Planning A Charity Challenge: A Nine-Step Guide

A charity event that sees participants take on a mountain summit or encourages people to get out, walk and enjoy their natural surroundings is a great way to raise money for a good cause and can be hugely rewarding. The Climb Snowdon team has helped organise numerous charity challenges, so we wanted to share our expertise.

This handy nine-step guide will walk you through the process, examine several aspects you may not have considered and discuss the benefits of working with experienced charity challenge organisers.

1. Who is the charity challenge for?

Who you are aiming to attract is the number one question. And the answer will determine how you proceed with organising and what type of event you put on. Is your charity challenge for anyone who wants to sign up? A school or youth group? Families? Experienced athletes? Work colleagues?

Your target demographic will impact your route, the difficulty of the challenge and when and where it takes place. For instance, organising a super-tough mountain challenge for parents and their young children is probably not the best idea. Establishing who will participate narrows your options and simplifies event planning.

2. Choose a route

The great thing about charity walks and challenges is that you can do them almost anywhere. However, some locations attract more participants or lend your challenge a little extra prestige. For instance, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike are popular among challenge organisers because they are the tallest mountains in Wales, Scotland and England. The Welsh 3000s is also a great option if you are looking for a real test.

However, charity challenges don’t necessarily need to involve a mountain summit. Plenty of routes around Eryri (Snowdonia) are perfect for a charity challenge. The Snowdonia Slate Trail is a fantastic long-distance (134 km) route that requires a healthy amount of free time, while the Anglesey Coastal path is another tried and tested long-distance (200 km) charity route that is a little less hilly. Shorter options include the 10 km Minffordd Path in the south of Eryri. You can find a longer list of walks in the Eryri area on our guide to the region’s hiking trails.

3. Nail down the details

Once you have a route, you can move on to the other practical details. Most importantly, when the challenge will take place. If you are considering Yr Wyddfa, you must recognise that the mountain will be busier at certain times of the year and plan accordingly.

While our guide to the best time to climb Yr Wyddfa can help in this respect, planning your charity challenge with Climb Snowdon will enable you to take advantage of our local expertise and pick a time of year that maximises the likelihood of an enjoyable and successful challenge.

4. Communicate clearly with participants

If you hope to attract large numbers of participants, you will have to publicise your challenge well. Things are much more straightforward if you draw participants from a limited social or professional group, such as your workplace, school or sports team. Either way, you still need to clearly communicate event details, expectations and requirements.

At the very least, you need to let participants know:

• • Practical event details – time, location, meeting point etc.
• • Fundraising considerations – how best to raise money for the challenge.
• • Kit and equipment list – what clothes and other equipment participants will need.
• • Safety information – what safety aspects participants need to be aware of.
• • Environmental and behavioural expectations – not littering, sticking to the trails etc.

5. Look for support from your charity

Most charities support their fundraisers and will provide you with materials to help publicise your event and promote the charity. These organisations develop effective and structured fundraising models that enhance participants’ fundraising abilities and help you attract participants. Contact your chosen charity and see what they can do to help.

6. Find qualified hiking or mountain leaders

If you are tackling a charity mountain challenge as a big group (or groups), qualified hiking and mountain leaders are a great idea. They take the pressure off participants to successfully navigate the terrain, ensure everyone is safe and provide support and assistance. Qualified and experienced leaders also make the experience more enjoyable, offering insight into local history and helping walkers better understand and appreciate the landscape around them.

When looking for mountain leaders, we recommend opting for an established company with a good reputation and knowledge of the local area. That way, you are guaranteed guides with appropriate qualifications who can promise a high standard of delivery. Our sister company, RAW Adventures is an excellent option.

7. Take out insurance

Legal liability is also a significant concern for organisers. If things go wrong, you need to be protected. Insurance is the best way of achieving this. Event organisers will likely need event cover and may want to recommend that participants take out their own insurance for accidents and cancellations. Like holiday insurance, this can cover you for the cost of transport, accommodation and time off work, should things not go to plan. Here at Climb Snowdon, we hold public and employers liability insurance, so that is one less thing to worry about.

8. Carry out risk assessments

Many organisers will have to carry out risk assessments before you put on a charity challenge. This is particularly true of organisations like schools, charities and youth groups. The process can be long, complicated and time-consuming. It also requires experience carrying out assessments and completing the relevant paperwork. The alternative is working with an established company like Climb Snowdon, which has already conducted the relevant risk assessments and can share the documents with these groups.

9. Make the most of the help available

At Climb Snowdon, we are no strangers to charity challenges. Many walkers visit Yr Wyddfa to raise money for a good cause and help those in need. And we help a lot of them plan, organise and complete their challenge. In 2022 alone, we helped walkers raise more than £200,000 for 25 different charities. We also donated £1 for every person who joined one of our walks to the Snowdonia Society.

This means we are in a great position to help those organising a challenge in Yr Wyddfa or the wider Eryri region. Our experience and expertise increase your chances of delivering the perfect event and our resources simplify planning, ensure participant safety and protect organisers.

Learn more about organising a charity challenge with Climb Snowdon. Or contact the Climb Snowdon team directly to discuss your charity challenge.