This International Youth Day, we’re asking our game-loving supporters to play and raise for youth voice. On Friday 12th August (or over that weekend) we’d love for as many people as possible to take on sponsored gaming marathons, in support of our work ensuring young voices are heard on issues like mental health, jobs, housing and the economy.
Here’s how you can get involved:
- Decide on the marathon length and fundraising target
So, how long should your gaming marathon be?
We’ve put together a list of suggested timings and appropriate fundraising asks for each, but go with what you feel comfortable and able to achieve.
• Easy: 1 – 8 hours gaming, suggested sponsorship target £100
• Medium: 8 – 16 hours gaming, suggested sponsorship target £250
• Hard: 16 – 24 hours gaming, suggested sponsorship target £500
Set up your fundraising page on JustGiving and then you can share the link on your broadcast/social media accounts.
- Get your support team in place!
If you’re planning a longer gaming marathon, we’d suggest getting some gamer friends or family to support you, so they can take over for you during rest periods or toilet breaks – and help you stay awake!
(Although your health always comes first, so please ensure you are fit and able to take on the challenge).
- Plan which games to play
The next step is to think about what game or games you’ll play during your marathon.
This might be based on the length of the game to complete, and how long your marathon is. You may also want to consider your potential audience and any age-appropriate material!
- Promoting your event
Streaming your marathon via platforms such as Twitch, Ustream and YouTube can help you promote what you’re doing and interact with followers, and therefore generate more donations! It also adds another layer of entertainment to your marathon. You can engage your viewers in what you’re doing and the reasons why, and talk about BYC’s work
Broadcasting isn’t essential, if you want to just keep your friends and family up to date via Twitter or Facebook without streaming.
Make sure you plug your fundraising page in the weeks building up to your marathon, and during the event as well. People will need to see your page at least three times before they part with their cash, so make posts in the build up to your marathon, counting down to the big day and reminding people to donate!
It’s a good idea to have some funds already collected before the day of the marathon to get the ball rolling.
(Top tip: Approach those who are likely to be most generous first, i.e. parents, siblings, grandparents. That way, when people see larger donations on your fundraising page, they’ll feel more inclined to dig a bit deeper!)
- The day itself
Make sure that you stock up on supplies of snacks and drinks ready for your marathon – try to keep them fresh and healthy if you can!
Take regular breaks and nap if you need to, although try and avoid doing it for longer than 20mins else you may end up feeling worse!
Most of all though, enjoy! You’re doing something amazing by supporting us, and we’re so grateful. The funds you’ll be raising will be making sure that young people from all backgrounds are giving the power and potential to make positive change for themselves and others.
If you have any questions or need any help, please drop us an email or give us a call: fundraising@byc.org.uk 07375 119412
