Relay For Life Team Development Chair Guidebook
American Cancer Society Eastern Division
RelayForLife.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook
Table of Contents WELCOME TO THE RELAY FOR LIFE COMMITTEE!...... 5
WHERE DO THE DOLLARS GO?...... 6
RELAY FOR LIFE OVERVIEW...... 9
WHAT IS RELAY FOR LIFE?...... 9 PHILOSOPHY – WHY WE RELAY ...... 9 WHY RELAY?...... 9 NATIONAL RELAY FOR LIFE EVENT STANDARDS...... 10 Overnight Event...... 10 Opening and Closing Ceremony...... 10 Luminaria Ceremony ...... 10 Survivorship Activities ...... 10 Mission Delivery...... 10 Team Registration/Commitment Fee ...... 10 Tobacco-Free Environment ...... 10 No Alcohol Allowed ...... 10 Follow National Text/Graphic Standards...... 11 NATIONAL RELAY FOR LIFE EVENT RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 11 Always Focus on Teams...... 11 Mentor Teams Through Time...... 11 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate ...... 11 Location, Location, Location...... 11 Length of Event...... 11 RELAY FOR LIFE ACROSS THE COUNTRY ...... 12 INTERNATIONAL RELAY FOR LIFE ...... 13 STEP 1 – RECOGNIZE YOUR COMMITMENT...... 14
JOB DESCRIPTION:TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR...... 14 Responsibilities ...... 14 Qualifications ...... 15 Support Provided...... 15 Staff & Volunteer Partnership ...... 15 Your Role on the Relay Planning Committee...... 15 Your Role Leading the Team Development Sub-Committee ...... 17 PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT ...... 19 SUGGESTED TIMELINE...... 22 Your Relay For Life!...... 24 STEP 2 – RECRUIT YOUR PARTNERS...... 25
FIND HELP…BUILD YOUR SUB-COMMITTEE...... 25 WHERE TO LOOK FOR HELP...... 25 Ask People You Know...... 25 DEFINING EXPECTATIONS WITH YOUR SUB-COMMITTEE PARTNERS ...... 26 LEAD YOUR SUB-COMMITTEE WELL...... 27 SUGGESTED ROLE DELINEATIONS ON THE TEAM DEVELOPMENT SUB-COMMITTEE...... 27 Team Development Sub-Committee Chair: Meetings & Kick Off ...... 27
2 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Team Development Sub-Committee Chair: Team Recruitment ...... 28 Team Development Sub-Committee Chair: Team Retention ...... 28 Team Development Sub-Committee Chair: Fundraising...... 29 STEP 3 – ESTABLISH A PLAN ...... 30
HOST A TEAM DEVELOPMENT PLANNING SESSION...... 30 INCLUDE NATIONAL TEAM PARTNERS...... 30 National Corporate Team Program (NCTP)...... 30 National Non-Corporate Team Program (NTP)...... 30 CREATE YOUR ACTION PLAN...... 31 STEP 4 – EDUCATE & ENLIST THE RELAY COMMITTEE ...... 32
THE BRAINSTORMING SESSION ...... 32 FOLLOWING UP WITH THE COMMITTEE ...... 33 WORKING THE TRACK ...... 33 STEP 5 – TEAM POLICIES...... 35
DECIDE BEFORE TEAM MEETINGS...... 35 LOGISTICS &TEAM CAMPSITES...... 35 TEAM REGISTRATION &ACCOUNTING...... 35 15 MEMBERS PER TEAM...... 36 INCENTIVE PRIZES ...... 36 STEP 6 – HOST THE RELAY KICK OFF...... 38
THE IMPORTANCE OF KICK OFF ...... 38 USING A THEME ...... 38 WHET THEIR APPETITES...... 38 SETTING A KICK OFF GOAL...... 38 INVITING PEOPLE TO ATTEND ...... 38 HAVE ONLINE REGISTRATION AVAILABLE...... 39 ARECAP OF TIPS FOR SUCCESS:...... 39 STEP 7 – RECRUIT NEW TEAMS...... 40
INTRODUCTION TO TEAM RECRUITMENT...... 40 THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION...... 40 THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY...... 40 STEPS TO TEAM RECRUITMENT ...... 41 1. Research Team Prospects...... 41 2. Reach Out to Team Prospects...... 42 3. Reel Teams in with Recruitment Presentations...... 43 4. Recognize Teams...... 45 STEP 8 – RETAIN TEAMS ...... 46
TWO PARTS OF TEAM RETENTION ...... 46 BRINGING BACK PAST TEAMS...... 46 GATHERING LISTS OF PAST TEAMS...... 46 RESEARCHING PAST TEAMS ...... 46 PRIORITIZING YOUR TEAM LIST ...... 47 MAKE CONTACT ...... 47 DIFFERENT KINDS OF TEAMS ...... 48 KEEPING TEAMS ONCE THEY SAY YES...... 49 TEAM RETENTION VISIT...... 50 What to Say...... 50 What to Bring...... 50 Follow Up ...... 51 TEAM RETENTION PRESENTATION...... 52 What To Say...... 53 What to Bring...... 53 Follow Up ...... 54
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 3 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook STEP 9 – COMMUNICATE WITH TEAMS YEAR-ROUND ...... 54
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION...... 54 TYPES OF TEAM COMMUNICATION...... 54 TEAM EMAIL UPDATES...... 54 RELAY MAILINGS...... 55 IDEAS FOR OFF-SEASON COMMUNICATION ...... 55 STEP 10 – BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEAMS ...... 56
TEAM MEETINGS ...... 56 Scheduling Meetings...... 56 Planning Meeting Content...... 56 Setting Up the Meeting ...... 57 Leading Your Team Captain Meeting...... 57 Following Up After the Meeting ...... 58 How Does Team Captain University (TCU) Fit In? ...... 58 MENTOR, COACH &DEVELOP TEAMS...... 59 Set Up a Team Mentoring System...... 59 Increase the Team Fundraising Average...... 59 Fundraising Training Tools...... 60 Friendly Competition...... 61 Recognition...... 61 TRACK TEAM PROGRESS...... 61 Reports Available to You ...... 62 T-SHIRTS ...... 62 BANK NIGHT ...... 63 Tips for a Smooth Bank Night Experience...... 63 STEP 11 – RECOGNIZE TEAMS ...... 65
SAY, “THANK YOU!” ...... 65 TEAM AWARDS...... 65 INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION...... 66 Relay All Stars ...... 66 TEAM CAPTAIN RECOGNITION...... 66 TEAM FUNDRAISING CLUB...... 66 INCENTIVE PRIZES ...... 67 STEP 12 – ON-SITE MANAGEMENT ...... 68
WORK THE TRACK...... 68 Schedule and Priority List ...... 68 Three Aspects to Each Work the Track Conversation ...... 68 Following Up After the Relay ...... 69 Working the Track Works!...... 69 COMMUNICATION PLAN FOR EMERGENCIES &URGENT SITUATIONS...... 70 TEAM CHECK-IN AT RELAY...... 70 STEP 13 – WRAP UP ...... 71
FINISH STRONG...... 71 DEVELOP PLANS FOR POST-EVENT FUNDRAISING...... 71 THE IMPORTANCE OF THANK YOU NOTES ...... 71 ATTEND THE COMMITTEE WRAP-UP MEETING...... 71 PLAN A WRAP-UP PARTY FOR TEAM CAPTAINS ...... 71 LEAVING A LEGACY FOR FUTURE YEARS ...... 72 TOOLS, SAMPLES & EXAMPLES...... 73
PULL TEAM &PARTICIPANT REPORTS FROM SIEBEL, NOT CONVIO...... 80 BE AN AWARD-WINNING RELAY!...... 81
4 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook
Welcome to the Relay For Life committee!
