Are you one of those people who doesn’t mind working up a sweat if it means you’ll have had a good time? Love hiking all kinds of trails, any time of the year? Do you love helping people while you’re at it, too?
Then you, my friend, are an excellent candidate to join in on hiking for charity. There are so many ways to go about making a difference in someone’s life. If you can do it while doing something you love, then it’s a win-win.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how you can hike for charity, then read on!
Active Hiking for Charity Websites
HumaCharityChallenge
HumaCharityChallege allows you to choose your charity and your outdoor adventure. You can choose a hike in one of the many regions around the world, stretching from North America to Southeast Asia. Each adventure is not just a hike, but also a challenge. You’ll be doing something different for yourself while getting to know the local culture. Best of all, choosing your charity hike is completely flexible. There’s a schedule up on the site so you can join in on an adventure that already has a charity picked out. Or, you can opt for an adventure that lets you choose the charity you want. How amazing is that?
Hikefor
Hikefor is an organization in which you can also choose which charity or non-profit you want to hike for. All you do is set up a profile with information about your individual hike. Then, you get donors (usually friends and family), to pledge a donation for your trek. Typically, it’s a few bucks every time you reach a couple of miles.
Whenever you reach a certain checkpoint, the donors who pledged will have their money go through. With Hikefor, multiple hikers can work together towards one goal, while multiple donors can pledge to a cause they each share the same passion for. There are also sponsors you can reach out to as well as a list of charities you can choose from.
Hikeformentalhealth
If you know you want to make a positive contribution, but you don’t really have too much time on your hands to plan and organize everything, then choose Hikeformentalhealth. All you have to do is sign up, choose to join a hike or lead a hike, and wait for the day to arrive. 80 percent of the donations go to mental health research, and 20 percent goes to preserving the trails you hike on. People can choose to either donate or sponsor a hiker (a.k.a YOU!)
Miscellaneous
What’s a charity you normally follow or support? Perhaps they have certain hiking events throughout the year that you can participate in. For example, the Breast Cancer Fund does an annual hiking event, and many individual groups, like on Meetup, choose to hike for special occasions, like Autism Awareness Month (back in April).
Searching for the Charities and Securing Them
Okay, so there are ways for you to do your own hike and choose your own charity. But, how can you possibly find one you like? There are so many out there. A website like CharityNavigator lets you search out the charity that’s right for you.
If you want to make a difference somewhere close by, then do some research for causes going on in your local community. Maybe there’s a young boy with cancer, a family who lost their home in a fire, or an initiative to build a new school. Whatever it is that speaks to you, reach out to them and your local city government. Announce your plan to hike and ask people to donate in support of the cause. Not only are you raising awareness, but you’ll also get to see the outcome of your efforts when it’s all said and done.
If you choose to take this route, you’ll need to raise money for your hike. Utilize websites like Crowdrise, GoFundMe, or Indiegogo. You can also just create your own site, ask on Facebook, or have the organization you’re donating to help you out on their end.
Hiking helps you to do a lot for your own self. But, there are ways you can do it to help others, too. Start doing your research so you can hike for a charity on your next visit to the backcountry.
