Cycle for Smart Works is our annual fundraising challenge which celebrates International Women’s Day and raises vital funds for Smart Works. Each team of five has a target of 500 miles to complete collectively in the week leading up to 8th March (International Women’s Day). Individuals can take part on any bike they like, and teams do not need to be physically together to join in the fun.

No, it is completely free to sign up to the challenge. 

We welcome anyone and everyone to take on the challenge and Cycle for Smart Works. The target of 500 miles can be shared amongst your five team members as you see best to make sure everyone can contribute.

Yes. Each team should be made up of five members to make sure the challenge is fair.

The first 100 teams who raise £100 will receive a limited-edition Cycle for Smart Works 2022 t-shirt. Time to get fundraising!

Firstly, download your favourite email signature from the resources section. Find your email signature in the settings of your email account (top tip: you can always search ‘signature’ if it’s tricky to find). Next, insert or paste the image into your email signature. Finally, you can add a hyperlink to your team’s fundraising page by clicking on the graphic, selecting the ‘insert link’ button and pasting the link to your JustGiving page.

We would love to see your Cycle for Smart Works photos and hear your stories! Use the hashtag #CycleforSmartWorks when sharing on social media or email your Cycle stories to cycle@smartworks.org.uk

If you are the first person from your team to sign up (the ‘Team Captain’), then you will need to create a team.

After you’ve completed the registration form, you will be given the option to create a team. Simply click the ‘Create a team’ button and follow the steps.

There is a prize for the best team name, so be creative!

If your team captain has already created your team, then you will need to find and join this team.

After you’ve completed the registration form, you will be given the option to join a team. Simply click the ‘Join a team’ button and follow the steps provided.

We’re sorry to hear you are no longer able to take part in Cycle for Smart Works this year. You can disable your fundraising page in your page settings and notify Smart Works via cycle@smartworks.org.uk.

When you try to join a team and see the error message "Your page must be raising money for the same charity as this team", you have selected a team that is participating in the challenge as part of a different region. All team members must fundraise for the same region in this challenge.

We ask for a fundraising target of £500 per team. There are prizes to be won for the top fundraisers, so encourage your friends, family and colleagues to dig deep!

Check out the Welcome Pack for fundraising tips and advice from Smart Works and JustGiving. 

When you click Sign Up make sure to select the Smart Works centre you wish to fundraise for. The money you raise will automatically support that centre.

The money you raise will go towards your chosen Smart Works centre and will support our mission: for any woman who needs our help to be able to find her way to Smart Works. With your help, we will be able to reach and help more women across the UK with the clothing, coaching and confidence they need to get the job and transform their lives.

If you are raising money via your JustGiving page, all your sponsorship is automatically transferred to Smart Works.

If you are raising money offline and would like to send a cheque and/or cash donation to Smart Works, either upload it directly to your JustGiving page or email cycle@smartworks.org.uk and we will provide you with the information for your chosen Smart Works centre.

You can  add offline donations to your fundraising page to make sure your total is up to date.

Of course. UK taxpayers can increase the value of their donations by 25%. This means that if they donate £10, Smart Works will receive an extra £2.50 – at no additional cost to the donor. As the fundraiser, you don’t need to do anything other than spread the word. JustGiving will automatically ask your sponsors if they’re eligible for Gift Aid and pass on the money in full.

We recommend updating the photos and text on your JustGiving page, as well as posting regular updates to let your supporters know how you’re getting on with the challenge.

Our friends at JustGiving have provided their expert advice on boosting your online fundraising– read more here.

You are welcome to cycle your way to your team target of 500 miles on any bike that you like. This could be on a stationary bike in the gym, in a group spin class or outside on a mountain bike – or a combination!

This is completely up to you and your team. You can cycle anywhere you like, and you do not need to be physically with your teammates to complete your miles. We recommend a WhatsApp group to stay in touch and add up the miles each day.

You are welcome to connect your Stava account with your individual fundraising page (JustGiving have some helpful tips here) to log your miles automatically or you can keep track of your miles in any way you like and add them manually. For detailed instructions, read our guide to logging miles here.

You can expand both the Distance and Fundraising Leaderboards to see where your team sits.

Join our Strava club here or by searching ‘Cycle for Smart Works 2022’.

Read JustGiving’s helpful guide here.

We recommend you read British Cycling’s safety tips in our Welcome Pack. and on their website here.

Please email cycle@smartworks.org.uk and our friendly team will be happy to help.