How Panathlon met growing demand for their inclusive sports programs

Panathlon’s mission

For over 25 years Panathlon has been empowering young people with disabilities and special educational needs (SEND) through inclusive sporting competitions. Through tailored programs, virtual initiatives, and training Young Leaders, Panathlon promotes inclusion and achievement through access to competitive sports.

Focusing on breaking barriers and fostering inclusivity, Panathlon provides young people the chance to experience the excitement of competition, build resilience and teamwork, and develop self-esteem in a supportive and celebratory environment.

Each year the charity delivers up to 1,000 events and in 2024 over 66,000 young people participated across 3,500 schools in the UK.

“Thank you so much for going above and beyond - we couldn’t have done it without your personalised and responsive support!”
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~ Panathlon CEO

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The challenge

With the number of participants increasing year on year, Panathlon faces growing demand for their services, with more schools needing access to their inclusive sporting programs. The charity needed to boost their annual income and diversify their fundraising methods.

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Our solution

Building on their previous success using GiveMatch
for fundraisers for the Royal Parks Half Marathon and
Swim Serpentine events in 2024, Panathlon embraced
the opportunity to amplify the impact of donations
through GiveMatch’s Triple the Impact initiative in December.

For the first time, they launched a dedicated Christmas fundraiser, leveraging the chance to triple contributions and unlock additional match funding through a leaderboard during the festive season. This campaign enabled Panathlon to maximise the generosity of their supporters and raise essential funds during a peak giving period.Panathlon worked closely with their dedicated Customer Success Manager to set up the fundraiser page and agree a promotion strategy. Throughout the campaign, they received ongoing, personalised support and guidance to ensure they not only met but far exceeded their fundraising goals.Panathlon personally followed up with donors, thanking them for their contributions and emphasising the importance of sharing unique referral links during the campaign to ensure donations were tripled. This proactive engagement helped to increase the reach and impact of the campaign, driving even greater success.

“Participating in the Triple the Impact initiative has been amazing: the total raised far exceeded our expectations and helped us to raise awareness of our work at the same time. I look forward to the next initiative as it helps us drive donations from existing and new donors.”
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~ Panathlon CEO

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The results

As a result, the campaign exceeded all expectations, with fundraising targets being increased multiple times in response to its overwhelming success — from £2,500 to £5,000, and then £7,500. Ultimately, the total raised surpassed £15,000, with an incredible £11,457 (66%), of that amount provided through GiveMatch's match funding, significantly amplifying the impact of every donation.

Comparing this to the Royal Parks Half Marathon and Swim Serpentine fundraisers, which, combined, raised £5,718.51 with £2,095 in match funding (36%), it’s clear that the Triple the Impact initiative, coupled with the timing of the holiday season, played a significant role in driving fundraising success.