THE CHALLENGE
What is the Hearts First Challenge?
Hearts First is a way to raise vital funds for the Heart Foundation. By committing to 30 minutes of exercise for 31 days you can improve your own heart health and advance life changing research that can support people living in Australia with heart disease.
Where is the Hearts First Challenge held?
Wherever you are! This challenge is for Fitness First members and while you don’t have to do all your workouts at the gym, we’re hosting the challenge in our clubs. So, you can do the 31 days your way. Mix it up with weights sessions, yoga, Pilates, HIIT classes – whatever motivates you. We’re even upgrading memberships to Platinum Plus for the duration of the challenge, so you can make the most of it.
When is the Hearts First Challenge happening?
The Hearts First challenge kicks off on 1 October and finishes on 31 October, 2024.
I’ve had a heart event. Is the Hearts First Challenge safe?
If you have heart disease, or if you’ve suffered a heart attack, chat to your GP about participating in the challenge. Take a slow and steady approach based on their advice.
Who do I contact if I have a problem?
If you have an issue with your Fitness First club, please contact your club directly or complete this contact form.
If you have an issue with your fundraising page, or have a question related to fundraising, please contact heartsfirst@heartfoundation.org.au.
YOUR ACCOUNT
How do I reset my password?
If you can’t log in to your fundraising page, there may be an issue with your password. To reset your password, click on ‘Login’ and select ‘Forgot password’.
Can I add a cash donation?
Yes. You can add a cash donation in three easy steps:
- Log into your Hearts First account and go to your dashboard
- Select the ‘My donations’ button
- Click ‘Add cash donation’.
You can then follow the prompts to add the cash to your page using your credit or debit card.
FUNDRAISING
Do you have any tools to help me with my fundraising?
When you register for Hearts First you’ll gain access to loads of fundraising tips and downloadable resources, like social media tiles, and posters. All these resources are designed to help you raise money, thank your sponsors and share your progress.
Where do the funds go?
When you sign up for the Hearts First Challenge and ask friends and family to sponsor you, you’ll be making a meaningful difference to your own heart health, as well as the hearts of others.
Your funds can help support:
- lifesaving heart research that could transform heart disease diagnosis and treatment
- health professionals who prevent and treat heart disease
- programs, resources and professional advice for people at risk of heart disease.
How can people donate?
Ask your friends and family to donate directly to your fundraising page. That way the money will come to the Heart Foundation automatically, and they will receive a tax receipt instantly. If you’ve been given cash, you can donate the money to your fundraising page on their behalf using a credit or debit card.
How can I change my fundraising goal?
If you hit your fundraising target before 31 October, consider increasing your target! Simply log in to your fundraising page, click on ‘Edit My Page’ and update your fundraising target.
Can I thank my donors?
Absolutely. Once you sign up to the Hearts First Challenge dashboard you’ll have access to loads of free resources such as email templates and social media assets that you can use to thank your donors.
You can also choose to send thank you messages directly from your dashboard by clicking ‘my donations’ and following the prompts.
FACEBOOK FUNDRAISING
What is a Facebook fundraiser?
A Facebook fundraiser is a fundraising feature available through your Hearts First dashboard this year.
How do I create a Facebook fundraiser?
A Facebook fundraiser can be set up in just a few clicks.
- Login to your your Hearts First dashboard.
- Click the blue button prompting you to “Create a Facebook Fundraiser”
- Follow the prompts and a fundraiser will be created and shared on your Facebook page.
If you set up a Facebook fundraiser directly through Facebook then this will not be linked to your Hearts First fundraising page. If you have done this, we suggest you delete this page and follow the above steps.
How can I personalise my Facebook fundraiser?
When you create your Facebook fundraiser, Facebook will create a Hearts First fundraising page for you by pulling through the information you have included on your Hearts First fundraising page.
You can personalise your Facebook fundraiser after the page has been created by editing the post and changing features such as your fundraising goal and cover photo.
You can also use your Facebook fundraising page to provide updates, photos and messages of thanks to supporters.
How do I share my Facebook fundraiser with my friends?
The easiest way is using the blue ‘invite’ button at the top of your Facebook fundraiser page. This will directly invite your friends to support you.
Why is my fundraising goal different on my Facebook fundraiser?
Your fundraising goal won’t be brought across to your Facebook fundraiser but don’t worry, it’s easy to update!
Just follow these steps:
- Click ‘edit’ in the top right-hand corner of the goal tab on your Facebook fundraiser.
- Change the fundraising goal in the left-hand panel.
- Done!
Can my team/ workplace have a Facebook fundraiser?
Unfortunately, not. You can only create a Facebook fundraiser for your individual Hearts First page.
Is this the same as adding a donate button to my post on Facebook?
No. When sharing an update on Facebook, some users will receive a prompt to add a “Donate” button to their post. The Facebook “Donate” button takes donations through a different third-party, so they won’t appear on your Hearts First fundraising page.
We recommend sharing your Hearts First fundraiser on Facebook by either:
- Creating a Facebook fundraiser by clicking the link on your Hearts First dashboard.
- Sharing the link to your Hearts First page on Facebook and collecting donations there.
I’ve shared my Fundraising page on Facebook and it prompted me to add a donate button to my post.
We don’t recommend using Facebook’s ‘Donate’ button to raise funds for Hearts First as we can’t link donations back to your Hearts First fundraising page or be counted towards your fundraising total.
If you’ve already used the button in a Facebook post, we suggest that you delete the post, as this is the only way to remove the Facebook ‘donate’ button.
If you would like to raise money for Hearts First on Facebook, we suggest:
- Creating a Facebook fundraiser by clicking the link on your Hearts First dashboard.
- Sharing the link to your Hearts First page on Facebook and collecting donations there.
I’ve accidentally deleted my Facebook fundraiser and can’t seem to share another one from my page. Can you help?
Unfortunately, not. If you delete your Hearts First Facebook fundraiser, you can’t create another one.
To continue fundraising on Facebook, we suggest sharing the link to your Hearts First fundraising page, so your contacts can make a donation there.
I don't want a Facebook fundraiser on my personal page anymore, how can I delete it?
You will need to first delete the fundraiser itself to be able to delete your post attached to it.
Note that if you delete your Facebook fundraiser, you'll be unable to create another one.
FITNESS FIRST
How can I find out if my local gym is doing any special activities to support the Challenge?
Each club will post local activities on their Facebook Hubs. Click here to find the list of clubs and to request access to the groups:
How does my membership get upgraded for the Challenge month?
TEAMS
Can I join a team?
You can join a team by clicking on the "Join us" button on their fundraising page.
Can I create a team after I've registered?
Can I invite people to join my team?
Here are the three best ways to invite family, friends and colleagues to join your team:
- Share your team page and ask people to sign up by clicking the ‘Join us’ button.
- On your team dashboard, select ‘my team’ and then ‘my team members’. Follow the prompts on this page to send people an email invite to join your team.
- Go to the ‘share and invite’ section on your dashboard and follow the prompts.
PRIZES
How can I win a Hearts First gym towel?
The first 500 participants to raise $200 or more on their fundraising page will receive a Hearts First Challenge gym towel.
How will I know if I've won a gym towel?
Where are competition winners announced?
Competition winners will be contacted directly by email.
How can I win one of the five $100 Rebel Sports gift cards?
Raise $300 by 15 October, and you will automatically go in the running to win one of five $100 Rebel Sports gift cards.
How will I know if I've won a Rebel Sport gift voucher?
