Live events, which had been dealt a severe blow during the worldwide Covid epidemic, are on the comeback in the United Kingdom. Among the 25 largest nonprofit fundraising events held within the United Kingdom, during 2024, physical events raised 88% of the £132 million — or, in U.S. dollars as of late July, around $158 million.
That total comes with a warning: The £132 million pulled in during 2024 was on par with the total generated in 2023, meaning the real impact of money raised was diminished due to inflation, according to data from the marketing agency Massive which has offices in Leeds and London.
Participation does seem to be increasing. Report authors noted that the 1.1 million requests for spots in London Marathon was a record and that the overall number of sign-ups for other events indicated strong demand out there for events based around physical activity.”
Part of the dominance of live events is the result of fundraisers turning away from virtual events. According to The Massive Top 25, a ranking of top nonprofit fundraisers assembled by Massive, only three virtual fundraisers made its list, the lowest number since 2019. The top nine events were all in person.
Cancer Research UK held the top spot, pulling in £37 million ($50 million) for its Race for Life, followed by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Coffee Morning social event (£17.1 million/$23 million), Movember’s mustache-focused men’s health event (£14.8 million/$20 million), another event from Macmillan Cancer Support, Macmillan Mighty Hikes, which raised £11.2 million/$15.2 million. In aggregate, these four events generated £77 million ($104 million), or 58% of the total recorded in the Top 25.
These top four events were the same, in the same order, as 2023’s ranking. But three had revenue declines from the previous year, with only Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life reporting an uptick, according to Massive. Among all 25 events listed, 10 saw revenue jumps, eight had declines, two generated the same amount year over year, two returned to the list after not appearing on it during 2023 and three were new entrants.
The report is available here: https://wearemassive.co.uk/the-massive-top-25/
