A huge thank you to our 25 Mile Challenge participants, who collectively raised £77,905 for Greenpeace Environmental Trust!
The basics
What is the ‘25 Mile Challenge’? How does it work?
You can tailor the challenge your way! Choose to walk, run, swim or wheel 25 miles and whether you’d like to do it in a month, a week or a day – just complete the distance by the end of November.
The 25 Mile Challenge is a virtual challenge, which supporters complete in their own time, in their local area (rather than a one-day, organised event). It’s an opportunity to get active and fundraise for Greenpeace Environmental Trust, via either a Facebook or Just Giving fundraiser.
If 1,000 people take part, together we will travel 25,000 miles: the circumference of the Earth.
You can also link in with a whole community of people who are all taking part in the challenge, by joining our Facebook group!
When is it happening?
The 25 mile challenge runs from 23rd October to 30th November 2023.
How do I sign up?
To make sure you’re ready, please complete these two simple steps:
- Register for the event and create your fundraiser
- Join our 25 Mile Challenge Facebook group to log your progress and join a community of people taking part.
Registration will close on 12th November.
Fundraising
What is the Greenpeace Environmental Trust?
There are two Greenpeace organisations in the UK which are both part of the same global movement. The Greenpeace Environmental Trust is a registered charity (no. 284934) which expands public understanding of the environment, commissions scientific research and helps deliver environmental projects around the world.
Greenpeace Ltd (company number 1636817) runs campaigns and exposes environmental injustices. It is a not for profit company, but not all its campaigns are charitable. All donations from the Greenpeace 25 Mile Challenge will go towards our charitable organisation – Greenpeace Environmental Trust.
Why are there two fundraising platforms?
Some people may prefer to use Just Giving over Facebook, or vice versa. Either way, you only need to set up one fundraiser, either on Facebook or on Just Giving, for this challenge. Please select which platform you’d prefer to use, when you register using this form.
What is a Facebook fundraiser?
It’s a page you can create in under a minute within Facebook and raise money for Greenpeace Environmental Trust. It will be automatically posted to your Facebook timeline, so your friends will see that you have created it and will see every time you post a picture or update the fundraiser.
You set your own target and end date. The money goes directly to Greenpeace Environmental Trust.
Create your Facebook fundraiser by registering here.
I can’t find my Facebook Fundraiser, can you tell me where it is?
No problem! If you go to your own Facebook profile page and scroll down, you’ll find it there. Or you can go to “Your active fundraisers” on Facebook.
How do I change the target and/or the end date on my Facebook fundraiser?
We recommend setting up your fundraiser by registering here. The details will already be filled in for you.
If you do want to make changes, go to your Facebook fundraiser. Click on the ‘More’ option, select ‘edit fundraiser’, change the amount and/or the end date and save the changes.
You can also set yourself a higher challenge than 25 miles depending on your own fitness levels or progress made over the month.
How do I find my Just Giving fundraiser?
Once you’ve registered, log in to your Just Giving account.
Then, click your profile name in the top right hand corner, followed by ‘fundraising’. Your 25 Mile Challenge fundraiser will pop up in a list on the fundraising page.
How can I encourage donations on my online fundraiser?
- Share the link to your fundraiser with your family and friends.
- Add your fundraiser link to your work email signature.
- Post your progress on your Facebook fundraiser. You can use our milestone graphics to let people know how you’re getting on: I’m taking part, 5 miles, 13 miles, 20 miles, 25 miles.
- Ask others in the Facebook group how they are raising funds.
If I raise money offline, how do I get that money to Greenpeace?
Once you have collected your sponsorship money you can:
- Post a cheque – made payable to Greenpeace Environmental Trust – to Supporter Services, Greenpeace, Canonbury Villas, London, N1 2PN.
- You can also donate the sponsorship money via your own Facebook or Just Giving fundraiser.
Can a refund be issued if the wrong amount was donated, or a donation was made in error?
Unfortunately, we can’t issue refunds through Facebook, but people can request a refund from Facebook themselves by following these steps:
- Go to Facebook’s donations support page.
- Select – I donated to a fundraiser on Facebook
- Select – Refund for my donation
- Select – Donated incorrect amount
- Find the donation in the dropdown and request the refund
You can also use this link if you have any other query about your Facebook fundraiser.
My friend’s donation isn’t showing up on my Facebook fundraiser?
Most donations appear instantly, but sometimes it can take up to 48 hours if the sponsor donated via PayPal, or if they have slow broadband. Please let us know if it still isn’t showing in 48 hours and we’ll look into it for you.
What about my friends who aren’t on Facebook? Can they donate?
If you are using a Facebook fundraiser, then unfortunately not – Facebook makes it really easy for people to donate, but you have to be a Facebook user. If they want to give you the money directly, you can donate to your Facebook fundraiser on their behalf though!
Why has my fundraiser closed? Can you reactivate it?
The default end date for Facebook fundraisers, which were not set up via our registration form, is 14 days. Unfortunately we don’t have the ability to extend Facebook fundraisers. Please register using this form to avoid this problem.
How much of my donation goes to Greenpeace? Does Facebook take a fee?
The good news is that Greenpeace Environmental Trust receives 100% of all donations. Facebook does not charge us any processing fees.
Is there a fundraising target?
The fundraising target is automatically set to £100 when you set up your fundraiser. We always recommend using this link, as this will create a bespoke fundraiser for the challenge, with all of the correct details pre-populated. Once your fundraiser is set up, you can edit the fundraising target to any amount you feel comfortable with. To do this, you just need to navigate to the ‘Goal’ section right at the top of the page, and click the ‘Edit’ button in the top right-hand corner of this section.
