Charity fun run registration that gets more to your cause

Take entries for your charity fun run with a platform that pays out fast, leaves the fee decision with you, and is run by a local team who have stood on start lines.

Recognised bodies our charity fun run technology has supported

Barefoot Registration takes entries for charity fun runs and community fundraising events across Australia and New Zealand. It handles distances, waves, categories, teams, merchandise and waivers in one entry flow, pays out fast so entry money is there before the costs fall due, and leaves the booking fee decision with the organiser rather than dictating it. Run it for a 200-person community 5k or a multi-distance charity festival, and add chip timing from the same system when the field gets big enough to need it.

Built by event organisers.
Trusted by race directors.

450+

Events delivered every year across Australia and New Zealand

50,000

Participants supported at a single event

75+

years

Combined event experience

2 countries

Australian and New Zealand owned, operated and on the ground

Keep your event funds moving

Charity fun runs have costs long before race day, from permits and insurance to medals, traffic management and course marking. Barefoot supports same-day and fast payouts, so entry money is in your account while those bills are still being paid, rather than after the event when the charity has already covered them from reserves.

You also choose whether the booking fee is passed on to participants or absorbed into the entry price, compliantly either way. The fee is your decision rather than the platform’s, and the number your committee asks about is a number you set.

Why our technology works
for your charity fun run

Entry money lands before the costs do.

Barefoot supports same-day and fast payouts, so the entries that fund your medals, permits and insurance are in the account while you are still paying for them, rather than weeks after the event. Same-day payouts. Your fees, your way.

The fee decision stays with you.

Pass the booking fee on to participants or absorb it into the entry price, compliantly either way, so the number your committee sees is a number you chose.

A volunteer can run it.

The entry flow is simple enough to learn in an afternoon and flexible enough for a committee that changes every year, with distances, waves, categories, teams, merchandise and waivers all set up without a rigid template.

Your participants and their data stay yours.

Barefoot is Australian and New Zealand owned and independent. Your entrant list belongs to your organisation, not to a global brand building an ecosystem around it.

Works with the tools you already use.

Barefoot handles the entries, the payments and the participant data. Your fundraising platform handles the fundraising pages, and we work alongside whatever your charity already uses rather than asking you to change it.

Timing when the field gets big enough to need it.

Registration and timing run on one system, so if you add chip timing your entrant list is already there, with nothing re-keyed on race morning.

A local team who have run events.

Around 10 local staff with more than 75 years of combined event experience, answering the phone in your time zone. Backed by people who’ve stood on the start line.

Who it’s for?

Charities and not-for-profits running an annual fun run, walk or community event
Community fundraising coordinators and events staff at small and medium charities
Clubs, service organisations and committees running a charity event on a volunteer roster
School P&C and parent committees running a community fun run
Corporate and workplace teams running a charity challenge event

From a 200-person community 5k to a multi-distance charity festival, across Australia and New Zealand.

Features

Same-day payouts

Entry money reaches your account fast, so your event is not funded out of the charity’s reserves for three months.

Fees handled your way

Pass the booking fee on or absorb it, your choice, compliantly either way.

Entries a volunteer can set up

Distances, waves, categories, teams, merchandise with sizing and waivers, without a rigid template.

Your data stays yours

Australian and New Zealand owned and independent. Your participants are your organisation’s, not a global platform’s.

Timing in the same system

Add chip timing and your entrant list is already there, with no re-keying and no import errors on race morning.

Local support that knows events
A local team on the phone in your time zone, who have run events themselves.

Ready to Elevate
Your Event?

Let's connect and see how Barefoot Sport simplifies registrations and maximises participant experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Barefoot handle a charity fun run with several distances?

Yes. Distances, waves, age categories, teams and merchandise all run through one entry flow, whether you have one distance or five setting off through the same morning.

How quickly do we get the entry money?

Barefoot supports same-day and fast payouts, so entry revenue reaches your account while you are still paying for permits, medals and insurance rather than months afterwards.

Who pays the booking fee?

That is your call. You can pass the fee on to participants or absorb it into your entry price, compliantly either way.

Do we need timing for a community fun run?

Not always. Registration runs on its own, and you can add chip timing later from the same system, so your entrant list is already in place when you do.

Do I need a fundraising licence to run a charity fun run in Australia?

Public fundraising is regulated state by state, but the rules changed through 2026. In Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales, ACNC-registered charities are now generally deemed authorised once they notify the relevant regulator, rather than applying for a separate state licence. New South Wales moved to deemed authority on 1 April 2026 and Western Australia on 1 August 2026. Tasmania still requires separate approval. Some states also exempt small collections — the ACT and Queensland at under $15,000 a financial year, Victoria at under $20,000 for volunteer-run appeals. This is general information rather than legal advice, so check your own position with the ACNC and your state regulator. (Sources: ACNC, NSW Fair Trading, Not-for-profit Law. As of September 2026.)

What is the difference between a registration platform and a fundraising platform?

They do different jobs and most charity fun runs use both. A registration platform takes entries, payments, waivers, merchandise and participant data, and connects to timing. A fundraising platform gives each participant a page where supporters donate, and handles receipting and the flow of donations to the charity. In Australia and New Zealand the common arrangement is a registration platform connected to a fundraising platform such as Grassrootz, so a participant signs up in one and raises money in the other. When you are comparing providers, work out which of the two each one actually is, because vendor marketing often blurs the line.

Do we need chip timing for a charity fun run?

No. Plenty of community events are timed accurately with stopwatches, finish tokens and a spreadsheet, and nothing obliges you to chip-time a fun run. The practical trigger is finish-line density rather than field size. Once finishers start arriving in clusters, or you are scoring several distances and age categories off one line, manual timing starts producing errors and slow results. If your event is growing year on year, the year to add timing is usually the one before you think you need it.

Can we still take entries on the day?

Yes, if your platform supports on-site entry and your timing setup can absorb late bibs. Many Australian and New Zealand events close online entries a few days out and offer entry on the day at a small surcharge. The risk is manual data entry under time pressure, which is where race-day results errors usually begin. On-site entry that writes into the same system as your online entries removes that risk, and for a charity event it also captures the walk-ups who decide on the morning, which is a meaningful share of a community field.

Let’s make your next event your easiest yet.

Work with people who get the pace, pressure, and precision of endurance events and build platforms that match it.