileage to your page later.
Who can I speak to if I need more information?
If you have any questions or queries relating to this event, please email Will at events@mungos.org
Guidelines for safe dog walking during COVID-19
St Mungo’s has based its advice on official guidelines from the Government (links below), also summarised below.
If you do not have symptoms of coronavirus:
You may leave your house to walk your dog. You should check current Government guidelines to keep the necessary distance from anyone outside of your household.
When walking your dog in areas used by other people, you should consider putting your dog on a lead.
You should wash your hands before and after handling your dog.
Walking in public places
You can spend time outdoors, including exercise, as often as you wish. This must be with people you live with or, if applicable, your support bubble, or in a gathering of up to six, which can include people from outside your household.
You should continue to avoid public transport other than for essential journeys so should make journeys by cycling, walking or driving in a private vehicle where possible.
You may travel to outdoor publicly accessible open spaces irrespective of distance with people in your household and support bubble, but should follow social distancing guidance while you are there. You should plan ahead to ensure that, where you are visiting places like National Parks and beaches, you have checked that they are open and appropriately prepared for visitors.
Please check current Government guidelines for the latest information.
Technical questions
What is the best way to track our progress/miles?
You will need to use Strava to automatically log your miles walked. There are lots of popular fitness apps and services (including FitBit) that you can use to connect to a Strava account for this challenge.
After you create your fundraising page, you can link your page to your Strava account to automatically log the miles by selecting: Edit Page à Fitness. You can follow this handy guide to link another fitness tracking device to Strava.
When linking your fitness tracking device to your fundraising page, make sure you have only selected to upload walking activity (or upload this data manually) so that we do not have unfairly skewed results.
If you don't use fitness devices and apps, you can log your miles manually on your Take the Lead fundraising page.