Vitrual events now at their lowest level since 2019

Scotland’s Kiltwalk helped lead the way as in-person fundraising bounced back last year.

The Massive Top 25 – which ranks charity mass participation events – confirmed the re-emergence of in-person fundraisers, which had been severely curtailed by the pandemic, in its latest listings covering 2024.

Their re-growth has been steady over the past few years but they are well and truly on top now.

The UK's events fundraising market appears to have shifted back to in-person experiences, with physical events dominating the Massive Top 25 fundraising rankings (see below for the full list), accounting for 88% of the collective £132 million raised in 2024.

The annual report reveals a decline in the number of virtual events making this year’s rankings, with only three making it into the report – the lowest number since 2019.

In stark contrast, in-person events claimed all of the top nine fundraising positions, signalling a change in supporter preferences.

Among the top performers were Scotland’s hugely popular Kiltwalk, which grew by 36% to hit £7m raised.

This put it into the top three for growth, with the others being Prostate Cancer UK’s Run the Month (up 143%) and Restless Development’s Knight Frank Schools Triathlon (up 41%).

The Massive Top 25 ranks the UK’s largest charity mass participation events, compiled by Massive - mass, major and outdoor event delivery specialists. The report has been compiled every year since 2013.

The report also highlighted positive signs for the events fundraising market with average fundraising rising and the majority of events based around walking, trekking or cycling seeing entry levels increase.

John Tasker, partner at Massive, said: “Things haven't been easy for events fundraisers, but this year’s Top 25 feels like it reflects a real shift in people's preferences for how they want to spend their time and how they want to support the charities they care about.

"We know in-person events tend to engage people better and have more longevity as fundraisers, so this goes some way to explain the changing balance and the increases we’ve seen in average fundraising levels."

Several established in-person events delivered impressive growth such as Alzheimer's Society's Trek26 which grew by 27%. Even the well-established Race for Life proved there's still room for expansion with 18.4% growth. 

The sector welcomed new physical event formats, including Restless Development's Knight Frank Schools Triathlon, which raised £1.4m and marked triathlon's first appearance in the Top 25.

Tasker added: “It’s also interesting to see we had a record number of events raising over £1m and still not making the Top 25. Which shows not only how hard it is to make it on to the list, but also how well events fundraising is working for people beyond those we highlight.”

You can download the Massive Top 25 Report here.