Frequently Asked Questions
What is My MS Walk?
My MS Walk is a virtual event that challenges you to complete a walk of any distance, at your own pace, in any location you like. You can get out there as much as you need to clock up your miles over the challenge. This is your MS Walk, your way.
Complete the challenge in days, weeks or months. The finish time doesn’t matter. It’s about raising vital funds to help stop MS.
When is My MS Walk?
If you signed up but wish to take part later in the year, just let us know so we can carry on to support you.
Do I have to walk?
No you don’t - you can walk, roll or stroll your distance or do a mixture of all three! We advise you to do whatever is within your ability but is still challenging for you. Making sure it is enough of a challenge means people will be more likely to sponsor you.
Are there any registration or participation fees?
Signing up for My MS Walk is free! It's a challenge though, so we do encourage you to fundraise to help fund our life-saving research.
Is there an age limit for My MS Walk?
There’s no age limit for My MS Walk and we welcome people of all ages. However, you need to be over 18 years old to register. If you’re under 18, please ask a parent or guardian to sign up on your behalf.
What is JustGiving and how do I use it?
JustGiving is an online fundraising platform which you can use to collect your donations. Your fundraising page will be set up automatically when you sign up for My MS Walk. To access your page go to the JustGiving website and enter the log in details you supplied when you signed up. If you signed up online, your confirmation email will also have a link to your page. You can share your page with friends and family to encourage them to donate to your challenge.
How do I get help with my JustGiving fundraising page?
If you need help using your fundraising page, making a donation, or anything else JustGiving related, their dedicated support team can help you out. You can message JustGiving here if you need any help or can’t find what you’re looking for. Alternatively, check out JustGiving's FAQs. And you can also call us on 01382 279 378.
I’m having problems signing up, who do I contact with questions?
Please email us at mswalk@mssociety.org.uk to tell us about any problems you’re having. Or you can call 01382 279378 and a member of our events team will be able to help you.
What happens after I sign up and what support will I receive from the MS Society?
We’re here to support you on your journey for My MS Walk. We’ll be in touch with emails to give you inspiration, motivation, top tips and fundraising resources and ideas. You can access all this information on our website, and get advice from other My MS Walkers on our Facebook group.
What is Strava and how do I use it?
Strava is a training app which tracks and records your distance. JustGiving is partnered with Strava which means you can link your fundraising page to Strava and your page will be updated every time you complete a walk. That way, your donors can see how you’re getting on. Fundraisers who use this feature raise an average 46% more!
What happens if I only use the fitness app to track some of my activities and forget to use it for some?
If it’s linked to your fundraising page, we’ll know about any of the miles you complete using your fitness app. You just need to let us know about the rest of them by manually updating your fundraising page. Just remember: don’t manually log any miles that you’ve used a fitness app to track, as we’ll already have those logged.
What if I don't want to use a tracking app? How can I track the miles I've completed?
If you don’t want to use a fitness app, you can still easily keep track of your miles through your fundraising page. You can do this by manually updating your JustGiving fundraising page. Firstly, make sure you're logged in, then you will see a 'log fitness' button on your fundraising page. Click on this and you'll be able to add your fitness manually on your fundraising page for all your supporters to see!
Can I meet other people taking part?
Yes! Once you've signed up please join our Facebook group to chat with other people taking part in My MS Walk.
Do I have to fundraise?
As My MS Walk is a challenge to raise money for us, we encourage all participants to fundraise. The money raised from My MS Walk will help fund our life saving research, so every mile matters.
How do I fundraise?
As soon as you sign up to your challenge your fundraising page will be created for you. It’s simple! All income is transferred directly to us. You’ll be able to share your progress on Facebook and Twitter too. And we’ll also provide fundraising tips and support throughout your journey.
Is there a minimum fundraising amount?
There’s no minimum fundraising amount. However, we encourage you to make the most of your challenge by asking your friends and family for sponsorship to help us fund even more life-changing research. And it’s a good idea to set yourself a fundraising target on your JustGiving fundraising page to keep you motivated.
What is Gift Aid?
We love Gift Aid as it means we can claim 25p on every £1 donation, at no extra cost to you or your supporters. For UK taxpayers JustGiving allows your supporters to automatically Gift Aid their donation. Or people can simply tick the Gift Aid box on your sponsorship form (included in the post).
However, not all donations are eligible for Gift Aid. We can only claim Gift Aid on personal donations. So if your supporters receive any goods or a service in return for a donation, we unfortunately can’t claim. For example, any donations from raffles, lotteries, sweepstakes, ticket sales, auctions or bake sales would not be eligible for Gift Aid. For more information, visit our Gift Aid page.
How do I pay in my money?
Ask people to donate directly to your fundraising page. That way, the money will come to us automatically.
If you’ve collected cash then you can pay in the money to your fundraising page using a credit or debit card.
Please contact mswalk@mssociety.org.uk if you’d like to send us a cheque.
If you’re making an offline donation please fill out a sponsorship form and tick the Gift Aid box.
Is there a deadline for paying in donations?
You should pay in your donations by 31 December 2021. For those who have raised £50 and above, you'll also receive a MS Society shirt. And if you raise £100 and above you’ll receive a My MS Walk medal!
How will MS Society use the funds I have raised?
The money you raise will go to our ground-breaking Stop MS Appeal. It’s aiming to raise £100 million over 10 years to fund vital MS research and take us even closer to finally stopping MS. For more information on the Stop MS Appeal head to http://www.mssociety.org.uk/stopms
How do I get a MS Walk t-shirt?
Everyone who raises £50 or more on their My MS Walk fundraising page will receive a MS Walk t-shirt to say thank you. Your t-shirt will be posted to you within a month of you finishing your challenge.
How do I get a My MS Walk medal?
Everyone who raises £100 or more on their My MS Walk fundraising page will receive a special medal to say thank you. Your medal will be posted to you within a month of you finishing your challenge.