FAQs

The Perkins Plunge is an overnight swim where you and your team (minimum of 8 members per team) will swim laps through the night from 6pm until 6am to raise funds for medical research.  

It’s a challenge but so are the challenges faced by our loved ones who suffer from tough diseases like heart disease, diabetes and rare genetic diseases.

Keep this thought close to your heart as you swim for their lives. 

The Perkins Plunge is open to people who can swim of all abilities.

We encourage swimmers to get in some training, so they are familiar with their swimming style. Grow your team (there is no limit to how big your team can be – within reason), the more members in your team the less time you will have to spend in the pool.

Discuss with your teammates how long you would like to swim and get a roster going for the night. That way you can share the load and stroke your way to success! 

When you’re registering, click ‘Create a Team’. Enter the team name and that’s it! 

Once you’ve created the team, tell your team members the name of the team so that they can search for it and join when they register.

Or you can invite them from your dashboard. Log in and you can use the “Invite a Friend” function. 

Easy! Register via the “Register” button in the top right-hand corner or click HERE. 

The registration fee is $60 per person. This goes towards offsetting the costs for running the event. 

Each swimmer commits to raising a minimum of $500 before the event night on Saturday 9 November 2024.

Just like an overnight swim it can seem like a big endeavour but the earlier you start fundraising the better positioned you’ll be to smash your targets.  

You may be surprised to find that once your share your reasons for swimming, your friends, family and colleagues will get behind you to sponsor you. 

Yes of course! 

If you have never fundraised, you are not alone. The Perkins Plunge team will help you with fundraising tips and resources to hit your fundraising target and beyond (why not join the VIP tier, The Sharks!).  

Once registered you will receive a fundraising pack in the mail, which includes a guide full of tips for fundraising success, as well as many other fundraising tools to assist you with raising $500.

If you ever need a helping hand, reach out on 08 6151 0776 or plunge@perkins.org.au.

After registering go to your fundraising profile on this website and personalise it with your own stories, pictures and updates.  

You can collect all your donations via this page, and your donors/supporters can conveniently use their debit/credit cards to make a donation. 

Sharing the link to this page via social media, emails and in person will take donors straight to your own fundraising campaign. 

 HOT TIP! 🔥 Fundraising data proves that making a self-donation to your page encourages your friends and family to follow suit – so remember to make your first self-pledge donation a generous one! 

In short YES is the answer, all funds collected offline (cash donations only) can be processed through your online fundraising page.

Remember if you have donors that require receipts for their cash donation you will need to capture their personal details. All cheques will need to be made out to the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, please contact us on 08 6151 0776 or plunge@perkins.org.au for more information about processing offline donations.

It really is quite simple so just drop us a line we are here to help.

All donations over $2 are tax deductible and a tax receipt will instantly be sent to your donors after all donations.

Making a donation is just a click away. Click HERE to support a swimmer. 

Research also shows that if you make a considered self-donation to your fundraising page before sending it out to your networks, your friends and family will follow suit. Most people look at the previous donation before they make their own and either give the same amount or more. Now that's worth considering. 

Make a self donation:

• Log into your dashboard
• Select Donate
• and follow the prompts.

By kicking off your fundraising with a self donation, your friends and loved ones feel like they're doing the right thing in supporting you because (like them) you're also personally contributing to cancer research.

Don’t forget, if you make a self-donation within 7 days of registering it will be matched by our generous title partner MinRes up to the value of $250. 

Once you register for the Perkins Plunge, an account is created automatically. 

• If you registered yourself, you should have set up a password. 

• If someone else registered you, you will receive an email with a link to create your password. 

• If you can't find the email, use the "create account" feature on the login page. 

• If someone else registered you and didn't use your email, ask them to log in and help you edit your registration or fundraising information. 

Log in via the button at the top right of the home page using your email and password. 

You can now use your dashboard to share your fundraising messages. 

Yes! Update your pic and share your personal reason for swimming. Research shows that those swimmers who update their pic and tell their personal story raise more funds. I kid you not, it's simple but effective! 

People will only know to support you if you let them know how important supporting medical research is to you. 

So be LOUD 📣

Social media and sharing is the best way to get your message out.

Feel free to share your page widely and ask for support. It's not enough to say "I'm doing the Perkins Plunge." You should consider also adding "and I need your support to help medical research." It might feel unnatural to ask for support, but most people are just waiting to help - especially when it involves diseases that affects so many people.

