Team Captain s Guide. Leading Your Team to Success

Team Captain s Guide Leading Your Team to Success

Even If There s No I in Team, We re So Glad There s You As a Team Captain, you ve just taken the first step in making our common goals a reality. Thank you! We re so grateful to have your leadership as we begin the American Diabetes Association s Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes campaign. The funds you raise will go to support our mission efforts, including diabetes research, education and advocacy. Long after your Step Out event is over, we hope you will feel and see the results of your efforts in your own community. Step Out is a one day walk dedicated to raising funds and hope in the fight against diabetes. In over 180 communities across America, we re gathering to make a difference and to show our belief that a cure for diabetes is within our reach. As a Team Captain, you re our link to the millions of Americans who need our help and who want to be a part of the cure. If you ve never been a Team Captain before or if this is something you do every year this guide was made just for you. It has tips and information to help you form a Team, set (and reach!) fund-raising goals and have a meaningful Step Out experience. Why Step Out as a Team? Ever heard the expression, two heads are better than one? The same is true for walking. You ll have more fun, and enjoy your Step Out experience more, if you Step Out as a Team! In addition, you ll never find a better reason to walk than for the American Diabetes Association and the fight against diabetes. There are more than 21 million Americans living with diabetes. If current trends continue, one out of three Americans will develop diabetes in their lifetime. While these statistics are frightening, they also mean that there are a lot of people out there who care enough about diabetes to be your teammate. Join the tens of thousands of walkers around the nation! Your team can make a difference by supporting the American Diabetes Association s mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives all people affected by diabetes. 1

Step One: Make it Happen If you haven t registered for Step Out yet, don t worry! Just follow the simple steps below to make it happen: Go online to diabetes.org/stepout to complete our easy registration process. Make sure to select Start or Join a Team. The first person to start a Team is automatically the Team Captain. Choose a Team name and notify your teammates using the Join My Team e-mail function in your Step Out Center. Spread the word about Step Out. Send e-mails to friends, family and colleagues including a link to you Team s Web page. Use brochures, sign-up posters, or flyers at your workplace or favorite coffee shop. Contact your local American Diabetes Association office for tools and templates to help you create excitement about Step Out and raise money for this important cause. Have your teammates register by choosing Start or Join a Team and selecting your Team name. You can also contact your local ADA representative by calling 1-888-DIABETES to get a paper registration form and a Team sign-up roster to register your teammates. If you re already registered as an individual walker and wish to become a Team Captain, we can help you get started. Reach out to your local ADA representative to change your registration status as a Team Captain. Or click the Contact Us button on diabetes.org/stepout and tell them you want to be a Team Captain. Please include your name, event location, Team name and Team fund-raising goal. You re all set! 2

Step Two: Who s on Your Team? Everyone s a potential walker for your Step Out Team. Start with your top candidates: Those who have walked with you in the past People who are affected by diabetes or support the American Diabetes Association Friends, relatives, neighbors and co-workers Members of clubs and organizations that you belong to Then start thinking about others who may be interested or may have a link to diabetes that you are unaware of: The barista who makes your favorite coffee drink every morning Your dentist, doctor or other medical professional Your postal service delivery person Your bank teller Your hair stylist The helpful grocery store employee who bags your food with a smile Make joining your Team easy by using online registration. Go to diabetes.org/stepout to set up your own Team Web page and immediately begin fund-raising. Raising funds online is easy and effective! The web site also offers tools that allow you to easily send email updates to your Team about the event. Once you start asking, you ll be surprised at how many people are affected by diabetes and want to do something to stop America s fastest growing disease. At the American Diabetes Association, our Step Out Teams often focus around one of two main groups: Friends and Family Teams or Corporate Teams. 3

