Launch the ultimate Walk-A-Thon, Read-A-Thon, or ANY-A-Thon
The secret to amping up engagement is in our power-packed platform, with more features and capabilities than any other solution. We make it a snap to add more Fundraising Activities to your A-Thon to dial up even more donations.
Video: A-Thons in 90 seconds
Power your A-Thon on up
Massive mobility
Our 100% fully automated online system is optimized for both desktop and mobile
Light lift
Get going fast with our oh so easy-to-use platform
Revved-up reach
Accept pledge donations from donors across the globe
Hosting an Ah-mazing A-Thon has never been easier
A-Thon possibilities are endless. Anything you can count can be an A-Thon: laps, steps, pages. Once you choose, the rest is a cakewalk (Cakewalk-A-Thon anyone?).
Run multiple A-Thons, inspire multiple donations
You have the power to run multiple A-Thon Activities in a single fundraising Campaign. Appeal to all your supporters with different A-Thons for them to participate in. Swim-A-Thon, Sketch-A-Thon, Sleep-A-Thon (hey, rest is important too). Run them all at the same time, at the same URL.
Keep your participants on their toes with leaderboards and prizes for the most unique donors and the most activity units (hours slept, drawings sketched, etc.) completed. Friendly competition – check!
There’s more than one way to A-Thon
Have a celebrity or individual who wants to raise funds, receiving donations for each hotdog they eat? Or do you want to organize a classic fun run? Easily launch a single or multiple participant A-Thon (or both!)
Supporters can give general donations or donate a custom amount per unit completed ($5 dollars per hotdog eaten perhaps?)
Make it Shine
Generate excitement for your brand and cause
Put your stamp on it
Easily create your A-Thon landing pages to match your organization’s unique branding.
Spread the word
Tell your story to the world with email integration. Participants can share their own personalized A-Thon pages on social media, creating buzz.
Pledges on-the-go
Your A-Thon pledges can come in anytime, from anywhere. RallyUp is optimized for phones and tablets. This gives participants, supporters, and donors more chances to engage — from the supermarket checkout line to the bathtub.
Kickstart your A-Thon today
Grow your A-Thon with more giving activities
Further upgrade your donors’ experience by adding a Raffle, Sweepstakes, or Store (Sales). The more the merrier. RallyUp technology makes it a breeze to run every activity you want simultaneously.
Raise dollars and spirits with instant pledge collections
Take the stress out of any a-thon with automatic pledge tallying and donation collection. The best part – easy checkout for donors and simple collections for you.
Power up Peer-to-Peer participants with individualized fundraising pages
Energize your supporters with personal custom A-Thon pages. Make it easy for them to share their goals on social media, attract pledges, and engage with their community. Plus, get them excited with a leaderboard and prize incentives.
Tap into unlimited possibilities with unlimited participants
There is no cap on how many supporters can engage with your mission. Manage all your donors from a single dashboard and use our built-in tools to inspire and ignite friendly competition.
Get your community engaged today
Our RallyUp users rave about their experiences!
“Lap-A-Thon Success”
This was the second year using the platform for our Lap-A-Thon. We have a small school but was able to increase our raised funds by 40% over last year. The site is easy to use and would use the site again!
Keri H.
President
Review from Capterra
Frequently Asked Questions
An A-Thon fundraiser is a pledge-based event where participants complete measurable activities (walking, reading, dancing, swimming, biking) and collect donations based on units completed. Donors pledge a specific amount per unit (e.g., $5 per mile or $1 per page) or make flat donations. A-Thons work for any countable activity including Walk-A-Thons, Read-A-Thons, Dance-A-Thons, Bike-A-Thons, and creative options like Sleep-A-Thons or Sketch-A-Thons.
Learn more about A-Thon fundraisers and what you need to know.
To organize an A-Thon fundraiser, follow these steps:
- Set a clear fundraising goal (specific dollar amount you want to raise)
- Choose your A-Thon type and what unit to measure (miles, pages, laps, hours)
- Select a date 4-6 months in advance to allow planning time
- Choose between in-person, virtual, or hybrid format
- Sign up for an online fundraising platform like RallyUp
- Create your campaign page with branding and details
- Enable peer-to-peer fundraising for participants
- Promote through email, social media, and community outreach
- Track participant progress and donations in real-time
- Collect pledges automatically after the event
View a sample A-Thon to see what’s possible.
A-Thons are one of the most cost-effective fundraisers, with most organizations keeping over 90% of funds raised after expenses. Main costs include venue rental (if needed), promotional materials, prizes or incentives, and online platform fees. RallyUp offers a free version with full A-Thon features, eliminating platform setup costs. Virtual A-Thons have the lowest overhead since participants complete activities from anywhere.
