Charity Miles App Review: Fitness for a Cause

Fitness apps like MyFitnessPal, Health, Peloton, and ProFit are designed to log your steps and miles, track fitness goals, and count calories. Besides those metrics, what if you could also turn your workouts into opportunities for a good cause? Well, now you can with Charity Miles!

What is Charity Miles?

Charity Miles is a socially-driven app where you can raise money for an organization of your choosing through your miles and steps and it’s available on both iOS and Android. The app was founded in 2012 by Gene Gurkoff and has raised over $3 million for various organizations, including Every Mother Counts, Habitat for Humanity, Alzheimer’s Association, and many more. Rated as one of the best fitness apps on the Apple Store (with an average 4.8 star rating based on 61.4K ratings), Charity Miles has over a million active users, more than 50 different worldwide charity organizations to choose from, and over 100 sponsors that will directly donate money to your organization while YOU run the miles.

Join a community that is equally passionate about fitness and raising donations for a cause. While you can only run for one Charity at a time, you can join as many clubs as you’d like and climb the leaderboard with the miles you achieve! Here is what some users have to say about the app:

“This app has changed my life. I was an inconsistent workout guy before. Now, I use Charity Miles every single day. Often 2-4 workouts a day for different charities. I’ve gotten to know some incredible people and have been enriched by my involvement with CM and the CM community.”— Grove Ayers from Coeur’d Alene, Idaho

“I’ve been using Charity Miles for about four years. I was running with a friend, and she told me about it. I’ve used other apps, but I prefer the group interaction of Charity Miles. I like being able to choose my charity and support the things I care about. I love the support and encouragement of the CM community.”— Paula Williams from South Lake Tahoe, California

“I use Charity Miles because it supports giving back and being active. Plus it is so easy. Why wouldn’t you? Someone is donating money to my chosen charity because I’m logging the miles.”— Laura Galligan from Colorado

I downloaded the app in my junior year of high school after seeing an online ad. In all honesty, I initially downloaded the app to put down more volunteer experience on my college applications since I was an exhausted student coming home from school with very little energy or time to work out or do volunteer opportunities outside my extracurricular activities. To me, the app’s software felt convenient; I could raise money for a good cause at my own pace.

My CharityMiles History

The app has become a big part of my lifestyle. Every day, I have a goal of reaching at least three miles for the ASPCA, the charity of my choice. When I see myself surpassing the daily quota, I feel excited and even more diligent to surpass that goal every day. One could say the app has prompted me to maintain an active lifestyle and a steady jogging routine that’s manageable and on my own terms.

Charity: ASPCA
Membership Status: 2018-present
Total Miles: 4,323

View of Charity Miles Dashboard | Charlotte Park

The app was also really helpful to me during the pandemic when the only places I could go were to pick up takeout or take walks in my neighborhood. Like everyone else, I didn’t have access to a fitness center or even gym facilities at home, and staying motivated with improvised at-home workouts during lockdown only lasted for so long before they started to feel like a drag. Fitness is a mindset that demands consistency, and this means having an environment that will keep you motivated with your fitness routines. I have to admit, at times, I lost motivation and didn’t feel like working out. However, knowing that I could raise money for a charitable cause simply by working out gave me the boost of energy and determination I needed to keep going.

The app is very user-friendly and straightforward in its design, unlike other fitness apps. Your progress can be synced with fitness apps on your phone like the Health app (iOS), Sweatcoin, and Strava. In your fitness log, you can track and see how many miles you’ve run per day, week, month, and year as well as your total number of sessions.

How to Get Started on Charity Miles

1. Download Charity Miles on iOS or Android.
2. Create your account and choose your organization (this can always be changed).
3. Select your designated workout (outdoor/indoor walking, outdoor/indoor jogging, outdoor biking). No matter what your workout may be, the app will log all types of movement.
4. Get moving!

Pro-Tip: You can earn up to 25 cents per mile walking or running and up to 10 cents per mile for biking!

How To Earn Money on Charity Miles

There are several ways you can earn money for your charity:

Charity Miles corporate sponsorships
Friends and Family sponsorships/donations
Companies sponsoring employees through their Employee Empowerment Program

How Does the Charity Miles App Track My Miles?

iPhone users can sync the Health app to record all steps and miles as the data is automatically shared with Charity Miles.

For Android users, progress is tracked by the phone’s internal pedometer sensors depending on the model and operating system.

I highly recommend downloading the Strava app too for more precise readings. This app can be synced with other devices’ (Peloton, FitBit, Garmin) data and sent over to Charity Miles. This is especially helpful if you plan on doing indoor cardio!

If you think Charity Miles isn’t tracking all your steps, you can add them manually into Strava but BE WARNED: This is based on the honor system, and Charity Miles reserves the right to cancel any sessions or miles.

Charity Miles Extra Mile Club

As a reward for your charitable dedication, here’s a secret: If you join the Extra Mile Club, you’ll get access to exclusive deals that will SAVE YOU money on groceries, workout gear, and race entries. How does that sound to you?! It sounds pretty exciting to me!

Membership to this private savings club is only $9.99 per month, with full access to deals like:

15% off Nike, Reebok, Asics, New Balance, Hoka, and Altra Running Shoes
15% off running apparel and accessories at JackRabbit
10% off cycling and triathlon gear at CleverTraining
25%-50% off Major Hotels
25-75% off Groceries
30% off Aaptiv Membership
And much more!

And that’s not all. Every month, you’ll have access to members-only limited-time deals so be on the lookout for the next great sale!

Overall, this app is software friendly and super encouraging to new users. Charity Miles is passionate in bringing awareness to the many organizations around the world, creating a closer connection between users, sponsors, and organizations. For people like me who want to give back to the community but cannot put in the hours or dedication traditional volunteer opportunities demand, this on-the-go app solves that problem. The app is also transparent with your donations and the sponsors donating for the work YOU put in, giving users direct control over where their hard-earned money is going.

So if you’re looking for another reason to get out of bed or be active, then this app is perfect for you. Talk about being fit AND giving back to the community!