On behalf of the Eastern Division Relay For Life Business Unit, thank you for playing an integral role in the mission of the American Cancer Society. Together, we are saving lives and creating more birthdays by helping people stay well, helping people get well, by finding cures, and by fighting back.
Every role on the Relay For Life committee is an important one, and one person cannot do it alone. It takes about 12-16 people to create a good Relay; the more people on the committee the better the Relay! The most successful Relay For Life events in the country have committees with 20 members or more.
The Relay For Life committee is led by an Event Chair or Co-Chairs. The Chair or Co-Chairs act as project managers to ensure the rest of the committee are on track, have the resources they need to be successful, and that they are following up with assignments. Each sub-committee has a Chair and sub-committee members. The sub-committee Chair takes the lead by making plans, delegating responsibilities, and reporting both progress and obstacles to the full committee. The sub-committee members carry out the plans, accept assignments, and support the full committee.
There are some resources that you’ll want to keep handy throughout your term (usually 2 seasons) on the Relay For Life committee: This committee guidebook Relay Central – http://www.RelayForLife.org/NYNJ - a website with Eastern Division- specific information and resources RelayForLife.org – http://www.RelayForLife.org - a national website with information, video training, resources, blogs, forums, and more Regional Mini-Conference – check with your staff partner about upcoming trainings in your area
By joining the Relay For Life committee, you are leading your community – or campus – in the fight against cancer. You are taking responsibility for one aspect of the Relay For Life…one piece of the puzzle…to help ensure its overall success. The funds raised at Relay For Life help support the mission of the American Cancer Society. On the next few pages, you’ll read about the accomplishments that have been possible thanks to Relay For Life teams, participants, donors, and committee members – like you.
Again, we thank you and wish you success in your role on the Relay For Life committee! ~ The Relay For Life Business Unit
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 5 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Where Do the Dollars Go?
Stay well: We help you take steps to prevent cancer or detect at its earliest, most treatable stage.
The American Cancer Society's telephone counseling service, Quitline®, doubles a person's chances of quitting tobacco for good. Since 2000, we have helped 400,000 tobacco users by offering one-on-one support and customized quit tools We develop guidelines for nutrition and physical activity and cancer screenings so that you know how you can help prevent cancer, and what tests you need to find cancer early. We work with employers, health care systems, and communities throughout New York and New Jersey to create healthy environments that support healthy lifestyles. More than 800 companies nationwide are using Active For Life to make it easier for you to stay physically active and manage your weight. This year, we launched Choose to Change®, a counseling service for nutrition and weight management. We provide tips, tools, and online resources to help you set goals and stay motivated to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle. You can create a personalized health action plan to discuss with your doctor at cancer.org. Get well: We're in your corner round the clock to guide you through a cancer experience.
Our phone lines are open every minute of every day and night for people needing answers. Every year, we provide information, help, and support to nearly one million people who call us at 1.800.227.2345. We're a trusted resource for more than 23 million visitors to cancer.org each year who access the latest updates and news on cancer and listings of local programs and services. Through our clinical trials matching service, we connect patients with more than 64,000 treatment options. We offer a wide array of support services through regional offices in New York and New Jersey, including compassionate, knowledgeable patient navigators who provide one-on-one guidance in hospitals and treatment centers. Local survivorship programs such as Look Good… Feel Better, Reach to Recovery, and Man to Man provide hope to those going through cancer treatment. Our three Hope Lodges in Manhattan, Buffalo, and Rochester served nearly 3,000 patients and provided 27,000 free nights of lodging last year. Our nationwide network of 28 Hope Lodges helps more than 30,000 patients annually—saving families tens of millions of dollars in lodging by providing a free place to stay while going through treatment far from home.
6 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook We offer an online support community for cancer survivors and caregivers that has brought together more than 93,000 people since 2000. In 2009, we served nearly 41,000 patients in New York and New Jersey—more than ever before. We expanded our Eastern patient service center to better respond to needs.
Find cures: We're getting results by funding research that helps us understand cancer's causes, determine how best to prevent it, and discover new cures.
We have contributed to a 14 percent decrease in the cancer death rate since the early 1990s. That means about 650,000 deaths were avoided and more birthdays were celebrated. We've had a hand in nearly every major cancer breakthrough of the past century, such as confirming the link between cigarette smoking and cancer, establishing the link between obesity and multiple cancers, developing drugs to treat leukemia and advanced breast cancer, and showing that mammography is the most effective way to detect breast cancer. We're the largest non-governmental funder of cancer research in the United States, having spent more than $3.3 billion on cancer research since 1946. Last year, we funded 320 new research grants totaling $145 million. Nationwide, nearly $500 million in multi-year research grants are at work, and every discovery benefits our communities. We fund beginning researchers with cutting-edge ideas early in their careers—42 of whom have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, the highest accolade of scientific achievement. This year, we enrolled 500,000 participants in Cancer Prevention Study 3 at Relay For Life. The study is focused on how genetics, lifestyles, and environments affect cancer risk. American Cancer Society-funded researchers in prestigious institutions such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, University of Rochester, Columbia University, New York University, Princeton University, University of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ, and Roswell Park Cancer Center are innovators—scientists at the beginning of their careers. ACS-funded researchers have discovered breast cancer genes, Herceptin, and Gleevec. Last year, American Cancer Society-funded researcher Dr. Yibin Kang at Princeton University discovered a gene responsible for breast cancer metastasis in up to 40 percent of cases. A treatment can now be developed to block this gene's activity.
Fight back: We help pass laws that defeat cancer and rally communities to join the fight. People who live in New York and New Jersey are protected by smoke free laws, thanks in part to the efforts of the Society and our nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). New York and New Jersey have some of the lowest smoking rates and highest tobacco taxes, thanks to decades of work. We helped pass state laws ensuring that people have access to and coverage for lifesaving screenings and treatment. We have helped three million uninsured, underinsured, and low-income women get breast and cervical screening tests and follow-up treatment since 1991, and along with ACS CAN, we have successful fought for legislation protecting this care. We are fighting for health care reform that focuses on prevention, ends the practice of denying coverage because of preexisting conditions, limits the cost burden on families, and ensures coverage for all Americans. We are working for state laws requiring chain restaurants to post calories for standard food items to give consumers information to make healthier choices. We fought to ensure that cancer patients in chronic pain have better access to prescriptions
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 7 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook and relief. One in 100 Americans participates in one of the 5,000 American Cancer Society Relay For Life events across the globe, comprising the world's largest movement to end cancer. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer unites nearly 250,000 individuals—all who believe we can make breast cancer history—at 22 locations in New York and New Jersey
8 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Relay For Life Overview
What is Relay For Life?
Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.
Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment. No matter who you are, there’s a place for you at Relay. To participate, form a team, or dedicate a Luminaria at your local American Cancer Society Relay For Life, please call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
Relay For Life is a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people to: Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer. The strength of survivors inspires others to continue to fight. Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay, people who have walked alongside people battling cancer can grieve and find healing. Fight Back. We Relay because we have been touched by cancer and desperately want to put an end to the disease.
Philosophy – Why We Relay
The American Cancer Society Relay For Life represents the hope that those lost to cancer will never be forgotten, that those who face cancer will be supported, and that one day cancer will be eliminated.
Why Relay?