Learn about RallyUp pricing options.
Most A-Thons last 1-4 weeks, depending on the activity type. Walk-A-Thons and physical activities typically run for one day or weekend, while Read-A-Thons usually span 2-4 weeks to give participants adequate reading time. You should start planning 4-6 months before your event date to secure locations, recruit volunteers, and promote effectively. The fundraising campaign can remain open for 1-2 weeks after the activity period ends to collect remaining pledges.
Choose based on your audience and goals. In-person A-Thons create community bonding and excitement with all participants gathering at one location on a specific date. Virtual A-Thons offer maximum flexibility, allowing participants to complete activities anywhere on their own schedule, reaching geographically dispersed supporters. Hybrid A-Thons combine both options, giving participants flexibility while maintaining community connection. Virtual and hybrid formats became popular during COVID-19 and remain effective for maximizing participation. RallyUp supports all three formats with the same platform.
Pledge donations work through a four-step process:
- Supporters register as participants and create personal fundraising pages
- Donors pledge a specific dollar amount per activity unit (e.g., $10 per mile, $2 per book) or make flat donations
- Participants complete their activities and log the total units completed in their dashboard
- After the A-Thon ends, donors’ credit cards are automatically charged based on actual units completed
RallyUp’s automatic pledge collection eliminates manual calculations and follow-up, processing all payments automatically.
Yes, when you enable multiple participants (peer-to-peer fundraising), each supporter automatically gets a personalized fundraising page. Participants can customize their page with photos, personal stories, individual goals, and progress tracking. They share these pages with friends and family on social media, through email, or via text message to collect pledges. Peer-to-peer fundraising significantly increases total donations by multiplying your reach through participants’ networks. Learn how to add participants and teams.
Promote your A-Thon using multiple channels starting 2-3 months before the event:
- Email campaigns to your supporter list with save-the-date announcements
- Social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok with eye-catching graphics
- Flyers and posters at local businesses, gyms, libraries, schools
- Personal outreach by board members and volunteers
- Local media coverage through press releases
- Community partnerships with sponsors and local organizations
- Event hashtags for social sharing
- Text-to-give campaigns for quick mobile sharing
RallyUp includes built-in email marketing tools to reach supporters directly. Create compelling promotional materials highlighting your cause, fundraising goal, and how participation makes a difference.
Offer prizes in multiple categories to motivate different types of participation:
- Most funds raised (top individual and team fundraisers)
- Most activity units completed (most miles walked, books read)
- Most unique donors (engaging the widest network)
- Early bird registration incentives
- Milestone prizes for reaching specific goals
Popular prize options include gift cards, branded merchandise, special privileges (pizza party for winning class), recognition on social media and leaderboards, certificates, trophies, or donated items from local sponsors. Enable leaderboards to create friendly competition that boosts engagement.
RallyUp provides real-time tracking through participant dashboards where each person logs their completed activity units (miles, pages, laps, hours). Organizers can view all participant progress, donation totals, and fundraising metrics from a central dashboard. Live leaderboards display top fundraisers and most active participants publicly. The platform automatically calculates pledge totals based on logged activity, processes payments, and generates comprehensive reports. You can export detailed A-Thon reports showing participant lists, activity completed, donations received, and donor information.
Yes, RallyUp allows you to combine multiple fundraising types at a single URL. You can add Raffles, Sweepstakes, Online Stores, Silent Auctions, or Events alongside your A-Thon to maximize engagement and donations. For example, host a Walk-A-Thon with a raffle for prizes, or add an online store selling branded merchandise. This multi-component approach appeals to different supporter preferences and can significantly increase total funds raised.
Fundraising results vary by organization size, engagement level, and planning effort. Small schools with 200-300 students typically raise $5,000-$15,000. Mid-size organizations can raise $20,000-$50,000. Large community events can exceed $100,000. One school using RallyUp increased their Lap-A-Thon funds by 40% in their second year. Key success factors include setting a realistic goal, recruiting enthusiastic participants, enabling peer-to-peer fundraising, offering appealing prizes, promoting widely through multiple channels, and using customized branding to build trust.
RallyUp stands out with comprehensive features in a free platform: unlimited participants with no caps, automatic pledge tallying and collection eliminating manual work, full mobile optimization for on-the-go participation, custom branding with your logo and colors, live leaderboards creating friendly competition, peer-to-peer fundraising with personal pages, ability to combine multiple fundraising components in one URL, real-time reporting and analytics, 24/7 support from fundraising experts, and instant templates for 10-minute setup. Most organizations keep over 90% of funds raised. Check our pricing comparison or browse case studies from other organizers.
Contact our fundraising experts or browse our complete A-Thon knowledge base for detailed guides, video tutorials, and best practices.