TEAM
CNIB
Join our team.
Have fun raising funds for CNIB.
Run for fun,
fitness and funds.
Thinking about running a race or tackling a triathlon? Why not
support CNIB at the same time? Join Team CNIB, and every
race you run becomes an exciting opportunity to raise funds and
awareness for a great cause – and add a meaningful
new component to your active lifestyle.
It’s easy – all you have to do is register
for an event in your community, set up
your Team CNIB online donation page,
collect pledges, and run, walk, swim or
row your way to fundraising success.
Thanks so much for your interest in joining
Team CNIB! Your fundraising efforts will
make a real and lasting difference in
the lives of Canadians who are blind or
partially sighted.
Ready, set...fundraise!
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What is
Team CNIB?
When you play for
Team CNIB, everyone wins.
So you’ve signed up for a run, marathon,
bike race, walk, triathlon, warrior dash,
dragon boat race, yoga-a-thon, adventure
race, skate-a-thon or a walk-a-dog-a-thon.
Whatever challenge you’ve chosen, it’s a
great way to stay active, be a great role
model for your kids and your community –
and raise vital funds for CNIB.
How does it work?
Basically, you sign up for any race
or competitive event and get people
to sponsor you. They can pledge by the
kilometre or offer a flat amount for the whole
event – that’s up to you. You compete,
collect your pledges, and send them in.
No organizing required.
How do I join Team CNIB?
All you have to do is register for a race,
set up your free CNIB online fundraising
page, and you’re in! Use your page to
track pledges, post pictures, and set a
fundraising goal. Plus, the social media
networking tools on your page make
it easy to connect with family, friends,
neighbours and coworkers online.
Race on your own, or join forces with
friends. On race day, you can wear your
Team CNIB shirt or run in costumes, funny
hats, crazy sunglasses – anything to have
a great time and draw attention to a
worthy cause.
CNIB shirts
Show your team
spirit with matching
shirts. Every Team
CNIB member who
raises a minimum of
$75 will get a Team
CNIB shirt to wear
on race day!
Team
CNIB
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Ready to get
active for CNIB?
Getting ready for
your event: training tips
Whether you’re running a marathon or
taking part in your first 5k walk, you need
to get your body ready to perform at
its peak. Even if you’re taking part in
something a little less strenuous, it always
helps to prepare. You’ll be faster, stronger,
and enjoy the experience that much more.
Set a goal. Whether it’s beating your own
best triathlon time or trying to rock climb
for your first time, having a goal motivates
you to train.
Get the right gear. No matter what the
event, having the right clothes can make
a big difference. Go to a specialty store to
get properly fitted shoes, and pick up some
clothes that wick moisture and keep you
comfortable during training and on race
day. Stay away from cotton – it gets wet
and heavy. Think about a piece of clothing
with a zip pocket to stow your iPod, money,
credit cards and energy gels while you race.
Did you know?
Consider the time of day. If you’re running a
race in the morning, try to train at around the
same time. Your body adapts to the time you
generally exercise, making the race easier.
CNIB helps people in every
province across Canada, and we
deliver our services right where our
clients need them – over the phone,
online, or in our clients’ own homes,
communities and local CNIB offices.
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More great
training tips
Get to know your course. If your race has
a lot of hills, do some hill training. If it’s on
a trail, focus on some off-road running – it
feels different from running on asphalt. Will
your Warrior Dash include climbing? Get
to the gym and practice.
Set up a program. Create a training
schedule (or talk to a fitness instructor or
personal trainer) and stick to it. Don’t skip
those practice runs or mornings at the
gym – not being prepared will be extra
hard on your body on race day.
Eat right. As you train, you expend more
calories, so you need to eat more to build
muscle and get the energy you need. But
that doesn’t mean filling up on donuts.
Go for complex carbs, proteins and lots of
fruits and vegetables.
Train together. Getting a running/cycling/
workout buddy helps get you out the
door on the days you’d rather stay on the
couch. There’s nothing more motivating
than the support of a friend who’s right in
there with you. If you’re running your Team
CNIB race with a group of people, get
them all out training together.
Any questions?
