Collect Donations

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Most marathons these days will be focused around collecting money for charity. It gives the marathon a purpose and reason for existing to those watching, and also inspires the players in the marathon to keep going and stay entertaining despite being sleep deprived. Also, it can be easier to get other websites to notice you and publicize your marathon if it's being done for charity. Without the goal of raising money for charity, the temptation to give up and go to bed might become too irresistable. It is ,therefore, always a good idea to take donations for charity. Even if you don't end up with much at the end, it still makes your marathon credible and worthy of attention.

If the charity you're collecting for accepts PayPal donations I suggest using Chipin.com. You can setup a Donations goal and send the donations directly to the charities paypal account. This allows you to track the donations and display a handy tracking widgit on your web page without collecting the money yourself which could have tax implications and may deter potential donors from sending in money. Would you rather send money directly to a charity or to some random group of guys who spend all weekend playing video games who only promise the money will be forwarded?

Do some research on various charities and be sure to select one that is able to take in direct donations via Paypal. Also, start communicating with whatever charity you choose many weeks in advance of your marathon to make sure everything is squared away. There have been a few marathons in the past that needed to be postponed because they didn't allow enough time to coordinate correctly with the charity before the start date.

Solicit dontations prior to the event. You'd be surprised how enthusiastic friends and family will be about what you're doing, and how willing they will to throw some money your way to get you started. If you have some money in the kitty before the marathon even starts, it shows that you're serious about collecting money. It also helps along those people who have cold feet about being the first one to give money away, unsure if it's even worth it or unsure if you're serious about collecting donations.