TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE May 1, 2016 Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex
WELCOME Why We Race One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Every minute, somewhere in the world, someone dies from breast cancer. Because, breast cancer knows no boundaries- be it age, gender, socio-economic status or geographic location. At the current rate, 13 million breast cancer deaths around the world will occur in the next 25 years. When you participate and fundraise for Race for the Cure, you fight these statistics with us. Komen has played a critical role in almost every major advancement in the fight against breast cancer and is the largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research and with your help, we can reach our vision of a world without breast cancer. Team Captain Role A team captain s role is to recruit, inspire and motivate people to register and fundraise for Komen North Jersey Race for the Cure. Since teams make up the vast majority of Race participants, your role as Team Captain will make a huge difference in the fight against breast cancer. Everything you will need to recruit, fundraise and communicate with team members can be found at the online Participant Center. You can send your team members reminders to raise funds, use our tips on fundraising (located at the FAQs and FORMS button on our website) and share information on team packet pick-up and meeting arrangements at Race. Komen North Jersey also offers fun incentives (Pink Perks) to motivate our participants to raise money for the cure! Race for the Cure WHERE Essex County South Mountain Recreation Area 560 Northfield Ave, West Orange Parking available at the Livingston Mall WHEN Sunday, May 1, 2016 7AM Noon REGISTER KomenNorthJersey.org/Race FEES Runners - $40 Walkers - $35 Under 17 - $20 Registered participants receive an official Race for the Cure t-shirt and bib Fees increase by $5 on Race Day PINK PERKS Team and Individuals Incentive Program Team Perks Team with all members fundraising (minimum $10 per person) will receive a team banner Team raising over $2,500 and get a team tent for you teammates to meet and relax Teams raising over $5,000 and get your own team tent and private port-a-potty Participant Perks Make a self donation and be entered to win TWO 25,000 AAdvantage Miles Certificates, courtesy of American Airlines Raise $250 and choose a gift of your choice The more you raise, the better the prize! Raise over $1,000 and join the Pink Honor Roll or over $1,500 and join the VIP Pink Honor Roll
GETTING STARTED. AS EASY AS 1 2 3 1 REGISTER There are a few ways you can register for Race for the Cure! To get started, pick a team name and team captains. You can have as many team captains as you would like and each can have a goal for how many participants they recruit and how much money they raise. Next, register your team in one of the following ways: Visit KomeNorthJersey.org/Race to register. Don t forget to set a goal! Call 908-277-2904 to register via phone Complete and mail, fax or email the paper registration form available on the Participant Center Once you re registered, don t forget to make a self-donation! Participants who make a self-donation are entered into a drawing to win 25,000 AA miles! 2 RECRUIT The next step is recruit, recruit, recruit. Anyone can be on your team family members, friends, coworkers or neighbors. Teams can have a few as two people or more than 100! Company, families, schools and communities can form teams to Race for the Cure. Send emails from your Participant Center asking people to join for in racing for a cure. In just a few steps, you can let other know that you created a team and need them to sign up as well. Use social media! Use the online Participant Center to post your team webpage link to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn so you friends know that you up for Race for the Cure and are asking them to join too. Don t forget to personalize your Race web page with photos and messages! By doing this you are connecting with your team and explaining why supporting Komen North Jersey is important to you. Find additional ideas to recruit team members in the Recruiting Ideas section. Remember, your registration gets you to the start line, but your fundraising gets us closer to the cures!
GETTING STARTED. AS EASY AS 1 2 3 3 FUNDRAISE Once you are signed up for Race, Komen makes it fun and easy to fundraise. Our online Participant Center makes it easy for you to track your fundraising progress and your donors, send emails asking your personal relationships for support, and personalizing your web page. Participants who personalize their web page with stories and photos tend to raise more money by creating a more emotional/personal connection with friends, families, colleagues and even people you may not know very well as they decide to join your team! Send emails to friends, family and co-workers from your Participant Center Post your webpage on social media to ask friends and family to make a donation Ask! Ask! Ask! Ask your neighbor, dry cleaner, hair dresser, co-worker...everyone and anyone can donate Hold a fundraiser at home or in your office. See our Fundraising Tools section for some ideas! 8 Great Things about our Online Participant Center 1 Easily personalize your page with stories and photos 2 Create your own URL 3 Log in through your mobile device 4 Email your entire address book all at once 5 Easily connect to social media 6 Email your entire team reminders and updates 7 Track your donations and send thank you emails to donors 8 Quickly track your fundraising progress to see how close you are to $ your goal Remember, your registration gets you to the start line, but your fundraising gets us closer to the cures!
RECRUITING IDEAS Looking for ideas on who to recruit for your team? Teams can have a few as two people or more than 100! It s up to you! Company, families, schools and communities can form teams to Race for the Cure. Below are some ideas of key people to recruit for your team. Some of the most successful teams recruit Executive Champions, Co-Captains and Ambassador for their team. By recruiting team members for these roles, you are setting yourself up for a very successful Race for the Cure! Executive Champion Executive Champions are CEO or executive level members who can motivate other employees and departments to join the company Race team. Executive Champions can help get things done and put company support behind your efforts. Your Executive Champion can send company wide emails with your Race team registration information, encourage others to participate, maybe even challenge their peers to a fundraising competition! Samples emails are provided in the Fundraising Tools & Ideas section. Co-Captains Teams can have more than one captain. Recruit a few other captains to help with recruiting and fundraising efforts. If you have a company or school team, co-captains can spearhead recruitment and fundraising within their own departments, grades or classes. Ambassadors An ambassador is someone who has been personally touched by breast cancer. They can be a survivor or a co-survivor who is willing to share their story. They are passionate about Komen s promise to end breast cancer forever and can rally their friends, family and co-workers to register and fundraise for Race for the Cure. Ambassadors can share their story through email, social media or at team events. They can thank team members for registering and fundraising. They can lead your team on Race Day. They can motivate others to help us get closer to the cures.
