The staggering growth of the most colorful event on the calendar.

Every year in early June, Nash Street Farm is flooded with passionate supporters for St Wilfrid's annual Rainbow Run, expecting to leave covered in colorful powdered paint and with a huge smile on their face.

Rainbow Run is St Wilfrid's Hospice's flagship event: a 5km dash through seven colorful paint zones and two bubble filled foam stations, running in support of a hospice that relies on voluntary donations for more than 70 percent of its funding across Eastbourne, Seaford, Hailsham, Uckfield, and Heathfield in East Sussex.

This year, the weather did not exactly play nice. Runners queued at the start line in gusty winds, a cloud burst of rain, and a temperature organizers called unseasonably cold. However it did not dampen anyone’s spirits.

People came through each color zone grinning ear to ear, together achieving their biggest fundraising year yet despite the literal and figurative headwinds trying to slow them down.

Not only that, but there were 250% more runners than just three years earlier. They have built a campaign that people not only come back to, but continues to grow year-on-year.

Here are just a few things we love about this campaign:

They turn ticket buyers into fundraisers and advocates

Back in 2024, the St Wilfrid's events team named their real challenge plainly:

"It's not enough to just have ticket holders. We needed engaged fundraisers”

— Beth Hillier, Event Manager, St Wilfrid's Hospice

Selling out an event is one kind of success. Getting the people who bought tickets to also ask their networks for money is a more complex and harder job, but is the one activity that actually funds hospice care.

The mechanics they built to close that gap are simple but well-chosen to overcome the challenge of fundraiser activation:

Every touchpoint in the supporter journey was designed to reinforce a sense of belonging, rather than just request money. Fundraising packs paired practical essentials with stories about the impact of donations on hospice care, so every ask was tied to a real person and how their donation can make a change.

Downloadable and shareable graphics sat inside each fundraiser's dashboard, ready to post whenever they wanted, meaning not one fundraiser had to sit down and design their own appeal from scratch. This removed the friction between wanting to help and actually posting an ask.

They're a small team with a big village

Behind Rainbow Run's numbers is a self-described small events team.

What shows up on event day looks nothing like a small operation. With over 100 volunteers, a headline sponsor in Barwells Solicitors, seven additional paint-station sponsors, free venue hospitality from the Thomas family at Nash Street Farm, free photography, medical cover, waste management, production support, and a warm-up session donated by a local fitness instructor.

That's what happens when a small team has enough time freed up so they can focus on building and stewarding relationships, rather than spending it on manual admin.

"We're a small team, but we focus on creating brilliant events. Funraisin's platform allowed us to streamline everything, freeing up time to create an amazing event-day atmosphere.

— Beth Hillier, Event Manager, St Wilfrid's Hospice

The takeaway

St Wilfrid's built a supporter journey that turns attendees into advocates, a community worth staying in, and a small team that packs a mighty punch in event organization. With the right systems, and a thriving community, the growth is unlimited (even when the weather does not cooperate!).

"This is just the beginning! We’ve proven we can activate even more fundraisers, and we’re excited for what’s next.”

— Beth Hillier, Event Manager, St Wilfrid's Hospice, Eastbourne