Remember, you are not asking people to give you money. You are asking them to help you back medical researchers to beat the world's toughest diseases.

On a predetermined day and time all donations are matched by title partner MinRes until the sponsored amount is reached. This includes donations made by you and by your supporters to your fundraising page*. These donations can be made to individuals and teams alike, but donations will only be matched to the agreed capped value. 

*Please note: offline donations such as Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) donations are unable to be matched. 

Self-Donation Dollar Match 

Don’t forget if you make a self-donation within 7 days of registering it will be matched by our generous Title Partner MinRes up to the value of $250. 

Starting from the predetermined date and time (and not a moment before) all donations made to participants - including self-donations - will be matched until the total allocation is exhausted.

You can make as many individual donations as you like, but please remember, donations will only be matched up to the advertised capped amount.

Be sure to be opted-in to receiving our emails and follow our social pages for more information.  

Depending on the amount we have available to match, there are usually one or two. 

It will be a surprise but don’t worry we will give you plenty of heads-ups so you can let your supporters know when to donate!  

Once you’ve donated, you will see a second donation with an icon appear on your fundraising page that will let you know that your donation was matched. 

You will receive emails and a SMS in the hours or day leading up to the Dollar Match.

Dollar Matches will also be promoted on the Plunge’s social media pages (make sure you’re following!). 

As many as you can squeeze in before the allocated funds run out! Just remember that donations will only be matched up to the capped amount, and this amount will be communicated to you before the Dollar Match begins. 

• Do not make a donation before the dollar match begins. Donations made even one minute before the clock resets will not be matched. The website resets at the exact time the dollar match starts. Keep an eye out for that time in your emails.  

• We cannot refund donations that missed out because the dollar match was exhausted. These dollar match days are a welcomed addition to the event, thanks to the incredible generosity of our sponsors. Additionally, we cannot guarantee you will be matched. That is up to good timing, good luck and how fast the allocation runs out. 

• Allocations do not last long. They can be exhausted in as little as minutes or last for over half an hour. Whatever the duration, it’s best to get in early - but not before the advertised time! 

• We are a very small team so please be patient. We will try to answer your questions in a timely manner, please understand we cannot allocate match day donations once the promotional value has been exhausted. 

The Perkins Plunge powered by MinRes will be held overnight at HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 November. 

Everyone of all swimming levels are welcome to join the Perkins Plunge. People over the age of 14 can register and participate. 

Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult and must have parental or guardian approval. They will also need to raise the minimum $500.

The event starts with the opening ceremony at 5.30pm on Saturday 9 November at HBF Stadium in Mount Claremont.  

At 6pm all teams will dive in to begin the overnight swim. The event will finish at 6am the next morning. 

There will be plenty of space at HBF Stadium where your team can keep your bags and towels together.  

We will do our best to look out for your belongings, but we cannot accept responsibility for lost or damaged goods.

We will have you covered on the night with a grab-and-go dinner, snacks, tea, coffee, soft drink, electrolytes and refreshments to fuel your big swim.

In the morning stay and celebrate your achievement with a hot breakfast, on us! 

A quiet zone at HBF will be provided where you can get a little shut-eye before you dive back into the pool. 

Being a volunteer is an important role on event day. Volunteers at the start, throughout the night and in the morning keep swimmers going with cheerful support all night long! 

If you’d like to be a part of the Perkins Plunge, please register your interest here.

The more the merrier, so invite your friends, family and colleagues to join you for a fun night supporting medical research in WA. 

The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, known as the Perkins, is the largest medical research institute in WA working on diseases that most affect our families including heart disease, diabetes, rare genetic diseases and cancer. 

With over 400 researchers and trial staff located alongside three hospital campuses, the Perkins is uniquely positioned to fast track the development of new discoveries and treatments. Researchers at the Perkins are driven to find new ways of diagnosing and treating cancer – particularly those with poor prognosis.  

By collaborating with world-class doctors, researchers, scientists and clinicians, the Perkins can push discoveries at the laboratory bench top to the bedside with greater efficiency. Research at the Perkins has led to effective programs in disease prevention and has made a real impact on people’s lives in WA and beyond.  

We are proudly West Australian and support research dollars staying within the state with 100% of your donations coming to the Perkins.  