FUNDRAISING TOOLS & IDEAS Online Fundraising Last year, participants who raised money online raised 90% more than those who didn t. Online fundraising is fast, easy and secure. Here are some ideas to maximize your online fundraising. Set a goal! Setting goals for the team and each participant motivates everyone and lets others know what you want to raise for Race for the Cure. Goals can be personally significant such as $5,000 in honor of a five year survivor. A goal poster is provided in the Team Captain Handbook. Personalize your online fundraising pages to include photos and personal messages. Participants who personalize their fundraising pages typically receive more support. Send out emails. Lots of emails! Did you know that on average, donors need up to six reminders before they make a donation. So keep asking! Use the Participant Center to easily send emails to the contacts in your address book. Sample emails are available at the Participant Center and in the Fundraising Tools & Ideas section. Finally, don t forget to make a self-donation. This will kick start your fundraising and show your donors that you are also investing in the cause you are asking them to donate to. Remember to ask donors if they have a matching gifts program at work. Matching gifts can double or even triple their donation! Social Media You are connected to hundreds of friends (and potential donors) through social media. Post your team or personal link on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets to let friends know you are participating in Race for the Cure and need their support. Here are a few suggestions for how you can raise money on social media: Post a personal story about why you are running or walking in Race for the Cure. Invite friends to join your at Race for the Cure. Ask friends to repost your donation request to their networks. Tag friends who have donated in thank you messages. Post your fundraising process and what you need to raise to reach your goal. The more posts you make, the more likely you are to receive donations. Don t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at KomenNorthJersey and on Twitter at @komennja. Other Fundraising Ideas Looking for fundraisers you can do at your office or school? Here are a few ideas: Plan a Jeans Day! Co-workers make a donations to wear jeans to work to raise awareness for breast cancer. In lieu of presents for a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion, ask friends and family to make a donation to your Race for the Cure team. Host a bake sale at your school or office. Ask friends to bake or purchase items to sell. Provide incentives! For company teams reward top fundraisers with a premium parking spot or lunch with the president. For friends, offer a home cooked meal or baked good to your top fundraisers. Friendly competition provides great motivation.
FUNDRAISING TOOLS & IDEAS Sample Recruiting Letter: Dear The Susan G. Komen North Jersey Race for the Cure is taking place on May 1, 2016 at the Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex and I would like you to join [TEAM NAME]. I started [TEAM NAME] [IN MEMORY/HONOR/CELEBRATION OF ]. We hope to raise $ for Race for the Cure. By joining [TEAM NAME] you are helping to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment that could save lives and end breast cancer forever. Please register at [TEAM LINK]. [INCLUDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEAM AND/OR UP- COMING TEAM EVENTS]. Thank you for joining [TEAM NAME] for Race for the Cure! Sincerely, [TEAM CAPTAIN NAME] Sample Fundraising Letter: Dear I m taking and amazing journey and I d like you to support me. Thousands of men and women are going to participate in the Susan G. Komen North Jersey Race for the Cure on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at the Essex County South Mountain Recreation Area to raise money for breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment. I ve formed [TEAM NAME] in [MEMORY, HONOR, CELEBRATION OF ]. I ve set a lofty goal of to raise money for Susan G. Komen s fight against breast cancer. I know you understand why this is so important to me and why I m asking for your financial support. Walking is easy for me but asking for dollars is not. But if we are ever going to find answers to incredibly difficult problems like breast cancer, I have to ask. Please take a moment to make a donation at [TEAM/PERSONAL PAGE LINK]. Thank you for your support and contribution. Sincerely, NAME PS Don t forget to ask your company if they have a matching gifts program. You can double or even triple your donation!
Why do you RACE? I RACE Help us start a MOVEMENT! All of our supporters RACE for a reason. Either a family member, friend, colleague or even just someone you know may have battled Breast Cancer, is a Survivor or even a Forever Fighter. We all support RACE for the CURE and have ONE thing in common: WE WANT TO HELP SAVE LIVES AND END BREAST CANCER FOREVER! Help us build a movement to show all of the different reasons of why you participate in RACE for the CURE. Why do you support Susan G. Komen North Jersey? Let us better understand how each and every one of you Inspire Hope, Celebrate Life and Race for the Cure! Why I race? I Race for Breast cancer Awareness and that it puts us one step closer to a cure. ~ Sharon Daughtry-Simon I race to give back, to celebrate and to inspire other people to do the same. ~ Maureen Dyer I run because I can. I run for those who no longer can. I run for awareness. I run for a cure. ~ Mark A. Futterweit, ESQ. I race to join hands with other survivors you are not alone. I race and will continue to race until we find a cure. I race so all men and women will have access to the best care possible. ~ Kristin Wenger WHY DO YOU RACE? Share your stories with the North Jersey Communities, inspire hope and start a movement to work together so one day all women will have access to quality care and one day we will be a part of the CURE! Please share your story because with out you Komen North Jersey would not be where it is today! CONTACT US! : race@komennorthjersey.org or (908) 277-2904.
OUR GOAL $ HELP US SAVE LIVES AND END BRESAT CANCER FOREVER SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2016 ESSEX COUNTY SOUTH MOUNTAIN RECREATION KOMENNORTHJERSEY.ORG/RACE Susan G. Komen s mission is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering others, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures. Join Race for the Cure at KomenNorthJersey.org/Race