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By Will Sturgeon, 15 April 2004 16:25

COMMENT With the 2004 London Marathon fast approaching, it's likely you will have been approached to sponsor friends, colleagues, neighbours, friends of colleagues' neighbours and colleagues of neighbours' friends who are all taking part in the gruelling slog through the streets of our fine capital.

Outside our office they are already putting up the crash barriers that will keep well-wishers and spectators off the course. With just a couple of days to go until the big race, the final fundraising drive is under way.

But gone are the forms on the kitchen notice board or the A4 sheet of pledges handed around the office. Nowadays many people co-ordinate their fundraising through websites such as JustGiving.com or Bmycharity.com, where payments can be made securely online and where people can keep a record of who's given what.

It's another example of how the web has streamlined once laborious tasks that were prone to problems as basic as losing a sheet of paper.

"Has anybody seen my sponsor form?"
"Last thing I saw it was with accounts."
"Ok I'll ask them... have you guys seen my sponsor form?"
"Yeah, I left it there by Sandra's desk."
"Where?"
"Next to her shredder.... oh!"

And all of a sudden two dozen pledges are lost forever and the process begins again.

One marathon runner - my housemate Mark in fact (who I've still not sponsored - but will) has been using Bmycharity, which enables you to customise the page according to which charity you are supporting. (Mark is running it for Children with Leukaemia.)

"Setting up the online form couldn't be simpler and has proved to be a real eye-opener in terms of getting sponsorship from friends and family," he said.

"The nature of it being online means you avoid the need for messing around with forms and letters to people. In fact, I would say that most people have been really open to the idea over the last few weeks as we've moved towards the marathon."

The sites offer secure payments as well - so it's no more troublesome than buying a book from Amazon.

"Most people nowadays think nothing of paying a bill or purchasing something online, so why not do this? Nobody so far has expressed concerns about security, but if they do worry about it then they can just make a pledge."

And if you think quoting my own house mate is particularly lazy of me - when there are marathon runners even now out walking the course whom I could accost - let me assure you that I too will be exerting myself for charity come the summer when I take on the 3 Peaks Challenge in aid of Shelter.

I'm also using one of these sites - in my case Just Giving - for fundraising and have so far found it an excellent way to co-ordinate the effort with my fellow team mates, all from our CNET UK office. (Go on, why not give some money for an excellent cause.)

So next time you're approached by a distant relative or colleague from the third floor who you've never met, asking you for sponsorship with a form in their hand, congratulate them on their efforts, but scoff at their outdated means of collecting and direct them towards one of the above sites - as long as the charities benefit in the end, then a little progress could go a long way.

If you're still reading, and feeling generous, why not also donate some money to Children with Leukaemia.