One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime. The funds raised at Relay save lives by funding cutting-edge cancer research, early detection and prevention education, advocacy efforts, and life-affirming patient services. It is because of your involvement that we are able to save lives, help those battling cancer, and empower all to fight back against the disease.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 9 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook National Relay For Life Event Standards
Overnight Event The American Cancer Society Relay For Life was originally created as a 24-hour event to represent the fact that cancer never sleeps. Someone who has cancer battles it 24 hours a day. Those Relays fewer than 24 hours in length (usually 12 to 18 hours) are still overnight. Overnight can be defined as sunset to sunrise.
Opening and Closing Ceremony Relays begin with an opening ceremony, which clearly emphasizes that Relay For Life is an American Cancer Society event. The opening ceremony includes an opening lap by cancer survivors that sets the tone for the entire event. The closing ceremony provides another opportunity for cancer survivors and their caregivers to walk the track and to celebrate their success.
Luminaria Ceremony Luminaria, paper sacks filled with sand to support a lighted candle, are a Relay For Life tradition. The Luminaria Ceremony is often referred to as the Ceremony of Hope. It is a time to remember people we have lost to cancer, to support people who currently have cancer, and to honor people who have fought cancer in the past. The power of this ceremony lies in providing an opportunity for people to work through grief and find hope.
Survivorship Activities Survivorship activities include hosting a reception, as well as giving a special recognition memento to survivors (a sash, pin, or special shirt). Additional survivorship activities are encouraged.
Mission Delivery Educational activities at Relay result in greater awareness of cancer prevention and early detection methods. Relay supporters have evolved into year-round collaborative partners who promote cancer awareness and programs before, during, and after Relay.
Team Registration/Commitment Fee Teams that pay a commitment fee are more likely to follow through on their participation and fundraising. If nothing else, the commitment fee covers the costs of printing the registration materials and other event overhead costs. There is no nationally recommended amount, although many Relays charge $10 a person or $150 a team.
Tobacco-Free Environment A tobacco-free environment does not mean banning smokers/chewers. Rather, we encourage their participation but prohibit their use of tobacco during the event.
No Alcohol Allowed Relay For Life is a family event and often held on school property; therefore, alcohol is always prohibited.
10 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Follow National Text/Graphic Standards All national text/graphic standards for Relay must be adhered to. (The American Cancer Society Relay For Life Standards manual can be ordered by your staff partner from the shared services fulfillment center – product number 7542.24.)
National Relay For Life Event Recommendations
Caregiver ceremony Sponsorships Team and individual incentives Expense ratio of 10 percent Communication/newsletters Team captain/leader meetings Bank nights
Always Focus on Teams Emphasis should be placed on encouraging businesses, service clubs, and school teams to bring their families to the event, thereby leading to greater retention of teams. Relay is a family-friendly event.
Mentor Teams Through Time Groom teams through time to raise more funds. These participants become the source of your new committee members and provide new doorways into the community. Involve teams in other American Cancer Society activities throughout the year.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate Inform teams through emails and e-newsletters through Relay Online (Convio), as well as meetings. Educate people on the information, programs, and services that the Society provides.
Location, Location, Location Relays are typically held at school or community football fields, fairgrounds, or parks.
Length of Event It is at least 12 hours, always overnight, usually starting on Friday evening. The majority of the events last 18 to 24 hours. The longer the event, the greater the opportunity for mission delivery, advocacy, fundraising, relationship building, and the recruitment of volunteers.
Totality of the Event Participants describe Relay as a life-changing event, one that provides them an opportunity to heal and grow. Relay can be like a support group for cancer survivors, caregivers, and their family and friends.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 11 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Relay For Life Across the Country
Since the American Cancer Society Relay For Life began, a single event has become an international movement to end cancer. Now the largest grassroots fundraising event in the world, Relay For Life is a success because of the impact of its volunteers around the globe. Here are a few key numbers that demonstrate the Power of Purple:
Relay supporters raised approximately $400 million in 2009 More than 3.5 million Americans supported Relay in 2009 Relay has raised more than $3.5 billion to fight cancer since 1985 In total, 5,100 communities hosted Relay For Life events in 2009 Across the United States, 150 new communities joined the Relay For Life movement in 2009
There are 13 Divisions of the American Cancer Society in the United States:
California Division, Inc. – California Eastern Division, Inc. – New York, New Jersey Florida Division, Inc. – Florida, Puerto Rico Great Lakes Division, Inc. – Michigan, Indiana Great West Division, Inc. – Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregan, Utah, Washington, Wyoming High Plains Division, Inc. – Hawaii, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Illinois Division, Inc. – Illinois Mid-South Division, Inc. – Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee Midwest Division, Inc. – Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin New England Division, Inc. – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont Ohio Division, Inc. – Ohio Pennsylvania Division, Inc. – Pennsylvania South Atlantic Division, Inc. – Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia
Within the Eastern Division, we have 21 Regions:
Upstate New York: 1. Capital New York – Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselear, Saratoga, Schoharie, Schenectady, Warren, and Washington Counties 2. Central New York – Cayuga Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, and St. Lawrence Counties 3. Hudson Valley – Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan, Rockland, Orange, and Ulster Counties 4. Lakes (New York) – Allegany, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, and Yates Counties 5. Southern New York – Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Owego, Schuyler, Tioga, Tompkins, and Otsego
12 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook 6. Western New York – Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties
Metro New York: 7. Bronx – Kings County 8. Brooklyn – Bronx County 9. Manhattan – New York County 10.Nassau – Nassau County 11.Queens – Queens County 12.Staten Island – Richmond County 13.Suffolk – Suffolk County 14.Westchester – Westchester County 15.Asian Initiatives – Offices in Queens, NY and Cedar Knolls, NJ
New Jersey: 16.Central New Jersey – Mercer and Middlesex Counties 17.Jersey Shore – Monmouth and Ocean Counties 18.Metro New Jersey – Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties 19.Northwest New Jersey – Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren Counties 20.Northern New Jersey – Bergen and Passaic Counties 21. South Jersey – Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem
International Relay For Life
Planning an overseas holiday? Why not include visiting an International Relay in your vacation plans? In 1996, the United Kingdom became the first country to launch a Relay For Life outside the United States, marking the global debut of what has become the world’s largest volunteer fundraising event. The growth of Relay around the globe is a powerful reminder that cancer affects everyone. Today, nearly 1,000 communities in 20 nations, outside the United States, proudly host Relay For Life events.
Australia Honduras New Zealand Brazil Ireland Philippines Canada Jamaica Portugal Denmark Japan South Africa France Luxembourg Taiwan Germany Malaysia United Kingdom Guatemala Netherlands United States
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 13 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 1 – Recognize Your Commitment
Job Description: Team Development Chair
The Team Development Chair is responsible for recruiting the Team Development Sub- Committee and overseeing all team development, team recruitment, and team retention activities for the Relay For Life event.
