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Apps that help fitness and fundraising
23 Feb 2022by Christine Chiu
With the new year in full swing, charity workers can get fit with the right apps
Getting rid of the Christmas and January gut for most means sweating it out with exercise. For both charity staff and organisations, we take a look at the best digital tools to make sure your fitness goals stay on track. The aim is to get fit while supporting charity causes.
Start walking, jogging, or running for a cause. Meant for everyone, the app logs activity, no matter what the pace. Individuals earn money for their activities from corporate and other sponsors. The app has already garnered support from big businesses like Johnson & Johnson, Garmin, and Brooks.
Top tip: Charity Miles is free to download, so there’s no reason not to get fit while fundraising.
Empower is the employee engagement programme run by Charity Miles. The concept is the same as the individual programme, but comes with much more. Charities sign up for a company account and sponsor staff individually or on teams. There’s a matched funding opportunity here for charity staff.
Top tip: Empower could help staff stay connected regardless of future lockdowns.
This app is for those who are really dedicated to achieving their goals. The app starts with users outlining their targets and defining who will be the judge of success. StickK creates a contract to abide by. To stay motivated, users add a referee or financial penalty. As the challenge progresses, individuals track their achievements in diary entries.
Top tip: This app could be used to achieve any goal, including doing good for charity.
BetterPoints takes scientific research and turns it into an impactful app. The app cycles through four key steps to keep users engaged: gamification, tracking, rewards, and messaging. As part of the programme, participants can donate to charity. The best feature of this app is its ability to help people reduce their carbon footprint, tackle exercise challenges, and make better transport decisions. Even local authorities are using the app to assess environmental pilot programmes.
Top tip: This is an opportunity for charities and staff to test new programmes and provide feedback.
Compete with friends or join a community. Stridekick offers both for those looking to stay active. Participants sign up to the app, team up with others, or go at it alone. The app sets up leaderboards, streak challenges, or targets for any activity. Challenges end after a maximum of one month.
Top tip: The app works across different fitness devices like Garmin, FitBit, iPhone, Android, and others so nobody gets left out.
Take advantage of the wishes of large companies and the NHS to encourage healthy habits. The app uses sponsorship from large organisations to support charities. Users earn ‘sweat coins’ by doing activities promoted by the benefactors. Once the coins have amassed against a target, they are donated to the cause.
Top tip: This is the best app for organisations with longer-term aims.
The Cancer Research UK and Bounts app uses a simple concept – they reward you for exercise. Users keep track of their activities which are converted into vouchers. The vouchers are used as cash in high street shops.
Top tip: The app can be linked to a JustGiving page, so you can earn more for fundraising.
Slightly different than apps sponsored by large organisations, Fit4Change pays participants 5p for every mile of activity from advertisements. Fundraisers select which charity to donate to and then choose the type of exercise they’ll be pursuing. Users can update audiences on Twitter and Facebook when logged into the platform.
Top tip: If your charity isn’t listed, email the app’s administration to get them onto the platform.
Exercise fanatics know of Strava’s high quality tracking. As part of a community, people can share their progress and exercise routes. For charitable campaigns, the app synchronises with other fundraising platforms so that participants don’t have to log into two outlets to share news.
Top tip: Strava is one of the most well-connected apps. It is compatible not only with other charity apps, but also with training, visualising, analysis and other powerful platforms.
Another points-based app, Evidation dishes out credit to users who exercise, participate in health studies, or complete surveys. The points are redeemed for cash, gift cards, or donations to charity. The app’s approach is two-sided. Medical and health researchers gather information while participants pursue healthy habits. One of the best features of this app is that users don’t even have to exercise.
Top tip: Information is used to support scientific studies and research so your mind is at ease even when you’re not moving.
Christine Chiu
Christine Chiu
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