Team Captain Information Guide
Checklist for team captains
Kia ora and welcome to Relay!
Inside
Your role as team
captain
2
Getting ready to Relay
3
What to bring to
Relay
4
Pre-Relay checklist
5
Key Dates Relay
Wellington 2017
6
Fundraising Tips
7
Thank you for taking on the role of Relay For Life team captain!
Relay For Life is an inspiring community event that involves more
than 20,000 people throughout New Zealand every year to
Celebrate the lives of those who have experienced a cancer
journey, Remember loved ones lost, and empower individuals
and communities to Fight Back against a disease that takes too
much from too many.
By participating in Relay For Life, you are helping the Cancer
Society to:




provide support for people with all types of cancer
fund world-class cancer research
provide our Cancer Information Helpline - 0800 CANCER
(226 237)
Deliver cancer-related education and advocacy.
This information guide will help you prepare for your role as a
Relay For Life team captain. Local staff and volunteers are also
happy to assist you.
We hope you’ll enjoy your Relay experience—and if there’s
anything we can do to help you in your role, please don’t hesitate
to ask.
Once again, thank you for supporting the mission of the Cancer
Society Wellington, which is to reduce the incidence and impact
of cancer on our community.
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Team Captain Information Guide
www.relayforlife.org.nz
Did you know you can manage
your team and obtain online
donations from friends, family and
colleagues using your own Relay
For Life webpage?
Visit www.relayforlife.org.nz to
learn more!
Your role as a team captain
As a team captain, your role is to recruit, motivate and inform
your Relay team. A team captain’s five key tasks are to:
1. Build a team

approaching friends, family members and co-workers.

The site also includes a link to our
Cancer Society Relay For Life
video, Relay For Life history and
much more. Don’t forget to
encourage your team members to
visit the site too.
The average Relay team has 10-12 members. Think about
Ask people with different connections/networks to widen the
circle of donors and supporters.
2. Help your team develop a vision, plan and goals

Explain what they need to do (e.g. raise funds, attend team
meetings and take part in the event).

Set challenging but realistic fundraising goals.

Think of ways to demonstrate your team spirit and raise
cancer awareness.
3. Motivate your team and help them achieve their goals

Share information about Relay For Life and the Cancer
Society. Explain how the team’s support helps local patients,
families and the community.
4. Communicate regularly

Keep track of your team’s progress—celebrate successes!

Use the Relay For Life Facebook page for your area to post
your fundraising events and update team members
5. Resource and pace yourself

Attend local team captain meetings. Consider appointing a
co-captain to help you lead your team.

Delegate! Designate a team member to take photographs.
Ask another team member to organise food.
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Team Captain Information Guide
Getting ready to Relay
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Please read through the following section, which outlines key
pre-Relay activities and information.
Team captain meetings
In the lead-up to Relay, the local organising committee hosts a
series of team captain meetings. The meetings are fun and
informal—and they give you a chance to meet other team
captains, share ideas and ask as many questions as you like.
Meetings dates and locations will be advised.
Fundraising
All fundraising is done before the Relay event and each team
member is encouraged to raise $200. Please share your
fundraising events and ideas on the Relay For Life Facebook
page.
Banking and receipting
The Cancer Society is a registered New Zealand charity. If
requested, receipts are issued for all donations over $5.
All funds should be banked as you go—and teams are
encouraged to have most of their funds banked the week before
Relay. If receipts are required, please ask the donor to tick the
box in the donation sheet and record their address. Please return
all donation sheets and deposit slips to the Cancer Society.
Awareness-raising
Relay For Life helps us promote key health messages and raise
awareness of Cancer Society services. Please review Raising
Awareness through Relay For Life for ideas and tips to help
raise cancer awareness in your community.
T-shirts
Each team member receives a branded Relay For Life t-shirt.
Orders are placed before the Relay event.
3
Team Captain Information Guide
Managing donations
Donations can be made online, in
cash, cheque, or direct bank
transfer.
When your team members have
finished fundraising, they should
hand in their completed donation
sheets to you for all fundraising not
completed online.
Please ensure the donation sheet
tally equals the monies received.
Once donations have been
received, all funds should be
banked using the pre-coded
deposit slips issued to you – or you
can take your donations to any
ANZ Bank branch to deposit using
your Relay team name as a
reference.
What to bring to Relay

food and drinks
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plates, cutlery
reusable water bottle


warm clothing
sun hats

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sunscreen
rugs
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deck chairs
sleeping bags
torches
your own first aid kit
propane BBQs, ok
And what not to bring

pets (guide or service
dogs are welcome)
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
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bikes
scooters
roller blades
alcohol
Additional information for you and your team

Relay For Life is not a race, nor do you collect
pledges based on the number of laps you walk. All
fundraising is done before the Relay event.