Responsibilities
Recruit Team Recruitment and Team Retention Chairs and committee members. Facilitate scheduled Team Development Committee meetings. Attend the Regional Relay For Life Mini-Conference Attend Relay For Life Planning Committee meetings and report on the progress of Team Recruitment and Retention activities. In your absence, send a sub-committee representative. Set Team Development goals, strategies, and logistical processes in cooperation with your Sub-Committee, the Event Chair, other Relay committee members, and staff partner as necessary. Plan and host the Relay Kickoff and Team Captain meetings (with help and input from the Sub-Committee and Event Chair), and support other meetings like Team Captain University and Bank Night. Work with Team Retention Sub-Committee Partners to assign subcommittee member contacts for last year’s teams and carry out Team Retention asks. Work with Team Recruitment Sub-Committee Partners and large Relay committee to develop potential teams list and carry out recruitment presentations and appointments. Work with Sub-Committees to ensure that the team captain communication plan is followed, including working with the Publicity Chair to develop the Team Newsletter/e-Newsletter. Work with Team Retention Sub-Committee Partners to coordinate the team mentoring system. Work with the Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee to track and report on team registration and fundraising progress. Work with Team Retention Sub-Committee Partners to plan and carry out team recognition activities and strategies. Work with Team Retention Sub-Committee to create a Work the Track schedule and priority list for the entire Relay committee. Wrap Up the event by sending appropriate thank you letters, attending the wrap up committee meeting, and hosting a Team Wrap Up party. Recruit teams among community contacts. Promote Relay as an event within the community. Be accountable to the Relay For Life Planning Committee for the activities of the entire Team Development committee.
14 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Qualifications
Commitment to the American Cancer Society Mission. Knowledge of the local community. Strong leadership skills. Respect and understand the roles of volunteers and staff in the Volunteer/Staff Partnership. Good organizational skills
Support Provided
Receives training from Event Chair or American Cancer Society staff partner Guidebook complete with expectations, instructions and resources Regional RFL Mini-Conference Samples and examples on The Link (www.societylink.org) Additional resources, guidebooks, podcasts, blogs, forums, and e-Learning courses (video training) found on RelayForLife.org >> Committee Chair Toolkit
Staff & Volunteer Partnership
Collaborate with staff partner and Relay Event Chair to manage and direct Relay For Life Team Development activities. Work closely with your Team Development Sub-Committee Partners to accomplish all Team Development, Recruitment, and Retention activities Work with other Relay Sub-Committees as it pertains to Team activities and communication. Establish and maintain networking relationships with other organizations and community leaders as applicable to volunteer and team recruitment.
Your Role on the Relay Planning Committee
Your Event Chair has asked you to fill this Committee position because you bring unique talents and skills to do this role well! As a Relay Planning Committee member, your role is to take care of all aspects of your focus area, Team Development, to the best of your ability for the Relay For Life event. As a member of the Relay Planning Committee, you should:
Attend all Relay Planning Committee meetings (or at least send one member of your Team Development sub-committee if you are unable to attend a meeting). Meetings are typically once a month starting at about 9-10 months prior to Relay, and more often as the Relay approaches.
Work on your focus area outside of Relay Planning Committee meetings.
Relay Planning Committee Meetings are not “group decision making time”. Your Event Chair and the committee trust you to take care of your focus area without a lot of input from the whole committee during meetings.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 15 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Relay Planning Committee meetings should be an opportunity to report back on progress your sub-committee has made in your focus area. For example, here are some things you might want to report on during different times of the year:
o 7 Months Out: Report on your plan for team recruitment and retention and enlist the help of the entire committee in submitting warm leads throughout every sector of the community. .Also report on preliminary Kickoff plans and enlist help from the entire committee in planning the Kickoff and building the invitation list. In addition, report on team logistics plans for the year (registration process, campsite selection process, etc.). o 6 Months Out: Report on recruitment and retention efforts and progress, and follow up to – continue receiving warm leads from committee. Also report on Kickoff planning progress and finalize Kickoff details, as well as sending invitations. o 5 Months Out: Hold the Kickoff with the help of the committee and report on numbers of new and returning teams registered. Also update on other recruitment and retention efforts and progress and continue collecting warm leads. o 1-3 Months Out: Get feedback from committee on topics for Team Captain meetings, and regularly report back on meeting plans and progress. Also report on plans and progress of your Team Mentoring system, team communication progress, and team fundraising estimates and successes. In addition, keep reporting on recruitment and retention numbers and collecting warm leads. o 1 Month Out: Work with the committee to coordinate last minute details for the teams, submit team lists for the Relay program, and manage Bank Night. o 2-4 Weeks Out: Report on your committee schedule for Working the Track and priority individuals for each committee member. Also report on your Team Wrap Up Party plans.
Communicate regularly with your Event Chair. You should touch base with your Event Chair regularly outside of Planning Committee meetings. Touching base with your Event Chair should include progress reports, questions, and any issues you may be dealing with. Your Event Chair is there to help and support you.
Be ready to discuss big pieces of the Relay that affect the whole committee at different times during the season
For instance, team recruitment and the Kickoff are big pieces at the beginning of the Relay season that the whole committee should be helping with.
Make sure you are spreading the word about Relay to your friends, family and co- workers and passing warm leads for teams and sponsors on to those sub- committees.
Take advantage of the opportunity to work together with other sub-committee Chairs in other focus areas on topics that overlap. We have provided a list of possible collaborations for you below, but this is not an all-encompassing list. For
16 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook instance:
o Work with the Registration & Accounting Sub-Committee to determine systems for teams to register and turn in money throughout the season and how you will work together to track progress as needed. Also work together on coordinating t-shirt orders and Bank Night. o Work with the Logistics Sub-Committee to determine campsite layout and selection process, as well as other logistical details to share with teams in Captain meetings. o Work with the Publicity Sub-Committee to target specific publicity for the Kickoff and recruiting teams throughout the Relay season. o Work with the Luminaria Sub-Committee to communicate luminaria details to the teams as needed. o Work with the Advocacy and Mission Delivery Sub-Committees to incorporate their important messages into your Team Captain meetings and other team communications. o Work with all sub-committees to collect warm leads for new teams and Work the Track at the Relay.
Your Role Leading the Team Development Sub-Committee
As the Team Development Chair, you have agreed to take care of the Team Development needs of the Relay For Life event in your community. The great news is that you don’t have to do it alone! Recruit a friend or two to help you as sub-committee partners and share the volunteer work together. Everything is more fun with a partner! As the Team Development Sub-Committee Chair, you should:
Recruit partners to help. You can read more about this later in this guidebook. Also, suggested role delineations of sub-committee partners are included in the following pages. These roles are suggestions that help keep the workload manageable for each partner, but each Relay ultimately chooses how to distribute the work based on the skills, abilities, and time of the volunteers involved.
Delegate clearly. Make sure that every partner on your Team Development sub- committee knows exactly what they are being asked to accomplish and agrees to do it.
Communicate regularly. Keep in regular contact with your partners to make sure they feel comfortable with their tasks and that things are moving forward. It may also be helpful to hold sub-committee meetings where all of your partners get a chance to meet one another, work together, and share ideas.
Complete Team Development planning tasks. Work on and complete the parts of Relay Team Development that you have agreed to within your sub-committee. Suggested role delineations are provided in the following pages.
Ensure that someone from the Team Development sub-committee attends the Relay Planning Committee meetings. It is important that your sub-committee is represented at every meeting to report back on your progress, contribute to large
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 17 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Relay decisions and solutions, and work with other sub-committees as needed.
Follow up. Make sure that all of the important aspects of Relay Team Development outlined in this handbook are being covered and getting completed. Step in as needed to make sure they get done.
Recognize and appreciate the contributions of your partners. Thank each of your subcommittee partners and make sure they know how much you appreciate their help and how they made a difference to the success of the Relay.
18 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Partnership Agreement
Sample Relay For Life Committee Member/Event Chair Partnership Discussion
Relay For Life Committee Member: ______
Event Chair: ______
Staff Partner: ______
Date: ______
In order for a volunteer partnership or staff/volunteer partnership to be successful, we must have a clear understanding of the purpose of each of the roles that the volunteer and staff members play within the American Cancer Society Relay For Life event.