We’re happy to help. Get in touch
with us at info @ cnib.ca or call
1-800-563-2642.
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More great
training tips
Get some rest. Slot in recovery days
between training days to give your
muscles a chance to recover and build
strength while you rest. And make sure you
get plenty of sleep – the more energy you
expend, the more shuteye you need.
Drink lots of water. Keep your body
healthy by running with a water bottle or
hydration belt. Dehydration can happen
fast, especially in warmer weather.
Get a little help from your fans. Invite
your friends and family to come out to
the event and support you. Nothing feels
better than having a crowd cheering you
on as you run, walk, cycle or row across
the finish line.
Have a great race day. Don’t wear
anything new for a race. Tried and true
gear is better, even if it’s a little stained
or worn. (A new piece of clothing that
chafes can be murder on a longer race.)
For breakfast, think bananas, oatmeal or
toast and peanut butter. They all have lots
of good proteins and are easy to digest.
Stay healthy during the race. Got cramps?
Try a sports drink. Remember that it’s okay
to walk or take breaks – finishing injury-free
is what counts. And when the going gets
tough, visualize the finish line. It’s the best
way to keep going.
Get ready for your race. The night before
your event, eat a healthy meal – whole
wheat pasta is a good source of complex
carbohydrates. Try to stay away from
alcohol (it’s a notorious dehydrator). Check
the weather report so you know what
clothes you’ll need, then turn in early and
get a good night’s sleep.
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How we
can help
We can help you help us. You’re making a big effort to raise
funds for CNIB, so we’d like to help you in any way we can.
When you take part in a race as part of Team CNIB, we are
happy to provide:
• Suggestions for races and events in
your region where you can participate
as a member of Team CNIB and raise
funds for our essential services.
• A personalized CNIB fundraising page
that makes it easy for you to connect
with your supporters and collect
donations using email, Facebook and
Twitter. All donations received through
your CNIB online fundraising page will
receive an electronic tax receipt. We can
also provide an offline pledge sheet for
cash and cheque donations that will be
receipted after you submit those funds.
Visit cnib.ca/fundraise to set up your
page and start fundraising today!
• There are many ways to raise funds
for your event, including pledges,
sponsorships, matching donations and
more. Just ask us for ideas – we have
lots of them! Get in touch with us at
[email protected] or 1-800-563-2642.
Visit cnib.ca/fundraise to learn more
about how we can support you.
• Unfortunately, CNIB cannot provide
funding for travel or race expenses,
promotion or advertising, staff or
volunteers, or prizes and awards.
• CNIB supplies including poster templates
and Team CNIB race gear
• Lots of advice and support!
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Top tips for
fundraising
Tell everyone! Share your fundraising goals
on Facebook and LinkedIn, email your
work colleagues, mention the race at
staff meetings, tweet about your training,
set up a training blog, and put up posters
around the neighbourhood.
Start big. Try to make sure the first
pledge is a generous one – others will
follow. Consider pledging yourself.
Match it. See if your company or a local
organization offers matched giving; some
organizations will donate $1 for every $1
you raise!
Set a goal. Decide on a realistic financial
goal, and work towards it.
Be organized. Start your fundraising early
and plan ahead!
Make it personal. Tell people why raising
money for CNIB is important to you.
People are more likely to donate if they
understand what makes it meaningful to
you – and to them.
Talk to us. CNIB can help you make the
most of your fundraising efforts. We’ve got
loads of fun and unique fundraising ideas
and advice on how to bring in the money
in the best way possible. Get in touch with
us at [email protected] or call 1-800-563-2642.
Visit cnib.ca/fundraise to learn more
about how we can support you.
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Getting
started
Set up your Team CNIB
fundraising page
When you’re collecting pledges, a free,
personalized CNIB online fundraising page
makes it easy for people to donate online.
Creating your page only takes a few
minutes, and you don’t have to be a
technical whiz to do it. The step-by-step
setup only takes a couple of minutes, and it
lets you set a fundraising goal, personalize
your page with stories and photos, email
friends and family members, and share
your goals through Facebook and Twitter.
Anyone will be able to access your page.
Visit cnib.ca/fundraise to get started today.