How do I pin my fundraiser to my Facebook profile page?
- Go to your profile.
- Find your fundraiser on your profile – it will appear as a post on your page, so you might need to scroll down to find it. Alternatively, it may be easier to select ‘Grid view’ for your posts, and find the month in which you set up the fundraiser – October.
- When you’ve found the post containing your fundraiser, click on the three dots “…” in the top right-hand corner of that post.
- A drop down menu will appear.
- Click ‘Pin post ‘ to pin your fundraiser to the top of your profile.
Taking part
Can I start the challenge early?
The idea is that everyone completes the challenge together between 23rd October and the end of November. But we do recommend getting a few walks done earlier to get your fitness up for the challenge.
However, if your personal circumstances mean that you have started earlier, that is absolutely fine too.
Is there an age limit on who can take part in the challenge?
Young people are very welcome to take part in this challenge but if you’re under 18 you will need your parent or guardian’s consent. Only an adult over 18 can register for a Facebook / Just Giving fundraising page.
How should we track our walks?
Once you’ve raised at least £10 in your fundraiser, we’ll send you a welcome pack which contains a tracker poster and stickers. Stick the poster to your fridge and fill in the stickers on the tracker after each walk (please remember to recycle it once you’re done!). Or, there are some excellent free apps available, like Strava, which will track your route and distance as you walk. The benefit of these apps is that they are paper-free!
Can I do a shorter/longer/earlier/later challenge?
Yes! Every mile you do will help fight climate change, and protect vital habitats like oceans and forests. So do this challenge in whatever way works best for you. Every mile is very much appreciated!
Do I have to post the number of miles I have done?
We recommend that you do this, yes. Post your progress on your personal Facebook or Just Giving fundraiser page. And then for extra motivation, post it to the 25 Mile Challenge Facebook group so everybody else can be inspired by your progress.
My friend also wants to complete the challenge – how do they do this?
If someone else you know would like to take part in the 25 mile challenge, they will need to follow the same registration steps outlined in the ‘How do I sign up?’ section above.
I am not able to do as many as 25 miles – can I still take part?
Yes! Everyone is invited to take part in this challenge, in whatever way works best for you – whether that’s taking on a shorter distance, starting early or finishing after 30th November. Every contribution helps Greenpeace Environmental Trust fight climate change, and protect vital habitats like oceans and forests. Please feel free to take on this challenge in whatever way fits best with your personal circumstances.
What if I’d prefer not to complete an exercise challenge, but would still like to take part and raise money for Greenpeace?
We surveyed Greenpeace supporters as to what type of challenge they’d prefer and the majority selected walking, but there are alternatives which we hope will still inspire you to take part. You could:
- Run an auction with 25 prizes
- Hold a bake sale with 25 cakes
- Have a dinner party for 25 people
- Run a quiz night with 25 questions
- Do a sponsored silence for 25 hours
Please feel free to adapt these ideas to suit you. We’ll support you whichever way you choose to complete the challenge, it’s the taking part that counts and we’re just so pleased to have you onboard.
T-shirts & welcome packs
What sizes of T-shirts are available?
We offer a wide range of T-shirt sizes, from XS to XXXXL for adults, or ages 3-4 up to ages 11-12 for kids.
Are T-shirts free?
We are giving out one T-shirt per participant, once you have raised a minimum of £10 on your Facebook or Just Giving fundraiser.
When will my T-shirt arrive?
Your T-shirt should arrive within 12 days of you signing up, if not before. T-shirts will be posted in three batches – on 11th October, 18th October and 25th October. It will take 2-3 working days for your T-shirt to arrive once it has been posted.
I still haven’t got my T-shirt yet, where is it?
Sorry you haven’t received your T-shirt yet. T-shirts will be posted in three batches – on 11th October, 18th October and 25th October and will take 2-3 working days to arrive once posted. If you think you’ve been waiting a lot longer, please email your name, address and T-shirt size to info.uk@greenpeace.org and we’ll check this. Or, if you’re not 100% sure you have given us your full address, fill in our T-shirt registration form.
Can I get another T-shirt for my friend/family member?
If your friend or family member would also like a T-shirt, they will need to register for the event and set up a fundraiser. Once they have raised a minimum of £10 on their fundraiser, they will be sent a T-shirt and welcome pack. Alternatively, you can buy additional T-shirts at our online store.
What will be in my welcome pack?
You will receive a welcome letter, a Don’t Stop T-shirt, an A3 activity poster, and a set of stickers for tracking your progress.
Is the welcome pack sustainable / ethical / eco-friendly?
All stickers are produced on FSC approved papers. The activity poster and welcome letter are on 100% recycled paper which is carbon balanced at source and are printed with vegetable based inks.
Can I order my T-shirt to a location outside of the UK?
Unfortunately, we can only mail T-shirts and welcome packs to UK addresses.
What if I don’t want a T-shirt?
The T-shirt is optional: please select ‘No T-shirt thank you’ from the drop down menu on the registration form. We will still send you an activity poster. Alternatively, please select ‘No T-shirt or activity poster thank you’ to receive neither.
Other
How does my sponsorship money help Greenpeace’s work?
Our work costs money, but in order to stay independent, we won’t accept donations from governments or companies.
Greenpeace Environmental Trust aims to improve understanding of world ecology and the natural environment. We champion scientific research, investigations and education to benefit our planet. The money raised from this challenge will not fund political lobbying or direct action.
Without support from people like you, our work wouldn’t be possible. Thank you!
Find out more about the work of Greenpeace Environmental Trust.
