This last year has been incredibly tough for our fundraising pals. Budgets are stretched, teams are working flat out and asking people to put their hands in their pockets can feel harder every time.

We know how much work goes into organising a fundraising event, often with a small team and a very long to-do list. That’s why, at Firewalk Scotland, we always recommend considering a shared event. Two or three charities, one firewalk and a community coming together to do something extraordinary.

A smaller share of the cost

When charities organise a firewalk together, they can split the event fee, making it more manageable for everyone involved.

For example, our central belt charity firewalk fee is £1,495 for up to 50 walkers. Split equally between two charities, that’s £747.50 each; between three, it’s around £498.33 each. You’ll need to agree how to share any other costs, such as a venue, and how to allocate places. Each charity can recruit its own walkers, with participants raising sponsorship for their chosen cause.

That gives smaller organisations a way to take part without having to fill every space or carry the whole cost themselves.

Share the work as well

A shared event works best when everyone brings something to it.

One charity might have access to a great venue. Another might have a brilliant network of local businesses, while a third has volunteers who can help with registration on the night. You can share promotion, divide up the jobs and reach people who might never have heard of your organisation before. You’re still championing your own cause, with a few more folk alongside you to help make the event happen.

We’ve brought this approach to events with charities including Rock Trust and LGBT Health and Wellbeing in Edinburgh, and Held in Our Hearts and Mikey’s Line in Inverness. It's not just a great way to make the event easier, it also helps demonstrate collaboration to funders and sometimes leads to more great collaborations.

There’s something powerful about doing it together

A firewalk brings people together very quickly. There’s the nervous chatter beforehand, then the moment someone looks at the hot coals and wonders what on earth they’ve signed up for. Then the first step, the cheers and the enormous grin on the other side. People arrive walking for different causes, carrying their own reasons for being there. By the end, they’re cheering for everyone.

That shared experience is a big part of what makes these events so special. Your supporters leave having raised money, challenged themselves and done something they’ll be talking about for a long time.

Keep the arrangements clear

A bit of conversation at the start makes everything easier later.

Agree how you’ll split the costs, how many walker places each charity will have and who is doing what. Make sure participants know how to register and where their sponsorship money should go.

We’d usually suggest one main contact to keep communication straightforward, with each charity taking responsibility for recruiting and supporting its own walkers.

You don’t need an enormous organising committee. You do need everyone to understand what they’ve agreed to.

You don’t have to fill a firewalk on your own

If you love the idea of a firewalk but filling 50 places feels like a stretch, sharing could make it possible.

You might have 15 keen supporters. Another local charity might have 20. Bring those people together and you’re already well on your way to a cracking evening.

There are no guaranteed fundraising totals; what you raise will depend on recruitment, sponsorship and the support behind your event. Sharing the costs gives you a more manageable starting point.

We’ve been helping people to walk on fire since 2006, and we know the effort that goes into getting them to that start line. We want these events to work for the charities organising them. If you're interested in hosting an event in your area and aren't sure where to start, get in touch. We might just have a charity to partner you up with.