One intention of this document is to gain a better understanding of what the volunteer is looking for in their experience to be sure that we are fulfilling those needs. Another intention is to understand the role that the staff partner plays in terms of coaching volunteers for all of their events.
Committee Member
The reason that I am dedicated to the American Cancer Society mission is:
______
My vision for the Relay For Life of ______is:
______
Our goal for the Relay For Life of ______is to:
Be Engaged in the Recruiting Teams, Sponsors, Cancer Survivors and Caregivers and Meet the Event Fundraising Goal to Fund Vital Patient Services, Education, Advocacy Efforts and Research that supports my community members and those across the country.
I understand my role to be:
______
I understand the key responsibilities of my Committee position to include:
1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
We have discussed the following:
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 19 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Succession plan Volunteer career path Trainings that are available to me.
My qualities that I feel will best compliment this role include:
______
I would like to receive further support and training in the following areas:
______
______
I like to be recognized the following ways:
______
The reason that I am most excited about volunteering for Relay For Life is:
The legacy that I would like to leave this Relay For Life event is:
______
In order for our Relay For Life event to be successful, I understand the need for regular communication through in person meetings, phone calls, e-mail (if applicable).
The day & time of the week that works best to meet with my Event Chair is: ______
The time of the day that is most convenient for me to discuss Relay updates & answer questions is: ______
I prefer to be contacted at the following phone number: ______
I understand that the term for the Relay For Life Committee Member is 1 year with a possibility of a second term if mutually agreed upon by myself and the American Cancer Society.
I am committed to the fight against cancer and the mission of the American Cancer Society. I understand that our Relay For Life event represents our chance to raise awareness for our community while raising funds for the Society’s lifesaving mission of eliminating cancer.
Committee Member Commitment: ______(Signature)
Event Chair
The reason that I am dedicated to the American Cancer Society mission is:
______
20 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook My vision for the Relay For Life of ______is:
______
Our goal for the Relay For Life of ______is to:
Be Engaged in the Review of the Community Assessment and Goal Setting Process and Meet the Event Fundraising Goal to Fund Vital Patient Services, Education, Advocacy Efforts and Research that supports my community members and those across the country.
I understand my role to be:
______
I understand the key responsibilities of the Event Chair position to include: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
My qualities that I feel will best compliment this role include:
______
The reason that I am most excited about chairing Relay For Life is:
The legacy that I would like to leave this Relay For Life event is:
______
In order for our Relay For Life event to be successful, I understand the need for regular communication through in person meetings, phone calls, e-mail (if applicable).
The day & time of the week that works best to meet with my committee member is: ______
The time of the day that is most convenient for me to discuss Relay updates & answer questions is: ______
I prefer to be contacted at the following phone number: ______
My role is to work closely with our staff partner to provide coaching, support and resources to our Committee.
I am committed to the fight against cancer and the mission of the American Cancer Society. I understand that our Relay For Life event represents our chance to raise awareness for our community while raising funds for the Society’s lifesaving mission of eliminating cancer.
Event Chair Commitment: ______(Signature)
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 21 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Suggested Timeline
This is a loose timeline to give you a feeling for what to expect throughout the Relay season.
11 to 12 months before event Event chair(s) recruited and trained Secure facility for Relay and finalize the date, time, and location of event Plan for the event, including goals for number of teams, survivors, sponsors and plans for other areas of the Relay For Life Begin corporate sponsor recruitment and continue through Relay For Life
9 to 11 months before event Event Chair(s) recruit committee members to fill Relay Planning Committee Conduct all Partnership Agreements so all Sub-Committee Chairs & Members understand their roles Sub-Committee Chairs recruit partners to help in their focus area Plan/schedule Relay Committee Retreat (training for committee members) Review data from last year as a full committee; include teams, sponsors, wrap-up notes, etc. Build a Team Development Plan including both Recruitment and Retention, and begin reaching out to invite past teams to come back; include a Team Blitz Week in the plan
6 to 9 months before event Hold Relay Committee Retreat for your committee Committee meetings should focus on: o Committee and Sub-Committee recruitment and development o Sponsor recruitment updates o Designing a team development plan for the entire committee including both Recruitment and Retention (i.e., Team Blitz Week) o Kickoff planning and invitation list Begin planning a Kickoff as an entire planning committee led by the Team Development sub- committee; set date, time, and location o Each sub-committee should contribute in some way to the Kickoff: . Registration & Accounting will need to collect forms and money . Relay Online Chair should make sure there are computers available to register at the Kickoff . Entertainment & Activities should help create an exciting program . Food & Hospitality should secure food donations and make sure everyone feels welcome at the Kickoff . Et cetera
5 to 7 months before event Committee meetings should focus on: o Team recruitment and retention progress (Team Blitz update) and updates from all sub- committees. . Have all past teams been contacted? . Have new potential teams been identified? . Have all returning and potential teams been invited to the Kickoff? . How is the entire committee participating in identifying potential teams and giving warm leads to the Team Development Sub-Committee? o Sponsor recruitment updates o Publicity progress focusing on team recruitment Hold your Relay Kickoff (ideally 5 months prior to your Relay) o Advertise local Team Captain University o At this point you should have 50% of your returning teams from last year registered o Be sure to follow up on the phone or through email with all attendees and those who could not attend the Kickoff
22 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook 4 months before event Committee meetings should focus on: o Team Recruitment & Retention progress as a committee – You should have 50% of your total team goal registered by this point. If not, brainstorm how to catch up with focused recruitment approaches from the whole committee. o Each Sub-Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area o Survivor report on recruitment/retention progress o Publicity progress focusing on team recruitment and raising awareness of event in the community/ on the campus Host a Team Captain’s University (TCU) for all Team Captains, or publicize Regional TCU Hold first team captain meeting (ideally 3.5 months before Relay); focus on: o Phase 1: Team Building and Planning (review registration process, encourage team communication and goal setting, begin team fundraising event planning) o Review Team Fundraising ideas, including sales, dinners, tournaments, Mini Relays, etc. o Review Registration and t-shirt deadlines o Review incentive prize program, All Stars, and Team Fundraising Club o Review team mentor program – highlight great teams from last year offering to help new teams o American Cancer Society education/ mission moment o Team questions and answers
3 months before event Committee meeting should focus on: o Team recruitment progress o Survivor recruitment progress o Publicity focusing on survivor recruitment and raising awareness of event in community o Logistical plans for the Relay (items needed as donations, layout plan, etc.) o Each Sub-Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area Hold second team captain meeting ideally 2.5 months before Relay; focus on: o Review Phase 1: Team Building and Planning quickly (registration, goal setting, planning) o Focus on Phase 2: Fundraising (individual AND team, successful ideas, highlight successes) . Emphasize individual letter-writing/online fundraising & team fundraising activities o Mention Registration & t-shirt deadlines o American Cancer Society education/ mission moment o Questions & answers
2 months before event Committee meeting should focus on: o Team recruitment progress. You should have 75% of your total team goal registered by this point. If not, brainstorm how to catch up with focused recruitment approaches from the whole committee o Survivor recruitment progress o Publicity focusing on survivor recruitment and raising awareness of event in community o Logistical plans for the Relay (items needed as donations, layout plan, etc.) o Entertainment & Activities plans and progress, especially for Ceremonies o Fundraising progress report by Registration & Accounting Sub –Committee o Each Sub –Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area Hold third team captains meeting ideally 6 weeks before Relay; focus on: o Review Phase 1: Team Building and Planning quickly for any new teams (registration, goal setting, planning) o Review Phase 2: Fundraising (Fundraising - individual & team, successful ideas, etc.) o Focus on Phase 3: Preparing for Relay Fun! (team theme and decorations, on-site fundraising, walking schedule, what to bring, activity sign-ups, healthy competition between teams, etc.) o Last minute fundraising ideas, such as an Online 10-Day Blitz o Incentive Prize, All Stars, Team Fundraising Club, and Team Awards information to encourage friendly competition – highlight the current fundraising leaders o American Cancer Society education and advocacy update o Questions & answers
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 23 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook
1 month before event Committee meeting should focus on: o Team recruitment progress. You should have 100% of your total team goal registered by this point. If not, brainstorm how to catch up with focused recruitment approaches from the whole committee. o Survivor recruitment progress. You should have about 75% of your survivor recruitment goal by this point. If not, brainstorm how to catch up with focused recruitment approaches. o Fundraising progress report by Registration & Accounting Sub-Committee o Bank Night planning and scheduling. All committee members should participate and help with Bank Night. o Logistical plans for the Relay, including items needed as donations, layout plan, set up and tear down plan, on-site emergency plan, on-site security plan, rain plan, on-site communication, etc. o Entertainment & Activities plans and progress, including Ceremony plans and Relay Program needs from the whole committee. o Food & Hospitality plans and progress, including food and decoration donations. Plans for greeters to welcome participants to Relay. o Each Sub-Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area.
