Training, fundraising and FAQ

We invest in a limited number of charity places in our events and each place is important to making sure we raise as much as possible to support our poverty-fighting work. If you have any questions about this then please email events@oxfam.org.uk or call 0300 200 1244.

We need to cover the costs that come with supporting participants in these activities (including purchasing charity places in the events and supplying runners with running tops etc). The registration fee and pledge ensure that Oxfam can take part in these events and maximise the funds that go directly to Oxfam's work.

You'll need to get your own place in the event through the race organisers. Please visit their website to sign up. Once you have your place, we'd still love to have you on the team - any amount you could raise would be fantastic!

If you are concerned that this might happen, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer help and guidance. Give us a call on 0300 200 1244 or email events@oxfam.org.uk, and we'll help you to avoid this.

Online giving websites are an extremely effective way to easily boost your fundraising total. They work by allowing sponsors to log on to a fundraiser's unique page and sponsor them using a credit or debit card. The money from online fundraising pages (e.g. Just Giving / Enthuse.com) gets automatically sent through to Oxfam and added to your total, so no need for paper forms!

Some materials are provided in your welcome pack, but if you need anything else contact the Events team on 0300 200 1244 or events@oxfam.org.uk, we'd be more than happy to help.

You have until one month after event day to send in all your donations to us. All donations raised on an online fundraising page will be sent to us automatically.

Your money from online fundraising pages gets automatically sent through to Oxfam, so you don't need to worry about that. If you have any cheques or offline sponsorship money to pay in, you can either call the Events team on 0300 200 1244 or send in your cheques and sponsorship forms to The Challenge Events Team, Oxfam House, John Smith Drive, Oxford, OX4 2JY. Please ensure you enclose a covering letter with your full name, postal address and event that you took part in. Please do not pay your money in to your local Oxfam shop, as they have a separate financial recording system. Please do not pay your money in to your local Oxfam shop, as we cannot add this to your fundraising total.

Gift Aid increases the value of your donation and means Oxfam can benefit even more at no extra cost to you. If any of your donors are UK taxpayers, please encourage them to complete the Gift Aid declaration so that we can reclaim the basic rate of tax (25%) on your gift. For example, if a friend sponsors you £10 and signs the Gift Aid declaration, their donation is actually worth £12.50 to Oxfam!

No. We gratefully receive any sponsorship our own place participants collect. No matter how small you think this amount may be, it will go a long way to ending poverty and suffering around the world.

There are two ways you can do an event for Oxfam.

• Apply for an Oxfam charity place - pick a race from our events listed and sign up to take part! We will then get you registered with the race organisers.
• Get your own place in a race and use it to raise money for Oxfam - if there is another event you would like to take part in that we don't have on our list, or you would prefer to run with your own place, just sign up directly with the organisers and let us know you would like to fundraise for us by e-mailing us at events@oxfam.org.uk

Own place refers to someone obtaining their own place in an event (eg. purchasing your race place directly with the race organisers). And of course we would love you to use your place to raise money for Oxfam, do get in touch to let us know all about your race!

Entry fees are required by all guaranteed charity place participants. They help contribute towards some of the costs associated with having participants in these events, so that more of your fundraising goes to Oxfam's life-saving work. Entry fees vary from race to race.

Our entry fees are non-refundable but we can refund if you get in touch with events@oxfam.org.uk or call 0300 200 1244 within 24 hours of making the payment.

In order to confirm your charity place in a race, you'll need to confirm your details with the race organisers. As a participant in the event, you'll need to agree to their terms and conditions and let them know you're taking part with a charity place. If you don't complete this second stage of the registration process by the specified deadline, you won't able to take part on the day. This second part to the registration process is at no extra cost.

If you are injured or are unable to run due to other commitments or unforeseen circumstances then we may be able to defer your place but cannot guarantee this. Each deferral request is considered on a case-by-case basis; we may take into consideration factors such as your commitment to fundraising.

If you are injured or are unable to run your chosen event due to other commitments or unforeseen circumstances then we may be able to move your place to another event that we have charity places in. Check out our other races to find something suitable and contact us at events@oxfam.org.uk or call 0300 200 1244.

If you secure your own place in the event, you can take part in any race for Oxfam! If you would like one of our guaranteed charity places, you can choose from our list of races.

We apologise if you have any difficulties in paying your registration fee. If you're having trouble, please call us on 0300 200 1244, or email us at: events@oxfam.org.uk, and we will help resolve the issue as soon as possible and get you signed up to the team!

Your sponsorship will go towards our work to create a fairer, safer, and better world for millions of people. Thanks to the generous donations we receive, Oxfam is able to continue its work with local communities in over 90 countries around the world.

The race pack containing your race number will be sent by the event organisers. Please visit the FAQs section on the event organiser's website for more details. We'll send a separate fundraising pack, if you have signed up via an Oxfam form.

Every Oxfam event participant will receive an Oxfam welcome pack which has fundraising and training information, and tops for runners. There will also be regular emails with tips on how to get the most from taking part in the event, and inspiring stories from how your sponsorship is having an impact at Oxfam projects around the world. We are also on hand for any questions in the build up to, and after your big day.

Sadly, we're only a small team and can't make it to every event our supporters take part in, as much as we'd love to! If we're planning to be there then we'll let you know where we'll be on the day 2 weeks before the event. If you'd like some cheering gear to give to your supporters, please email events@oxfam.org.uk - we'd happily send this out to you!

Absolutely! Please email events@oxfam.org.uk to request another size. We'd really appreciate it if you could return the one which doesn't fit to the address below:

Challenge Events Team
Oxfam House
John Smith Drive
Oxford
OX4 2JY

Unfortunately it is inevitable that, with so many participants, some people will get injured in training for a race. What happens next depends on how you got your place and what race you are doing.

If you are using your 'own place' in an event for Oxfam (i.e. you obtained it directly from the organisers of that race) you simply need to let them know you can no longer take part. They will decide whether you can defer your place to the following year. We'd also appreciate it if you could let us know so we know how many participants to expect on the day.

If you have a guaranteed charity place, which you obtained by paying a registration fee with Oxfam, then you must let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to take part in your event. If you let us know before the registration deadline then we may be able to offer someone else your place who can fundraise for Oxfam. We cannot automatically defer your place to next year's event, and all registration fees are non-refundable.

Get in touch! We'll be more than happy to help. Email events@oxfam.org.uk or call 0300 200 1244 and we'll answer your query as soon as we can.