Sponsored challenge tracker
Your sponsors want to see the effort, not just the money. Track your sponsored walk, run, swim or ride in miles, laps or lengths, on one page everyone can follow.
Count the effort as well as the cash
Most fundraising pages only show the money. But a sponsored challenge is about the miles, and watching a team close in on 500 of them is what keeps sponsors interested and walkers walking.
Sum Effort lets you set any target in any unit. Set up one tracker for the distance, and another for the money if you like, and share both links.
Let everyone log their own
On a paid tracker, participants join with just a display name and a password, no email needed, and add their own miles after each session. The leaderboard shows who's carrying the team, and the organiser can still add entries for anyone who'd rather text you their total.
Forgotten passwords aren't a problem either: the organiser can reset one in a couple of clicks.
Ideas for sponsored challenges
- Sponsored walk: 100 miles in a month as a team, or the length of a canal, logged walk by walk.
- Sponsored swim: lengths of the local pool, adding up to the width of the Channel (about 21 miles).
- Sponsored run: a running club's monthly miles, or a couch-to-5k group's first 1,000 km.
- Sponsored cycle: Land's End to John o' Groats on exercise bikes, mile by mile.
- Laps of the field: a whole-school effort with every class adding its laps.
- Something sillier: star jumps, hula-hoop minutes, or peas shelled. If you can count it, you can track it.
Why it helps
Seeing a shared total move gives people a reason to do one more lap. Seeing their own name on the leaderboard gives them a reason to log it. And sponsors who can watch the effort grow are more likely to share the link.
Tips for a successful sponsored challenge
Pick a target that sounds big but is reachable
Work it out backwards: how many people, how many sessions each, how far per session. Twelve walkers doing three 3-mile walks a week for a month comes to over 400 miles, so a 400-mile target feels ambitious and is still achievable.
Give it a story
"The length of Britain", "to Paris and back" or "the height of Everest in stairs" is easier to share than a bare number. Put the story in your tracker's description so everyone who opens the link sees it.
Post the link often
Share the tracker after every big day. A bar that's visibly moving is the best reminder to sponsors who meant to donate and haven't yet.
Celebrate the milestones
Halfway, three-quarters, the final mile: each one is an excuse for a post, a photo and another round of sharing.
How it works
- Create a tracker. Name it, set the target (say 500), and the unit (miles).
- Share the link with your team and your sponsors.
- Log the miles. Add them yourself, or upgrade so everyone can add their own and see the leaderboard.
Go on — make sum effort.
A live progress page in a couple of minutes, free to start.
Frequently asked questions
Can participants log their own miles?
Yes, on a paid tracker. They join with a display name and password, with no email needed, and their entries count towards the shared total and the leaderboard.
Does it connect to Strava or a fitness watch?
No. People type in their distance, which means it works for any activity, including ones no gadget measures.
Can I track miles and money separately?
Yes. Create two trackers, one in miles and one in pounds, and share both links.
Can I use kilometres?
Yes. You choose the unit's name, so km, miles, laps, lengths or anything else.
What happens when we hit the target?
The bar fills and the page celebrates. You can keep adding past the target too; the total keeps counting.
Can I stop someone joining who isn't in the team?
Yes. Set a join code and only people who have it can sign up. You can also remove a participant at any time.
Can we do a challenge as a whole club or workplace?
Yes. One tracker can hold as many participants as you like, and the leaderboard shows everyone's contribution.
Is it free?
A basic tracker, where the organiser adds every entry, is free. Upgrading a tracker for 12 months adds participant logins, the leaderboard, a vertical bar, your logo and your own colours.