2 weeks before event Committee meetings should focus on: o Logistical plans and updates for the Relay, including items needed as donations, layout plan, set up and tear down plan, on-site emergency plan, rain plan, on-site communication among the committee, etc. o Bank Night Planning. Coordinating last-minute details and who will do what for Bank Night. o Fundraising progress report by Registration & Accounting Sub-Committee. o Relay Program information coordinated by Entertainment & Activities Sub-Committee. o Each Sub-Committee should report back on the plans and progress for their focus area
1 to 2 weeks before event Hold Bank Night(s) o All committee members should help set up, man a station, count money, and tear down o All Society accounting and cash handling procedures should be followed, including counting in a secure location o Report fundraising progress to all Relay participants through email communication
Your Relay For Life! Work the Track to begin team retention and committee recruitment for next year All Society accounting and cash-handling procedures should be followed, including counting in a secure location Each sub-committee should manage their on-site responsibilities and communicate with the Event Chair and the rest of the committee as needed Logistics Sub-Committee works with the staff partner and Event Chair to handle any emergencies
3 to 4 weeks after event Hold wrap-up meeting for leadership planning committee; focus on: o Celebrating success o Assessing the event and looking at positives as well as improvements for next year o Remember recognition and thank-you’s o Committee positions and succession planning for next year o Discuss next year’s event – date, time, location Hold wrap-up meeting for team captains; focus on: o Celebrating success o Assessing the event – what went well, what needs to improve in the future o Recognition and thank-you’s o Discuss next year’s event - date, time, location o Use Wrap Up Meeting as an opportunity for committee recruitment
24 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 2 – Recruit Your Partners
Find Help…Build Your Sub-Committee
Team Development is the single most critical Sub-Committee for your Relay For Life event…without teams, there is no Relay. This is not a job that you can do by yourself…it is too big, especially as your Relay grows and has more teams. You must recruit Sub- Committee partners to help share the load, or you will burn yourself out. This Sub- Committee should have a minimum of three people.
Ideally, for a Relay with 50 teams, you will want to have eight sub-committee partners to cover the following areas: Team Recruitment (1 person for every 5 new teams), Team Retention (1 person for every 7-10 returning teams), Team Development Chair to cover Meetings and Kickoff.
Suggested role delineations are included in the following pages. Ultimately, you can organize your Team Development Sub-Committee however you decide based on the needs of your Relay and the strengths of your sub-committee partners, but the suggested roles work well and split the work in a way that makes sense and is manageable by each person.
Where to Look for Help
Your Team Development Sub-Committee should reflect your community, so think about all the parts of your community where you would like to have teams, and then recruit Sub-Committee Partners from those parts of the community. You may have several people tell you no, or they are too busy. That’s ok…don’t get discouraged. Keep asking and find the right people to help you have a top notch Team Development Sub- Committee for your Relay event. Here are some specific places to look for Sub-Committee Partners:
Ask People You Know
1. When looking for help, first brainstorm people you know who would be good in each role. Don’t ask your best friend just because they are your best friend. But if your best friend is a good public speaker and has great connections in the community, maybe they would be a good fit to be one of your Team Recruitment Sub-Committee partners. Your sub-committee partners could be friends, co- workers, neighbors, or family…ask around to everyone you know because a lot of people care about cancer, would enjoy being a part of planning a large event and would appreciate the opportunity to get involved. This could be their outlet for that hidden sales talent.
2. Be sure to ask Team Captains and participants from past years. These people already know about Relay, already know what it takes to be on a team, and they hopefully had a great time at the Relay last year…they all ready to sell the idea to
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 25 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook others based on personal experience! Consider asking any Captains or participants from teams who are charismatic and/or good speakers to help with Team Recruitment or Retention. Team Captains also know what questions or needs other Team Captains have, and they make great Team Mentoring and Development Sub- Committee Chairs.
3. Consider asking people who have jobs that compliment the skills needed for your Sub-Committee positions, like someone in a sales position to help with Team Recruitment. Realtors make great team recruiters, and it also benefits their business because they can get their face and name out in front of others doing something good for the community. This works for sales people in other lines of business too, like car dealers, insurance salespeople, or network marketers. Also consider contacting your local Toastmasters club, since giving recruitment presentations is a big part of Team Recruitment. There may be people who would really like to practice their speaking skills in a real life situation, while doing something that can make a difference.
4. Target the sectors of your community where you don’t have a lot of team representation – For instance, if you have 20 banks in your town, but don’t have teams from those banks, consider finding a Team Recruitment Sub-Committee Partner who works in a bank to specifically use their connections and knowledge of the business to recruit 5 teams from rival banks in town. The same concept works for restaurants, schools, health care providers, etc. Think about geographic sectors of your community too, or sectors that identify with a specific ethnic group or language. Your Team Development Sub-Committee should mirror the makeup of your community...this will give you the greatest chance of getting every sector of your community involved in your Relay.
5. Approach local Service Clubs to take on the Relay as one of their service projects – Service Clubs like Rotary, Kiwanis, Lyons, Jaycees, etc, typically take on service projects in the community. They may already have their big projects planned for the year, but if you could convince a local club to take on the Relay as one of their major projects, you could find several volunteers for your whole Relay committee. If nothing else, you could hopefully get a team from each while you’re at it!
6. Ask at a local university, community college, or high school for students interested in some practical sales and marketing experience and community service for their resume. Business, Marketing, or Non-Profit Management majors or high school students involved in DECA or FBLA might really be interested in this kind of practical, hands on business experience. When working with youth, they may not have a lot of experience working on a committee, so this may be a learning experience for them. Be sure to clearly define their role and expectations and then trust them to do what you have asked of them. Work together the make it a positive experience for everyone. Defining Expectations with Your Sub-Committee Partners
Once you have asked your partners for their help with Team Development and they say yes, next you will want to clearly define their role and expectations. Every volunteer
26 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook wants to feel needed and important to the overall success of the event, and they also want to have clear direction of how they play a part in that success. In the same way that you and your Event Chair should sit down and define roles and expectations to give you clear direction as the Team Development Chair, be sure to sit down with your sub- committee partners and lay out their role and how they can do it well, and how you can work together to succeed. Having this Partnership Agreement conversation at the beginning will set you up for success throughout the season. For example, if you recruit someone to focus on recruiting National Corporate Teams, you would want to define all the different companies they should pursue in town, and mutually set a goal and deadlines that make sense for both of you. They won’t know what you need them to do unless you sit down and have a clear conversation establishing it so you can both move forward.
