Charity world records
The desire to be officially recognised as ‘the best in the world’ drives people to do all sorts of weird and wonderful things.
People have braved extreme conditions, baked jumbo-sized foods, and done extraordinary things to their bodies.
But for charities, the benefits of smashing a world record go way beyond prestige.
Record-breaking has the power to unite people around a common goal, supercharge fundraising efforts, and take brand awareness to new heights.
Intrigued? Here are three inspirational record-breaking charity campaigns to get your creative juices flowing.
Who is Hussain: Most blood donations in a day
In 2022, social justice charity, Who is Hussain launched an ambitious campaign to drive new blood donations across the globe .
As charity director Muntazir Rai explained, “the pandemic hit blood reserves across the world hard," said Muntazir Rai, the charity’s director. “With hospitals struggling to meet demands, Who Is Hussain volunteers rallied together and launched our #GlobalBloodHeroes campaign.”
The campaign, which was supported by the NHS Blood and Transplant and the Imam Hussain Blood Donation Campaign, aimed to break the world record for the most blood donations in a single day.
To achieve its goal, the charity partnered with world-leading health and blood donor organisations including the Red Cross (global), Naryana Health (India), the NHS (UK), Vitalant (U.S.A), and l’Établissement français du sang (EFS) in France, to set up donation centres across the globe.
And their efforts paid off. On August 27, 350 blood donation centres across 27 countries, including Argentina, Iraq, and Thailand, collected blood from more than 37,000 people.
The blood drive kicked off in New Zealand as the day began, and the final donations came in from the West Coast of USA.
The result? The charity smashed it.
The total number of blood donations was 37,018, beating the previous record of 34,723 set in 2020.
In response, Muntazir Rai said: "Who is Hussain was founded just over a decade ago, inspired by the compassionate legacy of Hussain ibn Ali. It's incredible to think that the selfless altruism of this man, who lived over a thousand years ago, has inspired over 37,000 people to participate in the biggest blood drive in history.”
Challenging MND: The quickest journey down the Thames in a pedalo
In 2020, a four-man team led by Challenging MND founder Alex Gibson smashed a Guinness world record by navigating the 128 miles of the Thames on a pedalo in the fastest time.
The team, which also included Challenging MND patron, Andy Long, travelled through the night in torrential rain, to complete the gruelling journey in two days, 15 hours, and two minutes - breaking the previous record by nearly two days.
They were also the first team to complete the journey non-stop.
Founder Alex, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2018 said of the record, "Along with making a superb new Guinness world record, we hope this feat raise awareness for motor neurone disease and puts Challenging MND on the map to help establish us as the go-to charity for creating memories for people affected by MND.”
The impressive feat made headlines across the UK, and saw the team raise £23,437 for the charity.
British Heart Foundation: The world’s longest chain of paper hearts
On Valentine’s Day 2018, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) attempted to break a Guinness World Record by creating the longest chain of paper hearts.
Through their network of 720 charity shops and thousands of supporters, the charity asked people to write messages of love and support for people battling heart disease, or in memory of those they’d lost.
The campaign was also supported by stars from the world of sport and entertainment, including Ulrika Jonsson, Esther Rantzen and the England Women’s Hockey Team, who all wrote personal messages to be included in the chain.
With the help of volunteers, the charity created a chain of 17,939 hearts, which surpassed the previous record of 11,288, made by wine and spirits brand, Moët Hennessy UK.
The chain measured almost 1.5 miles long - equivalent to 25 football pitches.
The record was broken as a mark of solidarity for the 7 million people fighting heart and circulatory disease in the UK, and to raise funds for the BHF’s life saving research.
Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said of the record-breaking effort, “the British Heart Foundation is committed to funding over half a billion pounds of new research before 2020 to help bring an end to this heartbreak.
Bringing together so many tender yet powerful messages of love, support and hope through this Guinness World Records title attempt shows that we’re standing united against heart and circulatory disease.”
Final Word
Inspired to launch your own record-breaking attempt? The Guiness Book of World Records can help.
On its website it says, ‘whatever your objective, our team will work with you to find a record-breaking solution to raise awareness of your campaign or cause marketing initiative. Fill out this form to get started.’
Need an extra pair of fundraiser hands to manage your record attempt? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to find out more.