Charity Stories: How Our Innovative Fundraiser Raised Over £1k!

Running a Three Peaks climb fundraiser is a mammoth challenge, requiring months of planning, bucketloads of detailed organisation, and some hefty bills for insurance and health & safety. So how do you pull off a fundraiser of this scale with a limited budget?

Little Hiccups is a local support group based in Leeds. They were set up by parents who have children with additional needs and disabilities and, through personal experience, have been able to provide opportunities, support and assistance to other families with similar challenges.

To celebrate their 10th birthday in January 2020, they wanted to host a team event that could involve corporate supporters, as well as users of their services. That's where they came up with the idea of the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge but at an accessible venue - their local Clip 'n' Climb.

Working as a team, the fundraisers needed to climb 2,153m to equal the height of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough - Yorkshire's highest peaks. With each wall in the Clip 'n' Climb measuring 9m, the team needed to complete 240 climbs to smash their target. Not only did they reach the summit, but they were able to involve Little Hiccups children, some of whom have additional physical needs and wouldn't have been able to participate in a traditional Three Peaks challenge.

"The Clip n Climb event was quite unique! Success for us isn't always about the money. We had Little Hiccups children joining in the fundraising so had one of the walls set up for the SEND harness, meaning children who wouldn't normally be able to climb were able to participate. We had a young person that struggles with her ligaments climb and fundraise for us. She tires easily but she struggled on and managed 14 wall climbs which is a massive achievement for her!"

Little Hiccups

Top tips from Little Hiccups

1. Set up an online fundraising page that can be easily shared on social media, in your email communications and via any other communication channels you use. We love Give as you Live Donate because they don't overcharge us! They do everything that the 'bigger' fundraisers do but don't charge a monthly fee. We're a small charity and wouldn't be able to justify and afford that cost.

• 2. Get all your supporters involved. Our Clip 'n' Climb event was a real team effort, and it bought our corporate partners and fundraisers together with the people who benefit from our services. The atmosphere and team camaraderie can wonderful, with everyone cheering and encouraging everyone to the top.

• 3. Keep your supporters up-to-date. The regular communications we provided via our website definitely help to boost our donations, and our round-up after the event on our website was really well received. You can read it here.

In total, the Three Peaks climb raised over £1,000 for Little Hiccups. Find out more about collecting sponsorship for fundraisers, or receiving repeat and one-off donations using Give as you Live Donate, here.