Donating to a race fundraiser

The Donate page

When an event runs a fundraiser, its event page shows the fundraiser with a Donate button that opens the event's Donate page. It's a donation only, not an event registration, and anyone can use it: no account or login required, just your name and email so the event knows who gave and we know where to send your receipt.

• Pick one of the preset amounts (the event chooses these) or enter your own, donations start at $1.
• Optionally leave a note of support. Notes may be visible to everyone, so keep them public-friendly.
• Prefer not to be named? Check the box to display “Anonymous” with your donation instead of your name. That hides your name from the public. The race still sees it, so they can thank you. Giving on behalf of a company or organization has its own checkbox too.
• Hide my amount shows your gift without the amount. The race still sees it.
• Cover the fees: an optional checkbox adds the transaction fees to your total so the fundraiser receives your full amount. Leave it off and the fundraiser receives your amount minus a small processing fee.

Where your gift shows

Some races list their supporters on the Donate page, with a short line on the event page. There, your gift shows with your first name and last initial (or your company, or “Anonymous”), the amount unless you hid it, when you gave, and your note. Your email never shows. When a race lists its supporters, the form shows exactly how your gift will read before you pay.

Supporting a specific team, circle, or runner

Fundraising links can point at a specific team, circle, or registrant. When you open one, the Donate page shows a “Supporting” banner naming who your gift is credited to. The donation still counts toward the event's overall fundraiser. It's just also credited to that team, circle, or runner's total.

Your receipt

Every donor gets a receipt by email showing the event, the amount, and the date.

If the event's receiving organization has a verified 501(c)(3) nonprofit status on Run This, the receipt also names the organization as recognized by the IRS (with its EIN) and includes the standard written acknowledgment language for a charitable contribution. If the organization isn't verified, the receipt is a plain thank-you with no tax claim. That doesn't necessarily mean the cause isn't legitimate, only that Run This can't vouch for deductibility.

Donating while you register

If you're registering for the event anyway, you can add a donation right at checkout, one payment covers both. See Registering & your receipts.

Your registration confirmation lists the donation as its own line. If the event's organization is a verified 501(c)(3), you also get the separate donation receipt described above, so you have a standalone record of the gift to keep for your taxes. That second email only goes out when there's a verified organization behind it. The exception is a gift that went straight to a charity (see below): it always gets its own receipt.

When an event benefits a charity

Some events raise money for a charity. Many show a “Benefiting” badge naming it, and we check that the named organization is a real 501(c)(3) before showing the badge. Your donation reaches the charity in one of two ways:

• Straight to the charity. The event has connected the charity's own account, so a donation on the Donate page or added at checkout goes to the charity, not the race. Your entry fee still goes to the event, in the same payment. At checkout, the donation section tells you when this applies. If the charity is a verified 501(c)(3), your receipt names it and includes the tax-deduction language.
• Through the event. The event collects the money and gives it to the charity afterward, so you paid the event rather than the charity. Your receipt won't mention taxes, because a gift has to go to the charity itself to be deductible to you.

If a charity hasn't finished setting up its account yet, donations to it are paused. Checkout shows a notice instead of the donation amounts (you can still register), and the Donate page can't take a gift until the setup is done.

The fundraising thermometer

Events with a fundraising goal can show a public thermometer tracking the amount raised. Donations always count toward it. Whether other money counts too (registration revenue, sponsorships, or merchandise) is up to the event's director, so two events' thermometers may measure slightly different things.