Plank Challenge - FAQs

We’re asking supporters to complete 2 minutes of planking in a day whilst fundraising for our research in September for CRUK.  

The challenge is live from 1st September – 30th September 

Whilst we encourage everyone to complete this challenge in September, this is a personal challenge, and you can start/finish your challenge at a time that is convenient for you. If you can’t complete do your plank on any day, then you can make up for it at any point of the month. 

You can complete the challenge in a way that suits you. There are people of all levels of fitness doing this challenge. The important thing is that you're doing something that challenges you whether that’s entire 2 minutes of plank in one go or split up over the day. It should be tough, but doable. However, you choose to complete the challenge and raise money, you’ll be helping beat cancer. 

 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jul/25/how-to-do-the-perfect-plank#:~:text=Hold%20yourself%20up%20on%20the,fooled%20%E2%80%93%20planks%20are%20hard%20work. 

Once you have signed up, join the Facebook Group dedicated to this challenge: https://www.facebook.com/groups/869224588599391 

Click 'Join Group'. Once you're in, you can, get tips for completing your plank safely, be inspired by other fundraisers and find out anything you want to know about the challenge.  

We recommend you using our calendar here: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/downloadable-resour... keep track of your progress. Tick off each day you’ve completed your planks and track the duration of your plank you’ve done so you can see your overall total and timings. Don’t forget to post out about your progress regularly on your Online Fundraiser to encourage donations!

Unfortunately, medals come at a huge cost to the charity so we will not be sending these out. However, we will send all supporters a certificate and you can access digital badges to shout about your achievement on social. 

Complete the below form to receive your free t-shirt in the post. Once completed, please allow 14 working days for your t-shirt to arrive: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/plank-challenge-sep-2024 

If you have not received your t-shirt in this time please contact: supporter.services@cancer.org.uk. 

Sending out your t-shirt comes at a cost to CRUK -saving research. We ask if you do request a t-shirt that you set up an Online Fundraiser and donate to your page. 

Additional t-shirts can be purchased here.  

Unfortunately, returning the t-shirts comes at a cost to CRUK, therefore, we ask that you keep hold of it for personal use (for example bed, gym, give to a friend, etc). If you would like a replacement, please our online shop, link below:  

https://shop.cancerresearchuk.org/product/cancer-research-uk-t-shirt?id=....

When you sign up to the challenge, you can choose to opt out from receiving a t shirt. You can still continue to set up a Giving Page, be part of the group and still take part!  
To set up a giving page, please follow the link below: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/plank-challenge-sep-2024
If you have any further questions please email supporter.services@cancer.org.uk or call 0300 1231022 (lines open 08:00 – 20:00 Monday to Friday and, 09:00 – 17:00 at weekends)  

There is not a minimum amount of fundraising that we set for participant, but we recommend that supporters set a reasonable target of raising about £150. 

Sure, if you don’t have Facebook, you can set up a CRUK Giving Page using the link below and collect sponsorship for your plank challenge here- https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/plank-challenge-sep-2024

You can add an offline donation onto your own page or send this donation through to us as a cheque, along with the sponsorship form which you can download below: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/downloadable-resour...

The only thing that matters is that you challenge yourself therefore complete as much of the challenge as you can. Whether you complete the whole 2 minutes plank a day for the whole of September or not, the money that you fundraise will allow CRUK to continue to fund life-saving research and we can’t thank you enough.  

Don’t worry you can make up the plank on another day or extend your challenge into the following month if needed. Complete the challenge in a way that’s suits to you. 

We trust you! You don’t need to provide evidence that you’ve completed the challenge to us. Updating your friends and family on your online fundraising page is important! Make sure you keep them posted on your progress and share videos and photos throughout September the more updates the better. Supporters who regularly post their progress raise on average 40% more. 

Online Fundraisers is the easiest way to raise money. You can set one up here: https://activities.cancerresearchuk.org/plank-challenge-sep-2024

It's then easy to share the page with your friends and family to gather sponsorship for your challenge.  

We have plenty of fundraising tools and ideas to help you raise life-saving donations. Please see our fundraising hub with everything you need from the challenge here: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/find-an-event/plank-challe...

There is no entry fee for this challenge. Participants are required to collect any sponsorship to CRUK through their Online Fundraiser. This will automatically be sent to us once paid onto your fundraising page. 

You can use our sponsorship form here: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/downloadable-resour... to raise money rather than using an online method. Simply download and print off to keep track of all your sponsorship collected or pledged. Once you have completed your fundraising, please send the form with a cheque to:  

 2 minutes Plank in September challenge, CRUK, PO BOX 1561, Oxford, OX4 9GZ. 

Please note we are currently experiencing a delay in receiving and processing donations so do bear with us if it takes a little longer than usual to receive an acknowledgment.   

This challenge is specifically a fundraising initiative developed by CRUK, and therefore all fundraising must go direct the charity.  

Gift Aid is a tax relief allowing UK charities to reclaim an extra 25% on every eligible donation made by a UK taxpayer. This means CRUK can claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated, without it costing you or your sponsors an extra penny. If the donation is eligible for Gift Aid, sponsors need to fill out the sponsor form, following the guidelines at the top of the page. 

Facebook Fundraisers are automatically set up to only stay open for ten days. To make the most of your fundraising efforts, you need to change the end date to keep your fundraiser open throughout and after the challenge. To change the end date simply, click ‘More’ under the invite button, then click ‘Edit Fundraiser’. We recommend setting this date to at least a month after your challenge has ended so you can continue to collect vital donations for your efforts!

Unfortunately, once your Facebook Fundraiser has finished you cannot reopen the same fundraising page. However, you can create a new one and set the end date for past your challenge, so that you can continue receiving donations once you’ve finished your challenge: http://www.facebook.com/fund/cancerresearchuk/

To see your past fundraisers, go to the Facebook home page on a desktop and look underneath your name on the left-hand side - click fundraisers > your activity > scroll down the page until you reach "your past fundraisers"

Donating on Facebook is safe and secure and there is no fee taken from Facebook to set up a Facebook Fundraiser. If you have any suspicious charges, we recommend speaking directly to your bank. If you have any questions about your Facebook Fundraiser please contact Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/help.