Lead Your Sub-Committee Well
Now that you have recruited your sub-committee members, lead them well by communicating regularly, empowering them to do their jobs, helping to motivate them to continue to do good work, getting them excited about the final Relay and appreciating all their hard work. Regular calls (once or twice per month) work well to keep your relationships strong and keep everyone in the loop.
Suggested Role Delineations on the Team Development Sub-Committee
The “Ideal” Team Recruitment Sub-Committee for an event with approximately 50 teams would consist of eight people, so that no one feels overwhelmed by the job. These role delineations are suggestions, and you may need to modify them for the number of people, the personalities, and the skills of your Team Development Sub-Committee partners, but keep in mind that no Team Development Sub-Committee should ever have fewer than three people, or else you will be overwhelmed and burned out. Team Development is the largest job on the Relay Committee, so make sure you have enough people to do it well. Do not try to take it on by yourself or your Relay will suffer.
Team Development Sub-Committee Chair: Meetings & Kick Off
This person is responsible for: Attending Relay Planning Committee meetings, reporting on Team Development progress, and leading the Team Development Sub-Committee. Helping to set overall recruitment goals and direction, and helping sub-committee partners in their tasks as needed. Working with sub-committee to determine plans for all aspects team recruitment, retention, communication, mentoring, meetings and team development. Informing the large Relay committee of the importance of Team Development and enlisting their help with submitting warm leads to the sub-committee as well as the big meetings (like the Kickoff, Bank Night, Team Wrap Up party, etc.). Working with other Sub-Committees to determine Team Logistics for the year (like registration, money collection processes, campsite selection, etc.)
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 27 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Taking the lead on Kickoff planning and using the help of the other Team Development Sub-Committee partners, the Event Chair, and the larger Relay committee. Making sure that all Team Captain meetings are useful to attendees, run smoothly, and include a major focus on fundraising training. Keeping track and reporting to the Relay Event Chair on team recruitment and retention progress, as well as fundraising estimates throughout the Relay season. Working closely with the Registration & Accounting sub-committee to coordinate Bank Night and communicate last minute details to teams. Following the Work the Track schedule and engaging with your priority individuals as well as other people you meet at the Relay. Planning the Team Wrap Up party, sending thank you notes, and planning for next year.
Team Development Sub-Committee Chair: Team Recruitment
(1 recruiter for every 5 new teams)
This person is responsible for: Attending Relay Planning Committee meetings, reporting on Team Development progress, and leading the Team Development Sub-Committee. Working with Team Development Chair to determine plans for all aspects of Relay team recruitment. Emphasis should be on a Team Recruitment Blitz. Working with the larger Relay committee and Team Captains to follow up on their warm leads. Recruiting new teams – using warm leads and pursuing cold contacts in the community as well, trying to schedule and carry out recruitment presentations in as many places around the community as possible. Reporting regularly to the Team Development Sub-Committee Chair on recruitment progress and new team contact information. Coordinating a Work the Track schedule for the entire committee and work together with the Team Development Sub-Committee to prioritize teams and individuals to contact during the Relay. Helping with the Team Wrap Up party, sending thank you notes, and planning for next year.
Team Development Sub-Committee Chair: Team Retention
(1 sub-committee member for every 10 returning teams)
This person is responsible for: Attending Relay Planning Committee meetings, reporting on Team Development progress, and leading the Team Development Sub-Committee. Working with Team Development Chair to determine plans for all aspects of Relay team retention. Working to contact all teams from last year and years before that and ask them to come back to the Relay, and treating current teams well so they want to come back again next year.
28 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Communicating with teams year-round – including e-mail, phone and mail touches through the year to show that you notice their unique contributions and sharing important Relay information. Setting up a Team Mentor system to help new Team Captains feel connected and returning Team Captains engaged. Helping with tracking team progress Highlighting unique or noteworthy things about teams and individual participants to make them feel appreciated. Following the Work the Track schedule and engaging with your priority individuals as well as other people you meet at the Relay. Helping with the Team Wrap Up party, sending thank you notes, and planning for next year.
Team Development Sub-Committee Chair: Fundraising
This person is responsible for: Attending Relay Planning Committee meetings, reporting on Team fundraising progress and any large fundraisers (especially multi-team fundraisers). Working with Team Development Chair to determine plans for all aspects of team fundraising. Attending Team Captain Meetings and other events such as TCU to teach teams about the balanced approach to fundraising (individual, online, team & on-site fundraisers) and teach teams how to fundraise Helping teams promote their large fundraising activities by sharing with the Online Chair to feature on the web site, working with the Publicity Chair to secure coverage for the fundraiser, etc. Highlighting top individuals and top teams in emails, and at Kick Off, Team Captain Meetings, Relay, etc. to make them feel appreciated Promoting Relay All Stars and Team Fundraising Club at all meetings and in all correspondence with teams Coordinating all on-site fundraising activities in order to avoid duplication (i.e., wouldn’t want to have 5 teams all selling energy drinks) Following the Work the Track schedule and engaging with your priority individuals as well as other people you meet at the Relay. Coordinating and promoting Post-Event Fundraising with teams; encouraging post- collect (any funds not turned in at Relay to be sent in afterward) Helping with the Team Wrap Up party, sending thank you notes, and planning for next year.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 29 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 3 – Establish a Plan
Remember: a goal is just a dream…with a deadline! Use the suggested timeline in Step 1, along with any feedback from last year’s Relay to develop an Action Plan with your Sub- Committee Members. Be sure to delegate responsibilities, provide due dates, and follow up before – as well as after – those due dates. Celebrate successes along the way as tasks are completed to keep your Sub-Committee Members motivated and feeling appreciated.
Host a Team Development Planning Session
The Team Development Chair should host a Team Development planning session for the entire Team Development Sub-Committee (including Team Recruitment and Team Retention Sub-Committee partners). Depending on how large your event is and how many Sub-Committee members you have, you could hold this session in a volunteer’s house, or in a more formal meeting location. In this session, you should make your Team Development plan for the year and set specific Team Development goals as a group. Be sure to include team retention goals as well as recruitment goals. Check out the sample tools listed in the Tools, Samples & Examples section of this guidebook for assistance and fresh ideas.
Include National Team Partners
National Corporate Team Program (NCTP)
The National Corporate Teams Program (NCTP) is a program that recognizes companies that meet the specific criteria nationwide (over 50 teams in multiple states, support of Relay from the corporation, a designed volunteer leader to help coordinate NCTP participation to branches, they agree to track their own team data, etc.) In 2009, this program included more than 30 large corporations including Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Curves, Bank of America, Target, Walgreens and others. A new list for 2010 will be released near the end of December.
NCTP support materials including location lists, company fact sheets and promotional flyers are available to volunteers through RelayForLife.org. Go through the NCTP location list for your state and find the company locations in your Relay community. Add all of them to your Team Prospect Hit List and develop a plan and strategy for contacting them. In fact, if you have several NCTP companies in your area, you might have one Team Recruitment Chair specifically focus only on contacting them as their community sector.
For more information, visit http://www.RelayForLife.org/relay/NCTP
National Non-Corporate Team Program (NTP)
The National Non-Corporate Team Program (NTP) was started in 2008. The NTP mirrors the NCTP program in many respects, including offering clubs, organizations and associations the opportunity to impact their community through participation in RFL. Through their involvement, members will be given the opportunity to volunteer, raise funds, and support cancer patients and survivors in their communities.
