Team Captain’s Guide
We welcome you and your team to
CancerCare’s Annual Walk/Run for Hope!
People raise more money together than they do on their
own. By registering as a team, you have taken the first
step in raising money for CancerCare’s free, professional
support services.
This guide will help you with creative team recruitment
and fundraising ideas. You will find easy and challenging
fundraising tips, ways to motivate your team members
to raise more money, and a helpful team building
check-list.
Good luck with your fundraising. We look forward to
seeing you and your team at the Walk/Run for Hope!
Get Started!
1. Select a team name.
2. Visit www.cancercare.org/walknj and click “Start a
New Team” to register to walk/run and create your
team.
3. Set up your team’s fundraising page under My Team
in your fundraising dashboard. Create a friendly URL
for your team’s page to make it easy to share your
page with family and friends. Upload photos and share
your story about why your team is walk/running.
4. Email family, friends and co-workers to ask them to
join or donate to your team.
Special Notes About Fundraising as a Team
All team members must register for the event.
Each member is responsible for the registration fee.
All donations will be credited to an individual team
member. Donations made to the team will be credited to
the team captain.
Remember:
People raise more
money together than
they do alone!
Potential Team Members and Donors
Attorney
Alumni associations
Church members
Classmates
Clients
Co-workers
CPA
Daycare center
Dentist
Doctor
Employer
Family
Financial adviser
Friends
Hair stylist
Holiday card list
Landscaper
Neighbors
Parents’ friends
Professional associations
Psychologist
Relatives
Roommates
School club members
Sorority/Fraternity
Spouse’s business associates
Team Building and Fundraising Check-list
Team Member Recruitment
P I have registered my team at www.cancercare.org/walknj.
P
P I have handed out team flyers to encourage member recruitment.
P I have sent emails/letters to my friends, colleagues and family to join my team.
P I have reached out to thank each new member for joining my team and encouraged
them to invite others to join as well.
P I have publicized my team’s participation in the Walk/Run for Hope by hanging posters
in the places I frequent, such as my office, church and school.
Team Fundraising
P I have scheduled team meetings to meet and discuss our fundraising strategy.
P I have sent out “sponsor me” emails/letter to my contacts asking for support and I
have encouraged my team members to do the same.
P I have made a list of possible team fundraisers and scheduled one or more already.
P Team members have checked to see if their companies have matching gift programs.
P I have reached out to my donors and thanked them for their support and encouraged
my team members to do the same.
P I sent reminder emails to those contacts that have not sponsored me yet.
Team Motivation
P I created friendly competitions between my team members offering special awards for
team members that reach certain fundraising goals.
P I have shared the importance of raising money for Walk/Run for Hope by informing my
team members of what the money will benefit.
P I send weekly or biweekly updates to my team members with fundraising updates and
to share new ideas.
P I have created team t-shirts or other team items to wear at the event.
Visit Fundraising Resources for email templates, flyers and more.
Build Your Team
P Let everyone you know you are starting a team
and why.
P
P Post your team page on Facebook or in your
email signature.
P Invite your friends, roommates, classmates,
family and coworkers to attend a gathering
at your home, happy hour, or a local hang-out.
This gives you a chance to share your walk/run
experiences. Give out prizes to the first 10
people who sign up.
P Hang team posters in your residents hall. You
can add your team name and website.
P Challenge each team member to recruit one
other member. Give a prize the team member
who recruits the most people to join the team.
P Distribute event brochures. You can request
these by emailing [email protected].
Motivate Your Team
P Hold a drawing for team members who reach
certain fundraising levels. When a team
member raises $250, $500, and $1,000, they
can be entered into a drawing for a fabulous
prize. Ask your workplace or college to donate
the drawing prize such as a college sweatshirt or
a few extra vacation hours.
P Send motivational emails to all team members
when someone reaches a certain fundraising
goal.
P Hold a team party and create team t-shirts.
Simple Team Fundraising Ideas
Loose Change: Start a home or workplace piggy bank. At the
end of the day, ask everyone to empty their pockets. You will be
surprised at how quickly the coins add up.
Write It: Start a letter or email writing campaign to your friends,
family, coworkers and contacts. Include a personal story or a
special memory of a loved one in your note. *
Team Fundraising Highlights
Each year, employees at Eisai hold a jeans day in their
office to raise funds for the Walk/Run for Hope. All the
money raised supports Team Eisai’s fundraising
efforts.
Matching Gifts: Remind your donors and team members about
company matching gifts. This is an easy way to double your
team’s funds.
Book Sale: Clean off your bookshelves and hold a book sale in
your workplace or residence hall.
Spread the Word: Ask your employer if you can include your
team’s business card with the weekly paychecks. Hopefully
employees will use their week’s earnings to give a donation to
your team.
Challenging Team Fundraising Ideas
Dress Down Days: Ask your company to conduct a Dress Down
Day for employees. Designate a day where employees can give
a donation to dress down.
Host a Party: Throw a great party and charge admission! Ask
local businesses to donate prizes (gift cards, TVs, weekend
getaways) to be raffled off at the party.
Company Sponsorship: Ask your company to sponsor the
team t-shirts, pay for the team’s registrations fees or donate to
the team or to the first 10 employees who register. Many
companies like to support the causes that mean the most to
their employees.
Share your Story with the Community: Submit information
about your team’s participation to your company’s employee
newsletter or local or college paper. Provide information on how
people can join your team, create their own team or make a
donation.
Last year, a Tomorrow’s Hopefuls team member held a
yardsale and donated all of the proceeds to her
Walk/Run for Hope team.
Important Reminders
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All team members must register.
Adults (ages 13 and up)
Pre-Registration
$35 minimum donation
Race-Day Registration
$40 minimum donation
USATF-NJ Member Discount
Pre-Registration
$32 minimum donation
Race-Day Registration
$37 minimum donation
Children 12 and under
5K and Fun Run
$20 minimum donation
Fun Run Only
$10 minimum donation
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Register your team online and create your team
fundraising page.
Each team member will be credited with the dollar
amount he/she raises. The dollar amount will also be
applied to the team’s total. Donations made to the team
will be credited to the team captain.
Keep your fundraising efforts fun and motivational.
Schedule team fundraising events or create team shirts.
For any additional questions about the Walk/Run for
Hope, email [email protected] or visit
www.cancercare.org/walknj.