Read-a-thons are ongoing peer-to-peer fundraisers that involve participants reading over multiple periods of time, logging their progress, and reaching out to people across their personal networks to donate to the campaign. It sounds simple enough, but there are some key details you should mull over before you jump into your campaign, like:

Should you use a read-a-thon fundraising service, or do things yourself?

There’s something liberating about running an entire campaign without outside help. You have all the freedom in the world to structure your campaign how you’d like with whatever tools you deem necessary. However, along with that freedom comes the burden of organizing the marketing materials, reader tracking system, donation system, and other logistics all by yourself.

On the other hand, investing in a read-a-thon fundraising service or even a dedicated read-a-thon platform can take a huge load off of your shoulders. The right company or software provider should offer you all the materials, tools, and infrastructure you need to kick start your campaign—for a price. Keep an eye out for trusted, experienced, and affordable read-a-thon fundraising platforms to guide you through your campaign.

How do you promote your read-a-thon campaign?

Creating a sound marketing plan is a challenge for any fundraising campaign, and read-a-thons are no exception. The success of your read-a-thon hinges on whether or not you and your readers can get the word out about your fundraiser.

For best results, take a multichannel approach. Use social media, email, text, and even print materials like flyers and brochures to get as many people talking about your read-a-thon as possible. In fact, you could even take things a step further and reach out to local media outlets, clubs, and community groups or leverage corporate sponsorships to market your campaign and get it in the headlines!

Some fundraising platforms even come with built-in email and social media marketing tools to help participants easily spread the word about your read-a-thon.

How do you engage readers and motivate them to fundraise?

In a perfect world, your read-a-thon participants would be happy to fundraise purely out of the motivation to improve their literacy and support your mission. But the reality is that readers will probably need a bit of an extra push to keep their momentum going through your multiple reading session, such as: 

• Themes. Giving your read-a-thon a specific theme, such as horror and suspense books for an October read-a-thon, can give participants the excitement and fun twist needed to keep them going strong.
• Individual prizes. Consider rewarding readers for their fundraising efforts with redeemable prizes. The more a participant raises, the more mini-gifts and prizes they have at their fingertips.
• Group fundraising rewards. Inspire all of your participants to reach a specific, group fundraising goal with a big, blowout reward that everyone can enjoy—like a party or end-of-campaign celebration.

If used correctly, these little rewards and engagement tactics can give participants just the inspiration and encouragement to keep reading and collecting new donors for the cause.