Knowledge Base / Race Setup / Fundraising & Charity Races

Fundraising & Charity Races

Last updated: March 2026

Overview

Racery virtual races can double as fundraising events. Every race supports direct donations, peer-to-peer fundraising pages, and fundraising leaderboards. Donations are processed through Stripe Connect — 100% of each donation goes to the charity’s organization, with only standard Stripe credit card processing fees deducted by Stripe (not by Racery).

How Stripe Connect works: The charity or race organizer connects their own Stripe account to the race via Stripe Connect. Racery does not hold or access donation funds. The Stripe Connect setup is configured per-race — each race has its own connected Stripe account. New Stripe accounts require standard bank-level identity verification.

Direct Donations

Participants can contribute during registration or at any point during the race — the fundraising window runs from registration through race end. All donations flow through the race’s connected Stripe account (set up via Stripe Connect) directly to the organization.

Donors can give in the name of an individual racer, a team, or all racers. Automated thank-you emails are sent immediately after each donation.

Offline contributions (e.g., checks) can also be added to the race’s fundraising total via the Offline Contributions dashboard.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

Every racer automatically gets their own P2P fundraising page with a unique URL. These pages are mobile-friendly and easy to share on social media.

Both individual and team-based fundraising are supported. Fundraising typically ramps up in the last third of the race as participants compete for fundraising awards.

Tip: The fundraising window runs from registration through race end — which can span months. A 2-month registration period plus a 2-week race gives donors plenty of time to contribute.

Fundraising Leaderboards

Real-time leaderboards show personal and team fundraising rankings alongside the standard mileage leaderboards. End-of-race awards can reflect both individual and team fundraising achievements.

Spectator Giving

Non-participants can register as spectators to raise money and participate in the community without logging miles. This expands the donor pool beyond active racers.

Donation Visibility

Every donation appears in multiple places to maximize social proof:

  • The race's live activity feed (where racers can like and comment)
  • The top of daily morning emails
  • Individual and team fundraising leaderboards

Corporate donations can also be submitted mid-event, triggering notifications to all racers.

Next Steps

Pricing Your Race

Set entry fees that maximize participation and fundraising.

Sponsor Dashboard

Manage donations, coupons, and Stripe connection.

Custom Badges

Digital bibs and finish awards for fundraising milestones.

Contact support if you have questions.

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