Does anyone recall those childhood Christmassy charity drives? You know, those ‘Sponsor me to eat 10 mince pies’ type of things.

You were cajoled into walking around in the bleak mid winter weather, knocking door to door with a soggy piece of paper asking for sponsorship – only to have to go through the same dreary saga after the event itself just to collect the money? – All that, and I don’t even like mince pies!!

Well, what with the latest in internet trends, social networking and fancy applications, fundraising has never been so easy – or fun for that matter!  You no longer have to brave the extremes (until the event itself that is!) You can do all your fundraising and collecting online from the comfort of which ever festive environment you prefer.

I recently decided to take on the challenge of cycling from Vietnam to Cambodia (much better than 10 mince pies, I know!) In my efforts to raise as much as possible I have been throwing myself into web 2.0 as only an online marketer knows how!

Websites like Just Giving offer you a secure online sponsor form and a quick and easy transaction process – they charge a small percentage, but allow you to claim gift aid and better yet they send the money direct to the charity on your behalf!  You may also have noticed a number of the bigger charities, like our client UNICEF, creating personal fundraising portals for themselves, where all the money goes straight to them.

Once you’ve got your interactive sponsor form then why not utilise another one of our web 2.0 friends – You Tube.  Create a video, post it on You Tube and promote your event.  It will spread the word quicker than your waist line spreads at Christmas! – Take a look at my You Tube effort – it’s worth a hearty chuckle or two!

Try creating a Facebook group to publicise your event, post pictures of your training and links to your sponsor form. My group is a right little hub of activity with 77 supporters to date!

I’ve been fundraising for a few months and am already 64% on the way to my target – Facebook has introduced me to other supporters of the charity I am cycling for and I’ve even had sponsors from some very generous people that I don’t know!

So if you’re in need of a boost to your door to door fundraising then I say ‘give online a go’. If you’re interested in taking on a charity challenge take a look at what’s on offer from Barnardo’s, and if you want to sponsor me then make a swift visit to my website!