Questions organisers ask
The things a committee wants settled before it says yes. If yours is not here, ask us. It probably belongs on this page.
Do I need to be technical?
- No. If you can send an email and fill in a form, you can run a race. There is nothing to install, nothing to configure and no file to hand to anyone. The hardest decision is what to charge for a duck.
What if it does not work on the night?
- Your race page goes live the moment you create it, and it is the same page you will put on the screen. Open it on the actual laptop you plan to use, a week or two before. If it runs then, it will run on the night. That one check takes a minute and is worth doing early rather than at five to eight.
What do we need to run it?
- A laptop and an internet connection. Most races are watched from wherever supporters happen to be: you send the link, they open it on a phone or a laptop, and everyone sees the same race at the same moment. If you are also gathering in a hall, plug that laptop into a projector and the room watches together. Nothing else about the race changes either way.
Can more than one of us run it?
- Yes, and we would encourage it. Invite as many organisers as you need, so whoever is free can approve a message or add a racer without everyone sharing one login, and so it is not all resting on one person on the day.
How do supporters take part?
- They open your race page on their phone, adopt a duck, and dress it from the accessory wardrobe. No account, no app. Their duck is on the start line from the moment they pay.
What if someone writes something unkind?
- Every duck name and message is checked automatically before the supporter pays, against a standard set for a room with children in it. Anything unsuitable goes back to them to reword, so nobody has to sit at a laptop approving a queue. If something still needs to come down, you can pull a single message, or clear the screen instantly with one button without stopping donations.
Do we have to be a registered charity?
- No. A PTA, a scout group, a sports club, a church: anything that can take a payment can run a race. Registered charities can usually apply for lower card processing rates, which is the only place it makes a difference.
When do we get the money?
- It is never ours to hold. Every payment goes directly to you and is paid out to your bank automatically, usually within a few working days.
Still deciding?
Race some ducks in the free demo before you commit to anything.