People don’t need to stay for the entire event.
However, at least one person from each team
should be on the track during the night.

Most people will walk, with each team member
choosing how often, how long and at what pace. It is
common to walk in 30 to 60 minute shifts. Many find
it more enjoyable to walk in pairs.

Children must be supervised.

Youth teams are welcome. Your local Relay
coordinator will provide details about Youth consent
forms and supervision.
4
Team Captain Information Guide
Pre-Relay checklist
 Help your team develop a name, theme and fundraising goal.
 Appoint a co-captain and delegate tasks within the team.
 Forward Relay For Life newsletters and other Cancer Society
information to team members.
 Attend team captain meetings.
 Hold information meetings for your team; share information
about Relay and the Cancer Society, including our local
services, programmes and key messages.
 Check on team members’ fundraising and awareness-raising
progress and celebrate their efforts and achievements.
 Create a team roster for the event—aim to have someone on
the track at all times.
 Make sure all team members know when to arrive, where to
park, what to bring and time of Relay ceremonies.
 Bank funds before Relay using the Cancer Society coded
deposit slips.
 Record donation details and return team donation sheets to
the Cancer Society.
 Get ready for an inspiring day/night!
Thank you for being a team captain! Your contribution of time
and skills is greatly appreciated.
5
Key Dates – Relay Wellington 2017
All Team
Captain
Meetings are
held at the
Cancer Society
Newtown
office,
52 Riddiford St
5:30pm start
and 6:30pm
end; third
meeting will go
until 7pm
Limited
carpark,
Countdown
market is an
option for
parking
November 2016 - Registration opens
December 2016 - Grow your team, set goals, and
start fundraising
JANUARY 2017
9th January - Cancer Society office opens
19th January - First Team Captain Meeting
February 2017
3rd February - Candle bag ashes from 2016 spread in
memorial garden for World Cancer Day (4th February)
9th February - Second Team Captain Meeting
24th February - Team registrations close, all t-shirt
orders are due
March 2017
2nd March – Third and final Team Captain Meeting –
Health and Safety Briefing and pick-up of team packs
15th March – All fundraising to be banked with ANZ
18th/19th March - Relay For Life Wellington 2017,
Frank Kitts Park, pack-in starts at noon
6
Fundraising Tips
Fundraising Tips
Teams fundraise in the months and weeks leading up to the Relay For
Life event. Each Relay team sets a team target and the following are a
few fundraising tips designed to spark ideas and to support you in
achieving the team goal.
Individual Fundraising
Why do people give? Because they were asked. Ask for a donation,
always say please and always thank them. Let people know that the
funds you and your team are raising through participating in Relay For
Life will support the work of the Cancer Society locally.
Here are some ideas to help you raise $100 in just one week:
• Ask your partner, best friend or neighbour for $10
• Ask two people at work for $10
• Put a donation bucket at your workplace (you’ll probably get more
than $10)
• Ask three people from your church or sports team or your club for $10
• Ask two members of your whānau for $10
• Post a request for donations on Facebook or other social media sites
• Use the online donation request function on your Relay website
Control Panel
Team Fundraising
The key is to keep things simple, low stress and fun!
The most successful teams have several characteristics in common:
• They are ambitious, inspired and goal-oriented
• They track and celebrate their fundraising progress
• They fundraise both individually and as a team
• They start fundraising well before Relay and deposit their funds
regularly
• They are well-informed about Cancer Society services and how
funds are used to minimise the impact of cancer in our community
• They thank their donors and sponsors
• They inspire, encourage and support one another
Ideas For Schools & Students
Share the Power of Purple:
• Display posters, bunting, and balloons throughout the school
• Designate a Relay For Life fundraising day
• Include information about Relay For Life in the school newsletter or
on the school’s website
• Sell purple flowers, purple food or drinks
• Have a purple mufti day
• Decorate a common area completely in purple
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