What is Miles of Giving?
Miles of Giving has been our biggest and most interactive fundraising event of the BNI Foundation UK calendar. We launched in April 2021 with fourteen BNI regions involved live on day. Our aim was to cover as many miles as we could on the day, all whilst having fun and raising money for charity.
The athletes involved in the event, participated in a 12-hour challenge of movement and were supported by other Executive Directors and Director Consultants who took part in their own personal “moving” challenges. A total of 1169 miles were covered, with a total of £8000 raised. EPIC!
The event was hosted by Russ Sawdon, a UK Executive Director and included some great co-hosts including Graham Weihmiller (BNI CEO), Ivan Misner (BNI Founder) Kevin Barber (lead on Global BNI Foundation) and many UK Executive Directors.
We ran the event again in 2022 and we weren’t letting Russ off the hook, however we let him bring along a number of guest hosts to help.
In 2022, we opened up Miles of Giving for anyone to be able to participate and raise money for any charity or organisation in the UK. We had a total 169 participants from 23 regions and completing 1612 miles of moving with a fab £5,500 raised for the BNI Foundation UK and a further £3200 raised around the country for member charities who got involved and piggy backed the event.
Members got involved from regions including BNI Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Bristol & Somerset, Cambridge, Derbyshire, Durham & Teeside, Glasgow & South Lanarkshire, Herts North & East, Herts West Central, Kent, Lancashire, London Central, London South East, London North West, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Scotland North, Somerset, Sussex and Yorkshire.
We had individuals and groups walking the walls of York City, Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, the Essex Way, Olympic Park in London, along the River Severn in Wales, and many other local parks and beauty spots and even school children joining in the fun at school and raising funds for their PTA! Plus, groups taking part in activities all to raise funds for their chapter charity or a cause close to their heart.
During the day, we invited anyone participating to drop into the Zoom call to share what they were up to and who they were fundraising for and streamed live via Facebook.
When and Where is Miles of Giving 2023 taking place?
Miles of Giving 2023 will take place on Friday 12th May 7am-7pm. It takes place wherever you are! We will be coming together online to participate and invite individuals and groups from all over the UK and beyond to join us throughout the day to either show us,or tell us what you’ve been up to.
How can I participate in 2023?
We encourage individuals, members, leadership team, regional teams, regions to all get involved in moving whether for 30 mins to the full 12 hours like some of the dedicated nutters!
You can Run, Cycle, Walk, Hike, Swim, Rollerblade, Cross Fit, Boxercise, Trampoline, Row, Parkour, Hula Hoop, Dance or move however you would like for charity!
We will be running a central zoom broadcast hosted by Russ and friends and you can come and join us throughout the day and tell us what you’re up to and who you are fundraising for.
This year we are asking all participants for a £10 participation fee which goes to the BNI Foundation UK, and then the rest of the funds you raise go to your chosen charity or organisation.
Here’s what you need to do:
Who can I fundraise for during Miles of Giving 2023?
Anyone can join in with Miles of Giving and raise money for the BNI Foundation UK as the organising charity,or for a charity/organisation of their choice.
Why should I fundraise for the BNI Foundation UK?
The BNI Foundation UK is a grant giving organisation which gives grants to local projects throughout the UK, related to our aims of Children and Education. education and children.
We have supported over 50 projects around the UK to the value just shy of £50,000 in three years
All projects are in line with our criteria to affect children, education and learning particularly within communities where these projects offered experiences and value to children that these opportunities wouldn’t normally be available.
Miles of Giving is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year and so we would love your help to raise funds to ensure that our grant giving can continue into 2024 and beyond
Tell me about raising funds for a different charity or organisation during Miles of Giving
This year once again, we are inviting any individual or group to piggyback onto the “Miles of Giving” event, to fundraise for any charity or organisation they would like to, so you can raise funds for any charity or organisation you would like to. All we ask is that they are a genuine charity or organisation and preferably registered with the Charities Commission.
We would recommend only fundraising for organisations where the money will go into a group bank account. We reserve the right to decline participation to any individuals or groups who we don’t feel are fundraising for a genuine cause or where the cause is not aligned with the ethics of the BNI Foundation UK.
Give me some ideas… What activities can I do on the day?
How much does it cost to participate in BNI Miles of Giving?
Participation in Miles of Giving costs £10 per adult over 18 and is free for children. Participation fees go to the BNI Foundation UK
How will you promote what I’m doing, or my chosen charity or group during the call?
The key to us being able to promote your participation is that you tell us what you’re up to in advance!
After sign-up we will contact you to collect details of what you’re up to, whether you are a group or individual, who you are fundraising for and details of your fundraising pages etc.
On the Day, tag us in your posts on social media so that we can ensure we share them via our feeds.
I still have questions…
For any other questions, please contact the event organisers:
Gill Sawdon - gill@bni-dt.co.uk
Clare Rudd – clare@bni-beds.co.uk
Download our Miles of Giving FAQ's
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