Branded fundraising for GOSH Charity at the 2023 TCS London Marathon

The story

About GOSH Charity

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is one of the world’s leading children’s hospitals with the broadest range of dedicated children’s healthcare specialists under one roof in the UK. The hospital’s pioneering research and treatment gives hope to children from across the UK with the rarest, most complex and often life-threatening conditions. Patients and families are central to everything that happens at GOSH, from the moment they arrive and for as long as they need the care and support that the hospital’s dedicated staff offer.

Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity (GOSH Charity) needs to raise money to support the hospital to give seriously ill children the best chance for life. The charity funds research into pioneering new treatments for children, provides the most up to date medical equipment, funds services for children and their families and supports the essential rebuilding and refurbishment of the hospital.

The funds raised by those taking on the iconic TCS London Marathon course in 2023 will support children’s cancer care at the hospital.

The challenge

Maximising fundraising as Charity of the Year

The TCS London Marathon is one of the largest and most prestigious fundraising events in the world. It’s an excellent opportunity for charities to raise awareness, putting their cause in the spotlight and maximising fundraising. This is doubly true when your cause is selected as the Charity of the Year for the event, as GOSH Charity has been for 2023.

The event is broadcast to over 196 countries and that TV coverage is watched by millions every year. That’s before even getting to the thousands that line the streets to support the sea of charity-clad runners.

That level of exposure is fantastic for an organisation like GOSH Charity, but they’re keen to ensure their brand shines through online as well as in person. That’s where Enthuse, the official online fundraising partner for the TCS London Marathon comes in.

The more approach by Enthuse

Engaging fundraisers

Enthuse’s integration with the TCS London Marathon means that immediately after an individual registers to fundraise for a charity – either by selecting that charity through their registration, or by securing a coveted charity place – a branded fundraising page will automatically be created for them.

Official online fundraising pages through Enthuse are co-branded with both GOSH Charity and the TCS London Marathon, ensuring donors remember the cause their friend or family member is running for and making it easier for the charity to build relationships with those donors going forward.

Charities can pre-load their branding, including adding a banner image and fundraising story copy for their supporters’ pages to ensure they’re sharing the right message and to streamline the process for fundraisers, leaving them more time to focus on their training.

What’s more, charities can customise everything from marketing consent statements to donation receipts, meaning charities like GOSH Charity are in control of deciding on suggested donation amounts and providing descriptions of what it will enable the cause to do with the funds. Additionally, fundraisers are able to thank donors on their page, to show their appreciation and perhaps encourage others to donate. This leads to 39% more donations on average.*

Ultimately, this all lends itself to meeting GOSH Charity’s goals of maximising brand recall and fundraising and is a benefit of using the Enthuse platform.

As well as digital fundraising, communication and relationship building forms a key part of any charity’s TCS London Marathon strategy. At the core of GOSH Charity’s stewardship programme is a 20-week email journey which includes all relevant event information and key dates, regular training content from their TeamGOSH marathon coach, stories from the hospital, and fundraising tips and advice. Those emails are segmented based on motivation and fundraising behaviours wherever possible to provide genuinely tailored advice and encouragement.

The email journey is complemented with regular check in calls, texts for critical information and deadlines, a private Facebook group exclusive to the year’s team of runners and a Strava club to ensure everyone feels part of the community. Having Strava directly integrated with participant’s TCS London Marathon fundraising pages means that GOSH Charity’s fundraisers can upload updates of their training progress on their page and then share it via their social posts to prompt donations from their network.

In addition to the digital channels, GOSH Charity hosts several in-person events too. These events range from an Information Evening for runners and several training runs led by a specialist TeamGOSH marathon coach, to on-the-day activations such as a meet-and-greet in Greenwich Park, 8 cheer points along the route and a post-race reception complete with massages, rest & recovery stations, and plenty of post-race fuel.

Building a sense of community and inclusion through every channel possible is fundamental to GOSH Charity’s stewardship journey. Having co-branded fundraising pages that put the Charity’s brand front and centre is one of the first steps in creating a seamless journey and ensuring a first-class experience for our TCS London Marathon runners.

*based on Enthuse data

Having co-branded fundraising pages that put the Charity’s brand front and centre is one of the first steps in creating a seamless journey and ensuring a first-class experience for our TCS London Marathon runners.Holly Riddle – Senior Fundraising Manager, Challenge Events at GOSH Charity

What it means to be Charity of the Year

And what GOSH Charity is hoping to achieve

Being chosen as the 2023 TCS London Marathon Charity of the Year is a huge honour, and an incredible opportunity for GOSH Charity.

Every day around 600 children from across the UK arrive at Great Ormond Street Hospital for specialist care, and the charity exists to fund the hospital’s most urgent needs. GOSH sees the most rare and difficult-to-treat childhood cancers and treats around 400 children who have been diagnosed with cancer every year – more than any hospital in the UK. Although investment in research and treatments has dramatically improved survival rates, cancer remains the most common cause of death in the UK in children aged one to 14.

Since opening its doors in 1852, GOSH has relied on charitable support to help provide its patients with the extraordinary care, expertise and facilities that they need. The funds raised by those taking on the iconic TCS London Marathon course in 2023 will support children’s cancer care at the hospital.

The charity’s aim is to raise £3.5 million through the 2023 TCS London Marathon campaign, with over £2 million anticipated to come through runners’ digital fundraising efforts, and to spread awareness of its brand and brilliant cause.

You can help GOSH Charity build a better future for children with cancer by making a donation: 2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/gosh/profile

We’re looking forward to seeing the Official TCS London Marathon App, powered by TCS, come to life. We know race day is when lots of people choose to donate to runners and they can only do so through the app via an Enthuse fundraising page, so it’s an exciting fundraising opportunity.Holly Riddle – Senior Fundraising Manager, Challenge Events at GOSH Charity