The Perkins owns and operates both events so all costs are kept to a minimum and are managed with a commitment to maximising research funding without compromising rider experience.

All funds raised by the Perkins Plunge go directly back into supporting world-class medical research at the Perkins.  

Funds are untied which means that they can be allocated to the research lab in greatest need. This is our preferred way of distributing donations as it provides flexibility and agility. With only one in ten research grants being successful due to the volume of submissions, untied funds are often lifelines for researchers.  

The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research presently has three locations in Perth that equally support what we do – the first is our main facility located at the QEII Medical Centre in Nedlands. 

The second facility is located adjacent to Fiona Stanley Hospital, and we also have a centre at Royal Perth Hospital. 

We are always keen to show our supporters around our Nedlands facility so you can experience what the Perkins is all about and equally see your donations at work. Please contact us if you would like to arrange a tour.

The Perkins runs events throughout the year. Our other fundraising challenge events include the Walk for Women’s Cancer in May and the Cancer 200 – Ride for the Perkins in October. 

We also support fundraisers in the community who wish to design their own event to raise funds for research. 

Additionally, we conduct community Q&A sessions and seminars, morning teas and laboratory tours with the added experience of an Open Day every second year.

You can find out more about our events at perkins.org.au. 

Being a volunteer is an important role on event day. Volunteers at the beginning of the event, throughout the night and in the monring at the conclusion of the Plunge keep the participants going with cheerful support!

There are numerous roles available that will suit your time availability and how you would like to support the swimmers. From packing packs, to set-up, cheering or handing out refreshments, there is a role just for you.

If you’d like to be a part of the Perkins Plunge please register HERE. The more the merrier, so invite your friends and family to join you for a fun day supporting medical research.

You do not need any experience to volunteer for the Perkins Plunge. All volunteers will be allocated an appropriate role in response to their registration form and will receive a briefing prior to, or on the day of their shift.

There are many roles available and they depend on when you would like to volunteer, if you can get to the volunteer location and some depend on how old you are. There are pre-event roles and on-the-day roles. Once you have registered your interest we'll be in touch with further information.

All volunteers will receive a Perkins volunteer shirt and cap to wear on their shift, and where necessary, some volunteers will receive a safety vest.

Additionally, volunteers will receive plenty of water, comprehensive instructions, and depending on the allocated role, complimentary snacks and meal.

Make sure you are comfortable. It might rain and you might be on your feet for an extended time. Be prepared like a boy scout and you will have a great time!

Children can accompany volunteering parents or guardians and participate in the same role or volunteering group. If you intend on bringing your child or a minor in your care, please state this clearly on the volunteer registration form and tick the appropriate check box. If you have any questions about this, reach out to the Volunteer Coordinator.

Absolutely! If you would like to volunteer with a group, please mention this in your registration form. There is a section titled ‘Group details’ where you can let us know who you’ll be volunteering with on the day. If you’ve already filled in this form, reach out to the volunteer coordinator who can update your details for you. 

If you are intending to volunteer with a group, please let us know as soon as possible so we can do our best to keep you together on the day. Should your group need to be split up, the Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch with you well in advance of the Ride weekend. 

We love friends and family volunteering together so please get them to sign up and mention on their form that they would like to volunteer with you as soon as possible. Please also reach out to the Volunteer Coordinator and let them know that you will be adding to your volunteering group.

All volunteers must make their own way to their volunteering role on the day – we suggest teaming up with a friend and carpooling! If you’re intending to use public transport, please note that some roles may occur when public transport may not be available. Please take this into consideration when filling in your volunteer registration form.

The Perkins Plunge powered by MinRes could not be possible without the amazing support of volunteers such as yourself. In order for the event to run as smoothly as possible, there are a few small things that you can do:

• Accept direction from event management.
• Respect and maintain privacy and confidentiality.
• Maintain safe work practices and prioritise health and safety.
• Report any unsafe or concerning incidents and behaviour to a Perkins staff member.
• Carrying out your agreed duties in the agreed time frame.
• Arrive to your shift on time and stay for the agreed duration.
• Be accountable for your actions and open to accepting feedback if necessary.
• Comply with the legal and organisational requirements of your volunteer position.

Perkins’ volunteering is guided by Volunteering Australia’s volunteer rights and checklist, available here.