Frequently Asked Questions

The Human Race 2024

What is The Human Race?

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The Human Race is our signature peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. We invite you to run, roll, walk, swim or choose your own challenge to support Australian Red Cross so we can be there for people facing crisis or hardship.

You can start fundraising any time, but the official challenge month is 1-31 March.

This challenge is open to people of all ages and abilities. You can choose from 30km, 50km or 100km or determine a different target distance, or approach, based on your ability or preference.

Ask your network to sponsor you to complete the challenge, and raise funds to help Australian Red Cross help communities prepare, respond and recover from disaster and assist people experiencing vulnerability.

When does it start?

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The Human Race challenge takes place from 1-31 March, but you can sign up and start fundraising (and training!) any time. In fact, the sooner you get started, the better - who doesn't love a head start?

Is there a physical race?

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The Human Race is a challenge set at your own pace during the month of March. The location, start and finish is up to you! You can choose your activity and commit to completing 30km, 50km, 100km (or choose your own),  your way. Why not create a team or gather a group in your local community and choose a day to race together?

How can I get involved and make a difference?

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Supporting The Human Race is easy. You can:

  • Join the race: Choose your challenge, connect with your network and raise funds by sharing your page and help support the lifechanging work of Australian Red Cross. Sign up today!
  • Make a donation: Donate here or call 1800 RED CROSS (733 276).
  • Raise awareness: Share our social media posts inviting people to join the race to protect humanity.

Does it cost anything to take part?

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Registration is free.

How much do I have to raise?

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There isn't a set minimum amount you have to raise to take part, however we ask our challenge participants to do their best to raise as much as possible. Even a small $25 self donation can be lifechanging. The more money we can raise together, the more support Australian Red Cross can give to people going through tough times around Australia and overseas.

What will the funds I raise go to?

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The funds you raise will help Australian Red Cross deliver vital humanitarian services. They can help give safety to a family fleeing conflict overseas, opportunity to someone starting a new life in Australia, friendship to help keep elderly and isolated people feel connected and valued. Because no one should have to face crisis alone.

When can I do my challenge?

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The official month for The Human Race is March, however if you’re unable to commit to March, you  can do your race any time during the year.

Is there a team I can join?

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You can join Team Racers for Humanity, which is open to anyone and everyone participating in The Human Race. Can't wait to see you there!

How can I create a team?

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You will be given the option to create or join a Team when you register: Red Cross Australia : Register

Already registered? Go to your dashboard and select 'Create a Team' next to 'My Page'.

To access your dashboard: Log in and in the menu under your name select Dashboard.

When should I log my kms?

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Start logging your kms any time!

Is there a hashtag I can use?

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The hashtag is #TheHumanRace2024

Remember to set your profile to public if you'd like us to see and share your progress and updates!

How do I share my fundraising page on Instagram?

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To share on Instagram:

1. Copy your fundraising page URL
2. Share a picture of yourself doing the activity
3. Create a new story and use the 'link' sticker to add your URL
4. Post the story
5. Also paste it to your Instagram bio link
6. Click save

When you connect with your friends on Instagram you can direct them to your bio link. This will take them direct to your page to support you!

Click here for more great tips on how to use instagram!

How can I get my workplace involved?

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Simply create a team at registration and set your colleagues a challenge for this March. Red Cross Australia : Register

How can I get my school/university involved?

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Simply create a team at registration and set your school or uni a challenge for this March. Red Cross Australia : Register

I’m from a Red Cross branch. How can I get involved?

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Please get in touch with the team at contactus@redcross.org.au or call 1800 733 276 so we can best help you get involved.

How can I deposit money raised?

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  1. Bank deposit – to deposit your funds into our account please get in touch with us at contactus@redcross.org.au and we'll happily provide instructions and details.
  2. Cheque or money order – Please send cheques/money orders made payable to ‘Australian Red Cross’ to Australian Red Cross, Community Fundraising, GPO Box 2957, Melbourne VIC 3001.
  3. Credit card online – Use your credit card to return funds collected at your event through your fundraising dashboard. Log in to your dashboard and first click on the ‘My Donations’ button. From there you will see a red button ‘Add Offline Donation’ which will allow you to make one lump sum payment or individual payments received from donors at your event. Please note, if you are making individual payments on behalf of your donors, you will be required to enter in their contact details so they can be issued with a tax receipt accordingly. Tax receipts are for donations only. Please see below for more information on tax receipts. 
  4. Encourage your donors to donate directly to your online fundraising page – share the link to your online fundraising page via email and social media to everyone attending your event. Once they visit your page, tell them to click on the red ‘Donate’ button. Donors can pay directly to your page, leave messages of support and will automatically receive a tax receipt for their donation.
  5. Donations of $2 and over may be tax deductible. 

If your supporters request a tax receipt, please use the Receipt Request Form available on the website under ‘Tools & downloads’ and return it to us along with your cheque, money order or your bank deposit receipt. This form cannot be used for any payments made via your online fundraising  page by credit card (see point C above, for instructions on how you can make credit card payments for donations collected at your event).

If donors would like to make an online donation, they can do this directly through your online fundraising page and will be issued an automatic tax receipt.

If you do not have an online fundraising page or have forgotten the details, please contact our team on 1800 733 276 for assistance.

Are donations tax-deductible?

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Yes, all donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

Are there any prizes or rewards for fundraising this year?

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Yes, check out the prizes page here: https://act.redcross.org.au/event/the-human-race/prizes

Stay tuned for updates about prizes throughout the coming weeks!

How can I connect my fitness app with my fundraising page?

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Your profile page includes your personal distance tally so you can track your distance towards your target. This is a great way to keep your friends updated on your workouts!

If you track your workouts with Fitbit or Strava Garmin your distances will automatically add to your tally.

Follow these steps to track your km's automatically:

  1. Download the Fitbit or Strava app and set up your account
  2. Log in to your fundraising dashboard
  3. Under the heading Connect your preferred Fitness app, click your chosen app.
  4. Follow the prompts to connect your account
  5. When you next work out, select start your workout in the app on your phone. Once you end your workout, save your workout and your distance will be published to the tally on your page the following day.

    If you have synced your app already but it is not working, please log in and re-connect it.

    Fitbit: You must start an activity and save it. If no activity is logged, then your cumulative activity will sync at the end of the day. If you are having issues, try syncing through BOTH your Fitbit and the Fitbit app on your smartphone.

    Strava: You must start your workout, stop your workout and then SAVE your workout.

    Your tally will be updated each day with the previous day’s distances.

I don’t have a fitness app, can I still track my kms?

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You can manually add your fitness tracking. Log in to your dashboard, there will be a My Fitness Activity Tab. On this page, you can either connect up your fitness apps, or manually add activity. Simply fill in the details within Add Activity and then save. Your added activities will appear above listed out with the details you’ve input.

Is there a Strava group I can join?

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There is not an official The Human Race Strava group this year. However you are free to create your own group and invite others to 'race' with you!

Have any questions?

If you’ve got any questions about The Human Race or the work that Australian Red Cross does, reach out and email us at contactus@redcross.org.au. We’d love to hear from you.