18 February 2025
PCFA fundraiser Jake Rowbottom, 30, is an avid cyclist and always had a dream of taking on a big challenge.
“I saw some people on Instagram doing significant cycling challenges, and I thought it would be cool to do something like that,” Jake said.
“Being young and fit, I had no excuse not to do it.”
Last year, Jake decided to put his dreams into action and ride 2,300 from Noosa in Queensland, to Camperdown in Victoria to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and the Breast Cancer Network.
“My grandfather passed away from prostate cancer, so that’s my connection to the disease,” he added.
Impressively, Jake rode for 21 days and 2,300 kilometres, raising a phenomenal $14,000 for PCFA.
“I lived in Camperdown in Victoria at the time and worked in Noosa in Queensland. I thought to myself that this would be a good road to ride sometime,” he said.
“It took a while to plan, and at first, I was going to do it without raising any money, but then I thought, if I’m only going to do this once, I might as well do this properly, so I started looking at some charities, and I ended up raising money for prostate cancer and breast cancer.
“Altogether, I raised $27,000 in around two months of fundraising for both charities which was incredible.”
Jake shared his top tips for fundraising and encouraged other locals to take up the baton and register for the PCFA-Team.
Jake’s top fundraising tips:
1. Provide regular social media updates
“While riding, I provided daily updates on my Instagram via a reel, highlighting what I did that day. I also made sure to promote my fundraising page and share my URL link every chance I got. Whenever I could, I’d say: please, donate!”
2. Ask for local businesses to provide prizes
“During my ride, I organised a raffle with great prizes. For instance, I contacted some local resorts in Noosa who gave me free accommodation vouchers. I told them what I was riding for, and they were happy to help. It’s amazing how many local businesses are happy to help.”
3. Organise press coverage
“Press coverage helps. On the last day, I rolled into Camperdown, and the local newspaper covered my arrival. Lots of people turned up to welcome me and donate money.”
4. Seek out sponsors
“As I was riding for three weeks, I needed some sponsors to help cover the cost of the trip whilst I wasn’t working. I would email local businesses like Coles and Woolworths to see If they could provide some money or vouchers for food and my accommodation during the trip. Again, I was so surprised at how many local businesses are willing to help!”
5. Get fundraising savvy
“Fundraising can be a little tricky if you’re doing a national event, with different fundraising rules in each state for raffles and other things. But I learnt a lot so my advice to others would be to get their head around the nuances when starting out and reach out to PCFA if you need support.”
6. Show your appreciation
“Saying thank you goes a long way – always thank those who are supporting you.”
To register your own fundraiser and join the PCFA Team, visit www.pcfateam.org.au.
