Choosing a fundraising site

I really want to make the most of any money I raise during my challenge, so I've given careful thought to how to do my fundraising.

A fundraising website is most probably the best way to do it. Here's the boring maths bit (feel free to skip and just be reassured that I've done some research)...

I looked at Virgin Money Giving - a not-for profit organisation, which takes 2% in charges and results in a £12.15 going to the nominated charity for every £10 donated (with Gift Aid).

I also looked at Just Giving - which takes 5% and £11.74 goes to the nominated charity for every £10 donated (with Gift Aid).

So Virgin Money Giving wins, right? Nope.

My charity, Smile Train UK, is not a member of Virgin Money Giving, but another similar charity, Operation Smile UK, is. They basically do the same thing - providing free corrective surgery for children with cleft lip and palate in developing countries. They were once the same organisation, but Smile Train separated from Operation Smile in 2009 for good reasons and OS, from what I can gather from reading the financial information, spends a larger percentage of its cash on running costs than ST.

So I've decided on Just Giving. And Smile Train.... and I'll post the link here soon.

My Challenge: The Rules

Well tomorrow is June 1st, so that means it's not long at all until my one-year challenge starts.
So here are the rules:

• I have to run every day from June 25, 2012, until June 25, 2013 - my 29th birthday.
• I have to run at least one mile per day.
• I have to run 1,000 miles in the year - 2.75 miles a day, almost 20 miles a week.

I've had this in my mind for a good five months or so, but I haven't told many people - mostly in case I realised I was a complete hopeless case once I actually got my trainers on and started running.

But as it turns out I can put one foot in front of the other ok, so that's a start.

As you might know it's all in aid of charity - so you can be sure I'll be one the sponsorship trail very soon. I'm in the process of sorting out an online giving account, so I'll be posting the details here as soon as I can.

Anyway, this is my challenge blog and I'll be posting here each day about my run and putting up a picture or even a video if I see anything interesting. I'll also be posting my running total (!) so we can all see whether I'm on track for my target.