Building Your Friends and Family Team Friends and Family Teams are often organized in support of someone living with diabetes or as a tribute to someone who suffered from diabetes during his or her life. They also draw a huge contingency of participants who want to walk in support of a significant cause. Participating as a Friends and Family Team is a wonderful way to remember a loved one, or to show someone how much you care about their health. If your family is spread out across the country, use Step Out as an excuse to get together for a reunion. Walking in Step Out to Fight Diabetes is a great way to reunite with old friends and make new ones. Start by sending out an e-mail or letter asking your friends and family to register. Check your Step Out Center online for template letters. Explain why you re walking. Include a link to your personal Web page. Ask your teammates to pass the message along to anyone they know who might be interested. If you have friends or family members who would like to participate, but can t make it because they live too far away, ask them to join your Team as Ghost Walkers. They can register and raise money like your other teammates, even if they will only be present in spirit! Chances are, someone you know has diabetes, or will develop it in their life time. By creating a Step Out Team, you are sending a strong message to your family, friends, and community that you care about the health and welfare of the people in your life and are committed to battling a disease that impacts more than 21 million children and adults in America each and every day. 4

Building Your Corporate Team Consider creating a Corporate Team at your workplace. Many companies support their employees community activities by matching donations or offering other benefits for participation. In addition, you re not only helping the ADA, you re helping your health as well! Encourage your co-workers to register by informing them about the many health benefits of walking. Create a Step Out Team in your organization and rally you co-workers around an important causes that impacts millions of people across the country. Whether your group is large or small, participation in Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes is a great way to build team spirit and a sense of camaraderie among employees. Try these tactics to build your Corporate Team: Ask your company to match the funds raised by employees. Some companies already have policies to support matching gifts. Ask to make an announcement at an upcoming staff meeting. Write an article for your employee newsletter. Hang a recruitment poster and a Team roster up in your office, cubicle or break room. Include facts about exercise and a healthy diet to motivate them to walk. Host Team fund-raising events, such as a Dress Down for Diabetes Day, at the office to get the word out. See more ideas for office fund-raisers on the following page. Incorporate Step Out and your training walks in other workplace health initiatives. 5

Step Three: Double (or Triple) Your Fund-Raising Power When you build your Step Out Team, you re also collecting your fund-raising partners. Setting and reaching your fund-raising goal is that much easier with a Team working together! As the Team Captain, you should set a fund-raising goal with the help of your teammates. Talk about your overall Team goal and the amount each teammate will raise, as well as donations that you can ask for as a group. It creates more of an impact when you ask together! Ask for donations at your place of worship or from local civic clubs. Organize a bake sale in your neighborhood or office. Offer healthy treats such as low-fat brownies or sugar-free fruit smoothies. Host a party or a dance and charge admission benefiting your Team! Charge co-workers $5 and host a Jeans Day at your office. Approach local businesses and ask them to sell Step Out pin-ups. Brainstorm about ways to freshen up traditional fund-raising activities, such as car washes or silent auctions. Incorporate facts about diabetes and the ADA! Your Team also has a powerful online fund-raising presence. By registering online, each Team member has access to the ADA s online fund-raising tools through his or her Step Out Center. Participants have the ability to: Build a personal Web page to explain why they re walking. Upload personal e-mail address books into their Step Out Center. Send e-mails to friends, family and co-workers asking for donations. How Donations to a Team Work For more information on crediting Team gifts to your Team, please refer to your Official Handbook or contact your local ADA representative. The American Diabetes Association is leading the fight to eradicate diabetes and its complications. Every sponsor you sign up and every dollar you raise help fund important education and advocacy efforts and brings us one step closer to finding a cure for diabetes. 6

Step Four: Motivate and Engage Your Teammates As the Team Captain, your role is two-fold: not only are you a Step Out participant, you re also a leader. It s your job to reach your personal goal and to motivate and encourage your teammates to reach theirs as well. There are small things you can do to build your Team spirit: To help motivate your Team, chart successes for friendly motivation, post fund-raising accomplishments, set-up group fund-raising activities, and encourage sharing of successful fund-raising strategies. As Team Captain, do what you can to offer members support, encourage progress and keep your Team energized. 7 Get excited! Host regular meetings at a favorite coffee shop or local restaurant to check on your Team s progress. These meetings can be both social and productive. Wear matching Team T-Shirts or buttons while fund raising and walking in the Step Out event. Use your Step Out Center to check on each Team member s fund-raising progress. E-mail your teammates to update them. Include diabetes information or statistics in your communications. Assign roles. People step up to the plate when they are given responsibility. Give each Team member an assignment. These jobs could include asking for donations, writing letters, counting the money raised or recruiting additional teammates. Drop off an inspirational message and a healthy snack to your teammate s home or office. Visit diabetes.org to find a meaningful diabetes story or statistic to include.

