About the challenge
What is March On with Soldier On?
March On with Soldier On is a virtual walking challenge to raise funds to help prevent veteran suicide. It pays tribute to the sacrifices made by our brave soldiers in Kokoda in World War II, and highlighting the importance of needing to help our soldiers of today.
When is it held?
From the 1st to the 31st of March 2024
What do I need to do?
Simply sign up and walk or run 96km throughout the month of March, the length of the Kokoda Track, and raise funds for Soldier On to help prevent veteran suicide.
Taking part
How do I sign up?
Easy. Just click register at the top right-hand corner and select which challenge you want to take part on.
Is there a registration fee to take part?
It is completely free to take part in the March On virtual 96km challenge.
Do I need to already be fit to take part?
Absolutely not. People from all walks of life are welcome to take part. We have people who have done hardly any exercise at all right through the most seasoned athletes are taking part in March On. In fact, it is the perfect thing to help you start a healthy active lifestyle.
How do I log my activity?
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 and shows your donors you are “walking the walk”. You can log your kilometers in the following ways:
Automatically
If you track your workouts with Fitbit, MapMyFitness or Strava your distances will automatically add to your tally.
Follow these steps to track your KMs automatically:
1. Download the Fitbit, Strava or MapMyFitness app and set up your account
2. Log in to your March On with Soldier On account within your fundraising page
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.
When using Fitbit, you must ‘start’ an activity and save it. Your daily steps will not automatically add to your page. If you are having issues, try syncing through BOTH your Fitbit and the Fitbit app on your smartphone.
When using MapMyFitness, 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.
Manually
Remember, you can manually add your kilometres to the tally in your My Fitness Activity tab of your profile after registering. This is a great option if you’re using a pedometer or a different method of tracking your distances.
Follow these steps to manually add your KMs:
1. Log in to your account and select ‘My Fitness Activity’
2. Under ‘Add activity’, enter the date and distance
3. The number of KMs will now appear on your fundraising page!
Even better – you can live stream your workouts and have your supporters watch where your adventures take you!
And remember - all of your kilometres will be reset to 0km on March 1, ready for your virtual journey to Kokoda to begin!
Who do I contact if I have problems with my fundraising page?
Email us at marchon@soldieron.org.au or call on Phone 1300 620 380 (select option 2) and we will respond within 3 business days.
Fundraising
Where does the money that is raised go?
Every dollar raised will directly go to services that Soldier On provides to our current and ex-service personnel and their families and help prevent veteran suicide.
To find our more about the vital services that Soldier On provides, please visit soldieron.org.au/how-we-help/
Does Soldier On help with my fundraising?
We sure do. We will be sending you tips and hints along the way, giving you some ideas on how to get creative to reach your target. We have even created specific fundraising resources that you can access when logged into your Dashboard for you to use when asking for donations from your networks.
Will my sponsor receive a tax-deductible receipt for their donation?
Yes, any donation above $2 is tax deductible. At the time of submitting their online donation, an automatic receipt will be emailed to your sponsors.
Can I start fundraising before March?
Absolutely! You can start fundraising from the day you sign up. In fact, the more you fundraise before the start of March, the more you can focus of smashing your goal of reaching 96km.
How do I bank any offline money I raise so it shows up on my fundraising page?
The easiest way is to do this is to make an online donation to your own fundraising page using your credit card. The total amount will then show up on your page.
How do I change my fundraising target?
Log in to your Dashboard and click on ‘Edit my page’ and update your fundraising goal.
Do you have March On merchandise I can buy?
We sure do! Head on over to our online store, where you can check out our March On merch for sale.
Rewards
How can I get a free March On T-shirt?
This year, Soldier On is excited to offer our exclusive March On t-shirt that you can wear during your challenge and beyond.
All fundraisers who raise $227 will be rewarded with a FREE March On t-shirt, which we will mail to your provided address.
Be sure to take action and ask your family and friends to sponsor your challenge to grab your t-shirt!
I have raised $227 and claimed my free March On T-shirt - why haven't I received it yet?
So if you have claimed yours before this date, it will be on its way to you shortly, in time for the start of the March On Challenge on March 1!
What if my team raises the required fundraising amount? Do we still receive a free t-shirt?
Individual fundraisers within your team need to raise $227, in order to be eligible to receive the free t-shirt.
Teams
Can I ask people to join me by forming a team?
Absolutely! The more the merrier. You can ask friends and family to join you or even create teams at your workplace and have some friendly competition between different office departments.
How do I create a team?
Just click the ‘Sign Up’ button and when you get to ‘Create Your Page’, you will be asked if you’d like to create a team or join a team.
I've already registered, but now I want to create a team. Can I do this?
You sure can! Just log into your Dashboard and simply select Create A Team. Here you can give your team a catchy name, choose if you want to make it public or private, and invite others to join you!
People are having trouble joining my team. Why would this be happening?
When you created your team, you may opted for your team to be private, meaning people can only join your team if you have personally invited them by providing them with them a unique "invite" link. But this is an easy fix!
You can check this by logging into your dashboard, and under My Team, go to Team Page Settings. This is where you can change the setting to allow anyone to join your team, or choose to make it "invite only". Under My Team, then Team Members, you can also invite people to join.
