Tools for Businesses
TIPS FOR TEAM CAPTAINS
Doing the “Cha Cha” is a team effort, and every team needs leaders. Good communicators who are creative
or detail-oriented can really shine as Team Captains. Thank you for agreeing to perform this important role.
As a Team Captain, you will work with Charity Representative(s) at your partner nonprofit to develop a deep
and lasting relationship that provides support for their mission, while also giving you a tool to motivate and
quantify employee engagement.
Create a Strategy
Work with your charity partner and interested employees to come up with a plan for the Challenge. Map
out a few activities to do together throughout the year. We find it helpful to look at both organizations’
goals, your charity’s existing volunteer opportunities, and your company resources. Have fun getting
creative … new ideas for volunteering and fundraising are welcomed by most charities!
Inform your Staff
The more your employees know about the Challenge, the more they can support it! Feel free to use the
introductory email in this Toolkit. But don’t stop there! Put dates on people’s calendars early. Have your
charity partner come by to talk about their mission. Tell your staff a little about each volunteer day or
fundraiser, both before and after it happens. Create a buzz. Don’t be afraid to personally ask others to get
involved. It feels good to be able to help someone in need - offer your staff the gift of that great feeling!
Oversee Activities
Team Captains bring employees together for fundraising and volunteer activities. You’ll work with your
charity representatives to create and execute a plan to help their organization achieve its mission, and
engage your co-workers to put that plan into action. In doing this, consider your workforce, their skills,
schedules, and interests. When things get busy at work, a quick break to make a teacher appreciation kit
or a no-sew blanket for a child in the hospital is a wonderful pick-me-up.
Use our GiveTrak Event Management system to schedule and manage volunteer opportunities and
fundraising events to benefit your charity partner and other nonprofits. We're happy to show you how
this program can make it easy to plan charitable activities and get your fellow employees involved.
Report Accomplishments
Because we want your team to get credit for all its efforts, Team Captains should know what counts and how
to report it. As a Team Captain, you are responsible for reporting money raised at employee fundraisers and
money or the value of goods donated by your business on GiveTrak, our online reporting system. You may
report your co-workers’ volunteer time, ask them to report their own time, or enjoy automatic reporting by
scheduling your events on GiveTrak. We recommend that you invite all employees to view their own
contribution records on this user-friendly system to increase personal ownership, enhance engagement, and
promote a sense of achievement.
Reporting all contributions improves your chance to win one of our five different awards. Some awards are
tallied per employee so any sized business can win, while others count contributions to multiple charities
focused on impact related to a particular issue or geographic community. Since the two impact award winners
are determined based on volunteer hours and fundraising for all related charities, don’t limit your reporting to
just your charity partner. See “Reporting Contributions” in this Toolkit for details on what and how to report.
TIPS FOR TEAM CAPTAINS
Verify Contributions
Team Captains can view a list of all contributions reported by team members on GiveTrak. To help ensure
fairness and accuracy, you should work with your charity representative to check and verify reported
contributions. Please update donations and verify contributions at least once per month.
Encourage Support
You and your co-workers may ask clients and friends to support your team by visiting your Team Page and
donating to your charity partner. These donations must be designated “in honor of Chicago Charity
Challenge” and will be reported by your charity rep.
Stay Up-to-Date
Keep your team up-to-date with the latest Challenge news. Total contributions will be displayed on our
website and standings will be publicized periodically by email. You will also receive our monthly newsletter
featuring Challenge news, events, and team spotlights. These spotlights are great for inspiring new project
ideas and publicizing your team’s accomplishments.
Share
Promote your involvement through social media, on your website, and by uploading photos of your Challenge
activities to your Team Page. We can also post any public fundraising or volunteer events on the Challenge
Calendar to increase visibility and participation.
Participate in Challenge Events
Throughout the competition, we will be holding a number of events for our Challenge teams. These events are
meant to bring partners together, boost morale, encourage networking, and kick up the competition. Don’t miss
these fun get-togethers!
Let Us Show You Off
Let the world know you’re participating in the Challenge by posting our Participant Emblem on your website.
Send us a quick email when something wonderful happens. We love sharing your stories, and it’s always
more fun when someone else brags about you!
Ask for Help
The Chicago Charity Challenge staff is here for you. We would love for your team to win one of our awards!
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any problems, questions, or ideas to share.
225 W Wacker Drive, 8th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606 | 312.506.5006