Step Five: Stay in Touch with the ADA It s important to us that you know you re not alone in your Team Captain responsibilities. Your local ADA representative is there to help you and your teammates succeed. If you need help, reach out to the ADA with a phone call or an e-mail. We can help you remember why you re walking and raising money, and brainstorm about ideas to help you meet your goals. You re helping us to reach our goals, and we want you to reach yours! The American Diabetes Association provides your community with important tools and information to help improve the lives of those affected by diabetes. To learn more, or to get involved, please contact your local office at 1-888-DIABETES. The American Diabetes Association Your participation in Step Out will benefit the amazing work of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The ADA is the nation s leading nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. Powered by a network of more than one million volunteers and a membership representing diabetes patients and their families, physicians, scientists, nurses, dietitians, pharmacists and educators ADA s mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. ADA holds the Better Business Bureau s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance Seal for National Charities. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance evaluates each charity s governance, fund-raising practices, solicitations and informational materials, as well as how it spends its money. The Alliance s standards of measurement hold charitable organizations to higher principles than those required by law, thereby making the seal convey a strong and comprehensive confirmation of each organization s accountability. 8

More About Diabetes Right now, nearly one third of people living with diabetes don t even know they have it. Here are some important facts about the two major types of diabetes, and how to tell if you or someone you know might be at risk. What s your Type? Type 1 Where it comes from: The body s failure to produce insulin; type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Who it affects: 5-10% of all people with diabetes, approximately 1 million Americans. What you need to know: This form of diabetes is not preventable and has no cure. Type 2 Where it comes from: The body s resistance to insulin. Who it affects: 90-95% of all people with diabetes; people who are at increased risk, including those overweight, over the age of 45, African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders. What you need to know: In many cases, type 2 diabetes can be prevented or at least delayed through healthy and active lifestyle changes. Please visit the American Diabetes Association s Web site at diabetes.org for comprehensive information about diabetes. 888-DIABETES diabetes.org/stepout 9

Team Captain Checklist Registration m If you haven t registered yet, go online to diabetes.org/stepout and choose Start or Join a Team. m Notify your teammates that it s time for them to register. Send them an e-mail using the Join My Team e-mail function in your Step Out Center. m If you re having problems registering online, contact your local ADA representative by calling 1-888-DIABETES. He or she can provide you with a paper registration form or walk you through the steps online. Recruitment m Brainstorm a list of potential teammates. Think about the people you see every day. You may be surprised at how many of them have a connection to diabetes. m Reach out to family and friends via e-mail or letter and invite them to join your Team. Make your ask personal by including a story about why you are participating in Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes. m Recruit co-workers and take advantage of the tools available to you in the workplace. Ask to make an announcement at a meeting or include an article in a company newsletter. Fund-Raising m Organize a meeting to discuss your Team and personal fund-raising goals. Put your heads together to brainstorm different fund-raising ideas. m Don t forget to ask for donations from community organizations or local corporations. Many corporations offer a matching gift policy to their employees. m Think creatively! Unique or unusual fund-raising ideas and events may attract more attention and more money. Motivation m As Team Captain, you can play a big role in motivating and encouraging your teammates. At your first meeting, ask those who are comfortable to share their reason for participating. m Give leadership assignments or roles to your teammates. This added responsibility will motivate them to go above and beyond. Assignments could include coordinating a fund-raiser, asking for donations from local companies or creating matching T-shirts for event day. Resources m If you need a new idea, have a question, or just need to talk, don t forget to reach out to your local ADA representative at 1-888-DIABETES.

888-DIABETES diabetes.org/stepout