Your page will guide the user through an
easy, secure donation process. They will
have the option of signing your online guest
book or forwarding a link to your page to
their friends.
To see how many donations you’ve
collected, just check your page. It shows
how much money you’ve raised, making it
easy to keep track of your progress. If you’ve
set a specific fundraising goal, it will also
display how close you are to your set
amount, and offer visitors added incentive
to give money to the cause you care about.
It’s also a great place to thank your donors
and let them see your progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the money go? CNIB is
a registered charity, passionately
providing community-based support,
knowledge and a national voice to
ensure Canadians who are blind or
partially sighted have the confidence,
skills and opportunities to fully participate
in life. All funds raised through your
participation in Team CNIB help us help
people in your community who are
living with vision loss.
Tax receipts: Donations made through
your CNIB online fundraising page will
receive PDF e-receipts via email within
two business days. Offline donations of
$15 or more will automatically receive
a tax receipt immediately following
your money and pledge form submission.
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Get the
word out
You’ve paid your race entry fee, started
training, and designed a personalized Team
CNIB shirt for yourself and fellow fundraisers. So
what’s the best way to let people know what
you’re doing so they’ll donate to the cause?
Network, network, network. Tell everyone you
know about what you’re doing: friends,
family, work colleagues, people at the gym,
other parents at your child’s school. They’ll tell
people too, and word will spread fast.
Be social media savvy. Use the social
networking features on your CNIB online
fundraising page: tweet your news or post it
as your Facebook status, create a Facebook
page about your race, and ask people to like
it so your updates appear on their newsfeeds
every day. Take advantage of YouTube by
posting a video of you talking about why
CNIB is important to you, and why you’re
raising funds by taking part in the race.
Invite people to the event. Ask everyone
to come to the race to cheer you on –
seeing you compete gives them a
personal stake in your effort. You can
make posters and signs to increase
your exposure, and even get other
race participants thinking about
running for CNIB in their next event.
Get the media involved. Want to be
mentioned on the radio or in a local paper?
Call your local radio station and let them
know what you’re doing. Or write a press
release that outlines all the important info:
include the event name and description,
location, date, time, cost of participation
and contact info. Ask that it be included in
their calendar of community events.
After your event
Congratulations! You’ve completed your
first event as part of Team CNIB. Feels great,
doesn’t it? Now all that’s left to do is…
Submit your funds. If you’ve collected all
your funds online, you can move right
to thanking the generous people who
supported you in your race. If you have
gathered additional funds, please visit
cnib.ca/fundraise to learn how to send
them into CNIB.
Say thanks. Let everyone involved know
how much you appreciate their support,
and how their time or donation has made
a difference in the lives of Canadians who
are blind or partially sighted. Sending out
that thank you is easy through your CNIB
online fundraising page.
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About CNIB
We rely on Canadians from all walks of life to help
us raise the funds we need to support people with
vision loss in your community – and right across
the country. In fact, without the support of these
dedicated Canadians, we simply couldn’t keep
our doors open. Giving up a little of your time
to raise some money for CNIB can be incredibly
rewarding. You’ll feel a real sense of pride for
helping support people whose lives have changed
forever because of blindness or vision loss.
What we do
Your support enables us to provide vital services
such as improving a blind child’s literacy skills and
empowering an adult to manage a household
without vision. The funds you raise will help CNIB:
• Give children who are blind or partially
sighted the building blocks for learning.
• Help people with vision loss learn to get
around their homes or cities by themselves,
by transit or on foot.
• Prepare teens with vision loss for rewarding
careers and independent adult lives.
• Ensure adults who are blind and partially
sighted have the technology and skills they
need to succeed in the workforce.
• Support seniors to live independently and
safely at home as they adjust to age-related
vision loss.
• Give Canadians of all ages the emotional and
practical support they need to overcome the
challenges of vision loss.
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Thank you!
We’re here to help
There are lots of people at CNIB who can’t
wait to help you with your fundraising. You
can contact them by email at [email protected] or
call 1-800-563-2642. Visit cnib.ca/fundraise to
learn more about how we can support you.
Thank you so much for fundraising
and welcome to Team CNIB
Charitable Registration # 119219459 RR0003