Engagement. Wedding. House. Kids.
Once the norm, these traditional milestones are no longer the only ways we celebrate our relationships. Now we have more choices. And whether it’s choosing to try non-monogamy, live child-free, or pick a friend over a lover as a life partner – we think these events are just as worthy of celebration as a wedding anniversary.
It’s time we give these new relationship milestones the attention they deserve. That’s why we’ve launched Relationship Goals, a campaign to help you strengthen and celebrate your relationships, all while raising money for a great cause. Here’s how it works:
- Pick your partner: Reach out to your partner of choice, whoever that may be, and see if they’re up for the challenge. Perhaps it’s your BFF, your work bestie, your boyfriend, or your sister. Whoever you choose, make sure they’re as committed to strengthening your relationship as you are.
- Set your goal: Now that you’ve recruited your partner, it’s time to set your relationship goal. It can be anything you want it to be, but try to pick something that’s meaningful in your relationship. If you’re gamers, then maybe commit to stream your longest marathon session yet. Or if you’re runners then maybe running a literal marathon is more your speed. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something that challenges you and gives you the chance to accomplish something major, together.
- Set up your fundraiser: You’ve got your partner, you’ve got your goal, now it’s time to put metaphorical pen to paper and commit to achieving it together. Visit [URL] to set up your fundraising page. Enthuse has some great tips on how to make your page a success here. But if that’s TL;DR then just make sure to outline what you’re doing, why it’s your relationship goal, and set a fundraising target. This will help your friends and family to know how much to give.
- Get fundraising: You know what they say about goals? The best way to achieve them is by making yourself accountable. And what better way to make yourself accountable than by announcing your intentions to your friends and family and giving them the opportunity to show their support by donating to Relate. Here’s Just Giving’s top ten tips for your fundraiser.
- Reach your goal: Now there’s nothing stopping you from reaching your goal. Make sure you keep us updated as you progress by using the hashtag #RelationshipsWeek
We’ll be profiling some of the challenges on our website and social media channels.
Challenge inspiration
Just like there are countless kinds of relationships, there are countless kinds of challenges you can take part in. While we encourage you to choose a challenge that’s unique to you and your relationship, here are some ideas to get you started.
- Broadcast a TikTok Live truth or dare
- Twitch a speed-run of It Takes Two
- Complete couch to 5k
- Cook or bake every recipe in a cookbook or your choice
- Walk the South West Coast Path
- Cycle from Bournemouth to Brighton
- Complete a relationship MOT
- See who can read the most books in a month
- Host a 24 hour Twitter space
Why support us?
Let’s be real – we’re all suffering through a cost of living crisis and Relate is just one of the charities asking you for support right now. So why choose to support us? Because it’s when times are tough that our relationships are the most important – and we want to help as many individuals, partners, friends and families thrive in the wake of isolation and trauma triggered by the last few years.
The money raised from the challenges will help us provide counselling and support to low-income and at risk people from across the country. By preventing relationship breakdown or supporting people to separate healthily, we’ll be one step closer to stopping all the side effects that come along when relationships go wrong – like parental conflict, domestic abuse, debt, homelessness and addiction.
Plus, it gives you an excuse to spend even more time with the person or people that mean the most to you. So what’s not to love?