How challenge-type fundraising methods can help to rapidly generate awareness for Sparkle

Lee Ryan's extraordinary feat highlights how important it is to capture the public's imagination in fundraising efforts

As many of you will hopefully have seen, runner Lee Ryan recently wrapped up a challenge of superhuman proportions, with friends and family providing a hero’s welcome at the finish line of his 40th marathon in as many days (yep, you read that right), all in the name of raising funds and awareness for Sparkle.


As well as raising over $8,000 in funds so far, Lee’s heroics led to a noticeable spike in engagement across Sparkle’s social media platforms, particularly on Facebook and Instagram. If we take a close look at the statistics for May 2023, the month in which most of Lee’s marathons were run, we see that Instagram likes jumped by a mammoth 47.6% in comparison to April, with post engagements jumping 50.8% and the rate of new followers jumping by 34.5%. On Facebook, the rate of likes and new fans also saw an increase, as well as a 40.9% jump in engagement on LinkedIn. 


This trend in rapidly expanded social media engagement as a result of challenge-type fundraising methods should be taken note of by the NGO sector. To take an extreme example, the 537% rise in Twitter followers for internet celebrity runner Russ Cook (known more commonly as “Hardest Geezer”), accompanied by an increase in Youtube video views of over 6000%, should not be treated as an insignificant anomaly. A fundraising effort that captures the hearts and minds of whoever views it inevitably leads to that viewer sharing it with their followers and friends, who in turn share it, and before you know it, engagement rates and ultimately awareness for what the NGO in question does spreads faster than you could have wished for. 


This begins to paint a picture of just how significant Lee’s contribution to Sparkle has been, aside from purely funds immediately raised. 


So what can YOU do?
We have a wonderful opportunity on the horizon for other supporters of Sparkle to emulate Lee and produce this effect, in the form of the London Landmarks Half-Marathon in April 2024. Sparkle are currently looking for runners to represent us, in a feat that would double up as both a magnificent personal achievement for the runner, as well as a chance to create this spike in awareness for Sparkle that, ultimately, furthers our ability to help provide access to education and more for children in Malawi.


Additionally, even if intense running challenges sound like a no-go for you, use Lee's story as an impetus to set yourself a challenge - spreading awareness of the crucial work Sparkle does with the communities in Malawi we aim to enact positive change in, and engaging with people's hearts in a way that encourages them to truly form a passion for the futures of the ever-expanding group of children we work with here at Sparkle, is worth a tremendous amount.

Students Rally Their Community to Support The Sparkle Foundation’s Medical Outreach Programme

By Talhia Le Berre • July 6, 2026
We are incredibly proud to partner with Haileybury, an independent school in Hertford, United Kingdom, whose students consistently demonstrate a strong commitment to service, leadership and global citizenship. Through initiatives such as the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, students have supported The Sparkle Foundation by organising creative fundraising events that make a tangible difference to the communities we serve in Malawi. One such student is Eva Kinsey, who was part of the team that organised a community quiz night in support of our Medical Outreach Programme. Eva kindly wrote the reflection below, capturing the experience from a student's perspective. We are delighted to share her account of the evening and the impact that was made.

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By Talhia Le Berre • June 16, 2026
In the village of Sakata, in Zomba District, Malawi, sixteen women are bent over sewing machines, measuring, cutting, threading, and stitching. What they are creating is more than clothing. They are building futures. This is The Sparkle Foundation's tailoring skills training programme, one of the first initiatives to launch under Spark to Success, a powerful two year partnership with NAMA Women Advancement , a UAE-based organisation dedicated to advancing women's economic participation and building resilient communities worldwide.