FAQS

Go to https://www.lapsforlife.com.au/ or alternatively click the ‘Sign Up’ button in the top right-hand corner of this page.

Once you’ve registered your own profile, you’ll see an option to create a team. At any stage after you’ve signed up, you’re able to create a team from within your dashboard.

Send your friend to https://www.lapsforlife.com.au/register or the Laps for Life homepage and ask them to click the ‘Sign Up’ button.

Alternatively, once you’re logged in, you can send them an email directly from your dashboard.

You can search for teams to join during the sign-up process. If the team is locked, then you need to be invited by the team captain.

Send out emails directly from your dashboard, share your fundraising page on social media or put posters around the office to encourage your friends and colleagues to support you. Download resources here to help your fundraising.

For sure. You can challenge yourself anytime throughout March.

Absolutely, the more the merrier! If you have something in particular in mind or questions email marit@lapsforlife.com.au and we can support you.

You can log your laps in three easy steps:

Step 1: Log in to your Laps for Life dashboard.

Step 2: Click on ‘My Lap Progress’ and manually add your laps under ‘Add My Progress’.

Step 3: Click ‘SAVE CHANGES’ to ensure your laps are added to your online tally on your fundraising page.

Click ‘Login’ in the top right-hand corner, which will allow you to access your dashboard and make any changes you need to.

We have lots of fundraising tips which you can find under 'Fundraising' on the Laps for Life website. You'll also find ways to share your profile - including template emails and social media share buttons - when you log in to your dashboard.

Once logged in, visit the ‘Emails’ page to access sharing tools, including social media buttons and emails.

We are very excited to hear all about your progress during Laps for Life and we want you to share as much as possible! 

Feel free to share your Laps for Life journey across all your social media profiles, both personal and professional. Some useful tags to get the word out are:

• #LapsforLife
• #Lapsforlife2025
• #MentalHealth
• #SwimtoSaveLives

All online donations (made via lapsforlife.com.au) automatically come to us so there is no need to do anything. For cash and direct debit donation please see the attached instructions and forms.

For donations by cheque, please make sure the cheque is made payable to ReachOut Australia and send to: 

ReachOut Australia
Level 2, Building B
35 Saunders Street 
Pyrmont NSW

Clearly mark your name and a contact number so that the funds may be added to your fundraising page.

All donations and accompanying messages will be displayed on your fundraising page. People will receive an automatic thank you email when they make a donation. 

For those people that supported you, a thank you email or post is always greatly appreciated; and if they’re anything like the ReachOut team, a small sweet treat would always be welcomed.

If your donation is made in Australia and is over $2, then it is tax-deductible. When you donate, an email which will contain a receipt as proof of your donation to us will be sent to you.

Friends that are already signed up can be found by entering their name in the search bar in the top right-hand corner of the page. You can then make a donation to their page.

Alternatively, click on the 'Donate' button, search for your friend and click on their page to make a donation.

Yes, we do accept cash, direct debit and cheque donations. Please see the attached instructions for cash and direct debit donations, as well as tax receipt requests.

For donations by cheque, please make sure the cheque is made payable to ReachOut Australia and send to: 

ReachOut Australia
PO Box 597
Pyrmont NSW 2009

Clearly mark your name and a contact number so that the funds may be added to your fundraising page

All donations go directly to ReachOut Australia using the Stripe Payment Gateway or PayPal.

Stripe processes online credit card transactions for thousands of Australian merchants, providing a safe and secure means of collecting payments via the Internet.

All online credit card transactions performed on this site using the Stripe Payment Gateway are secured payments.Your complete credit card number cannot be viewed by ReachOut or any outside party and all monies are directly transferred from your card to a merchant account held by ReachOut. 

For more information about Stripe Payment Gateway, please visit here.

PayPal has been operating in Australia since 2005 and now has over 7 million active customer accounts.

When you choose to pay via PayPal your funds go to PayPal and PayPal pays ReachOut themselves so your financial details stay encrypted and protected.

For more information about PayPal, please visit here.

ReachOut keeps our internal costs down by employing a small team of staff. 

The funds raised from Laps for Life go directly to the ReachOut services that support young people and their parents. Funds are distributed to the areas of our services that are most in need. ReachOut is continually evolving and adapting to ensure we meet the needs of young people with mental health difficulties.

ReachOut has a policy of financial transparency, and are externally audited every year. Please feel free to check out a breakdown of our income and expenditures here.

ReachOut will continue to accept donations for Laps for Life through to 14 April 2025. Any difficulties or questions, please email marit@lapsforlife.com.au and we can support you.

We are SO grateful for the time and effort you've put into fundraising, and we are doing our best to get your rewards to you as soon as possible!

Please ensure that you have provided a current Australian postal address.***

If there are any issues, please contact marit@lapsforlife.com.au and we can further assist you. 

*Please note rewards are only available whilst stocks last. 
**Please enter your preferred hoodie size during registration.
We will aim to send your preferred size, however if stock levels run out we will send a size up. 
*** We can only post to Australian postal addresses. No overseas deliveries will be made. 

Take part in the swimming challenge in your own time, at your local pool, in the ocean and basically anywhere you like*. We understand the importance of fitting the challenge around your day-to-day life, so do whatever works for you. Swim in the same venue all month, or mix it up to keep it interesting? It's your challenge so your way is the right way! Be sure to adjust the distance calculation for your challenge if you are not swimming in a regular-sized pool.

* As long as it is safe to do so. Please refer to swim safety guidelines and swim in supervised areas when available. 

Laps for Life is a swimming challenge and if you are unable to swim that is okay. It’s your responsibility to ensure your own health and safety.

If you can’t swim and would like to challenge yourself to learn as part of Laps for Life, we would ask that you please consult with a swimming professional, perhaps at your local pool, who can better advise you on how to ensure your safety and swim within your capability.

There are other ways that you can support those who are participating in Laps for Life as well. You could be a Social Media Guru for your local team and showcase their progress, make a donation, flyer your community and workplace, help those swimming organise donations or simply be there for moral support.

Regardless of how great a swimmer you are, we suggest taking some time once you’ve registered to plan how you are going to complete the challenge. You’ll enjoy Laps for Life more, and feel great, if you pick a distance that’s both a challenge and achievable! Frequency is just as important as distance from a wellbeing perspective.

Our top tips are:

• Set realistic goals. Laps for Life is set over the entire month of March as the frequency of swimming sessions is just as important as the distance. Our recommended 10-12 swimming sessions in a month will give you wellbeing benefits without causing burnout. Feel free to build up the number of laps in each session as the month progresses and your stamina improves!

• Use Laps for Life to perfect your technique! Whether freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly is your choice, spend some time in the pool brushing up on your technique. If you need supports such as kick boards, floaties, etc. - go for it! - there are no rules stopping you. Get in, get swimming and have some fun!

• Get a swim buddy involved to keep you motivated through the month! There are going to be days when feels hard and committing to a swim buddy means you are less likely you to skip a session

For more tips, check out the advice from Olympic gold medalist and Patron of ReachOut, Ian Thorpe.

We recommend 10–12 sessions in March, but the short answer is as often as you need to hit your goal. Use our lap calculator to help work out how often and how frequently you need to swim to reach your goal. Make sure to set a goal that won’t burn you out!

Feel free to lower your goal to a more achievable target on your fundraising page or continue to swim beyond March until you reach your target.

If you still don’t have the answers you need and would like to be in touch, email us at marit@lapsforlife.com.au.