St. Jude Math-A-Thon Coordinator Resource Guide. Doing Math. Saving Lives. mathathon.org. St. Jude patient Savannah, brain cancer

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1 St. Jude Math-A-Thon Coordinator Resource Guide Doing Math. Saving Lives. mathathon.org St. Jude patient Savannah, brain cancer

2 Your Kit Includes: Coordinator Resource Guide Goal Poster Donation Submission Form Sample Funbook Event Poster Donation Return Envelope Parent Letter

3 1 A letter from Hender s family In March 2015, we were stunned to learn one of our sons, Hender, had rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of the soft tissue. When Hender was referred to St. Jude for treatment, we did not hesitate to come, even though it would take us thousands of miles away from our home and our loved ones in Venezuela for more than a year. We knew it was the right choice, because St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. From the very first moment, St. Jude was supportive. Being at St. Jude was like being injected with energy, encouragement and strength. Now, because of St. Jude and people like you, Hender is cancer-free and loving life. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Sincerely, Hender and Rubiana, Hender s parents Years of fundraising experience and expertise have gone into the development and compilation of these tips and guidelines. They are provided for the enhancement and effectiveness of your experience as a volunteer for St. Jude Children s Research Hospital. Please respect our request that this information remain proprietary by not sharing with others or using for other charitable purposes. SPECIAL NOTE: Raffles cannot be conducted on behalf of St. Jude. Please contact the Coordinator Support Team at if you have questions.

4 2 Meet Hender rhabdomyosarcoma Hender s family was familiar with St. Jude Children s Research Hospital. In fact, they had donated to St. Jude, never thinking they would ever see the hospital, much less need it. Then, in March of 2015, Hender s parents were devastated to learn their middle child had cancer. Hender was afflicted with rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer that develops in soft tissue. Having obtained a referral, his family traveled more than 2,000 miles from their home to reach St. Jude, where Hender underwent a lengthy treatment plan of proton therapy and chemotherapy. It was hard for us because we were so far from home, far from family, far from my work, said Hender s father. You always have worries, but most of them St. Jude takes care of, like housing and transportation. It was an incredible help for us. Hender is now cancer-free. He is in the second grade and loves playing basketball and riding bikes.

5 3 St. Jude Math-A-Thon makes a difference The St. Jude Math-A-Thon lets students practice math skills while helping the kids of St. Jude. Your fundraising efforts could be life-changing for a patient and their family. Thanks to programs like the St. Jude Math-A-Thon and supporters like you, St. Jude Children s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than 80 percent since it opened more than 50 years ago. Thank you for being a special part of this celebration, and thank you for your commitment to the children of St. Jude. St. Jude patient Daniel, blood cancer

6 4 St. Jude Math-A-Thon makes a difference Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. Your donation What it means for St. Jude $750 Provides five days of oxygen for a St. Jude patient During treatment, St. Jude patients may need oxygen to help their bodies function properly and aid in healing $1,000 Covers approximately two-thirds of the cost of one day of chemotherapy $2,500 Helps provide an ultrasound study $5,000 Provides ten platelet transfusions essential for treatment $7,500 Covers two months of Child Life Specialist services $10,000 Provides groceries to a St. Jude family for two years Our goal for St. Jude We have students participating. Together, we ll raise $ for children battling cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

7 5 Implementing your St. Jude Math-A-Thon 1 Set up (6 weeks before event) Visit mathathon.org to set up your school s fundraising webpage. Use the link and username sent to you via from the St. Jude Math-A-Thon team. Customize your page, including your school s fundraising goal (see getting started online page 6-7). Check out this year s coordinator and student prizes at mathathon.org/prizes. Set dates for a kick-off celebration and your official Math-A-Thon challenge week. (these are typically 1-3 weeks apart) 2 Spread the word (3 weeks before challenge week) Get others involved! Log in to your Event Management Center at mathathon.org and use the available resources to promote your school s event. Recruit staff and volunteers using available templates. Send s to encourage participants to register. Send home Sponsor Form Envelopes and Parent Letters (template included). Use the enclosed posters to promote your challenge week or have students create their own. Host a kick-off celebration. Let students know that the kids of St. Jude are counting on them! Show students one of the St. Jude patient videos included at mathathon.org/resources. Send Challenge Week reminder s to parents and volunteers. Contact local media and post on your school s social media pages to gain support. 3 Start fundraising Encourage students and parents to use the templates included in their online fundraising accounts to seek sponsorship. See page 9 for additional fundraising tips.

8 6 4 Do the math (Challenge week) Distribute a Funbook to each student (Funbooks are available online or you can place your order by calling ). Each day, students complete one page of math problems. Provide encouragement through daily announcements and reminders. Start a discussion with students about the St. Jude mission to bring home the importance of helping others. Find patient stories and more at stjude.org/stories. 5 Wrap-up (post event) Collect all donations and send them to St. Jude. Complete the Donation Submission Form (included in your kit) and return to St. Jude in the postage paid envelopes provided. Be sure to include your school s event code. Once donations are received, St. Jude will send an to participants inviting them to order prizes. NEW this year, prizes will be shipped directly to participants. Announce your event success by hosting a school celebration and by sharing pictures with our St. Jude School Programs Facebook Community (facebook.com/groups/stjudeschoolprograms).

9 7 Getting started online The St. Jude Math-A-Thon fundraising website can help boost your fundraising totals. 1 Log in to your Event Management Center Visit mathathon.org to set up your school s fundraising page. If you do not have your login credentials from the St. Jude Math-A-Thon team, select the option to have your credentials sent to your primary address used for registration.

10 8 2 Customize your school s event page Once you ve logged in to your Event Management Center, click Edit your event page to customize your page with your event name, date and time. Upload an image for your page by clicking Update the event image. Customize your page s URL to make your event page easy to share with parents, family and friends. 3 Engage event participants Use the tab in your Event Management Center to communicate with families and teachers. Create s using editable templates. Send messages to encourage, engage and thank participants. 4 Track and manage your progress Use tools in your Event Management Center to track fundraising and manage participants. Use the Reports tab to track fundraising progress. Use the Management tab to enter offline donations and manage participants. Remember, offline gifts need to be logged in the Event Management Center in order for participants to receive credit toward their prizes. NEW this year, prizes will be shipped directly to participants. If you have any questions, please contact our coordinator support team at or mathathon@stjude.org.

11 9 Enhance your St. Jude Math-A-Thon To build excitement, consider hosting your event alongside holidays or other celebrations. Pi Day (March 14) Valentine s Day We Love St. Jude Halloween Thanksgiving To boost your fundraising total, consider including additional activities. Here are some ideas: Homework pass giveaway Bake sales Coin drive Pajama day

12 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, FUNBOOK ( ), mathathon.org. St. Jude Children s Research Hospital is a registered trademark of St. Jude Children s Research Hospital, Inc. Math-A-Thon is a registered trademark of ALSAC, Inc ALSAC/St. Jude Children s Research Hospital. (33596) MAT010119