30 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook One way the NTP differs from the NCTP, is that most of these organizations will not have a “brick & mortar” building. They run their chapter meetings in restaurants, offices, etc.
Just like the NCTP, these organizations have fact sheets and promotional flyers posted at RelayForLife.org so you know the best way to identify and contact your local chapters and members. Members of the NTP include: Jaycees, Parrott Heads in Paradise Inc., Phi Beta Sigma and the National Funeral Directors Association.
For more information, visit http://www.RelayForLife.org/relay/NTP
Create Your Action Plan
ACTION PERSON DUE DATE COMPLETED RESPONSIBLE DATE
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 31 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook
Step 4 – Educate & Enlist the Relay Committee
Each person on every Relay Sub-Committee should participate in getting new teams around the track, especially by sharing their warm leads in the community with the Team Recruitment Sub-Committee Partners.
The Brainstorming Session
One of the first two Relay Planning Committee meetings should be devoted almost entirely to Team Development brainstorming. Use this time to gather warm leads from the large Relay committee. Utilize the Relayville Community Mapping exercise, Recruitment Wheel, and Circle of Influence exercise (see details in the Tools, Samples & Examples section of this guidebook) with the whole committee, then work with the Team Development Sub-Committee members to develop your plan and show the whole committee where you have teams and where you have gaps where there are opportunities for more teams.
Remember that the goal is for every sector of the community to be represented with a team at Relay. Collect their leads to begin forming your Team Prospect Hit List. Here are the steps to a successful committee brainstorming session: Ask all committee members, including other Sub-Committee members that might not typically attend the regular committee meetings, to make a mental list of all of their personal and professional relationships before coming to the committee meeting. o TIP: Send the “Circle of Influence” document prior to the meeting and ask everyone to fill it out ahead of time Show the committee where you stand with your current recruitment and opportunities for more teams (using the Relayville Mapping exercise and/or Recruitment Wheel). Allow them to add suggestions to the wheel or map, but don’t spend too much of their time thinking big picture – try to get them focused on specific prospects they know. In each category or sector of the community, ask the committee for the specific businesses or organizations in that sector. For example, if Government was a sector, ask for specific governmental agencies in your community that should have teams. Maybe you already have one team from the Water Treatment Center, but you would like to have teams from the Police Dept, the Fire Dept, the mayor’s office, the library, and the County Commissioner’s office. Then ask the Relay committee if anyone knows someone at the Police Dept or the Fire Dept, etc. This works for Health Care Facilities, for Banks, for Small Businesses, for large employers, for churches, for schools, and every other sector in your community. Collect the names of the warm leads and the committee members who know them to begin your Prospect Hit List. Tell the committee members that their role is to share their warm leads and help make first contact to try and schedule a recruitment presentation or appointment with a Team Recruitment Sub-Committee member.
32 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Reassure them that they don’t necessarily have to make the ask, just open the door and help. Try to keep the brainstorming positive and fun. You could have fun music in the background, use bright colored markers on the flipchart, and maybe toss some candy to people who give leads, or other fun ideas to keep the mood light. By the end of the night, every person on the committee should have given at least two warm leads, and hopefully more. You should have a great start to your Prospect Hit List. Assign each warm lead to a Team Recruitment Sub-Committee Partner to work with the committee member to make first contact and schedule the recruitment presentation. Give a date that all first contacts should be made by (perhaps one month, perhaps by the next committee meeting, etc). The date doesn’t matter as much as the fact that everyone knows there is a deadline to do their piece. Thank everyone for their help, and emphasize how good this will be for the Relay!
Following Up with the Committee
Each Team Recruitment Sub-Committee Partner should have several committee members to follow up with to make first contact with a bunch of team prospects. Stay in contact with those committee members.
Do your research together to find out the contact information for the warm lead, and share any other information about the lead, like what kind of relationship they have with the committee member, any connections to cancer, other community service experience, etc.
With the committee member’s help, contact the warm lead and schedule a recruitment presentation or appointment.
Track your progress on the Prospect Hit List, and report back at every committee meeting. This will help keep the whole Team Development Sub-Committee and the Relay committee members with the warm leads accountable for actually pursuing them. Not everyone will say yes to having a team, but everyone should be contacted in a reasonable amount of time. Working the Track
The other part of Relay that is a job for everyone on the committee is Working the Track at the Relay. Working the Track is a term for circulating among the teams and survivors at the Relay to get feedback on the event and prepare for next year’s event. What better place to ask if people are interested in getting more involved in planning the Relay than at the event, where they are experiencing the fun and excitement at that moment? For more information on Working the Track, please see Step 12 in this guidebook.
Here are some steps for getting the whole committee involved with Working the Track:
Explain the concept of Working the Track to the whole Relay committee so that they understand the purpose.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 33 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook When Working the Track, they should be mingling with participants, thanking them for their participation, listening to their stories, asking for their feedback, and asking about next year (whether they would like to sign up their team again for next year, whether they might be interested in joining the planning committee, or whether they know anyone in the community who isn’t at the Relay tonight but should be here next year).
This has multiple purposes: o it makes the participants feel noticed, recognized, and thanked by committee members, increasing their satisfaction with the event and increasing their chances of coming back next year o it gives the committee valuable feedback on what things went well and what could be improved from the participant’s point of view o it allows the committee to plan for next year with a great list of returning teams, potential committee volunteers, and new team prospects to start from next year.
Set up a schedule ahead of time at a committee meeting so that at least one committee member is Working the Track the whole time at the Relay. Any time a committee member isn’t busy at the Relay, they should ideally be Working the Track and appreciating participants.
34 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 5 – Team Policies
Decide Before Team Meetings
There are a lot of decisions regarding team issues that need to be made before your first Team Captain meeting, because the teams will ask these questions and you should already have the answers decided. Many of these issues will require collaborating with other Sub-Committees to come up with the best solution for your Relay.
Logistics & Team Campsites
Work with the Logistics Sub-Committee to decide how to lay-out the team campsites at your facility. You may decide to do it they way you always have, or try something new. Once you have agreed on the site layout for team campsites, decide what the best way would be for teams to choose or be assigned campsites. This definitely needs to be decided before you begin registering teams, because you may want to let teams choose by registration order. There are many different ways that Relays make this work…here are a couple ideas of ways to assign campsites:
Some Relays don’t assign campsites ahead of time…they simply allow teams to choose sites on a first come, first served basis. They often have teams showing up in the middle of the night the day before the Relay to set up a tent and claim their spot.
Some Relays assign campsites based on their own decisions of where people should be.
Some Relays let teams choose their sites at Bank Night, which encourages all teams to come turn in money.
Some Relays allow teams to choose their campsites at a special “campsite selection” meeting. This may be by registration order, or by first come, first served through the line, or by highest fundraising totals, or by drawing numbers from a hat, or by auction, or whatever system you choose.
Campsite selection privileges can be a great incentive for early registration, or a reward for top fundraising teams from the previous year. Team Registration & Accounting
The Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee will make most of the decisions regarding the processes for teams to register and turn in money, but you should work with them to make sure they make sense for teams. For instance, will you be able to collect money at all Team Captains meetings? If not, how should teams turn in their fundraising dollars before Bank Night? Are you using the Online tool to register teams? Will you be offering paper registration too? How do teams get extra forms if they run
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 35 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook out? Put yourself in a Team Captain’s shoes, and consider every aspect of how they register and raise money…think of every question they might have and be sure you have considered the answer with the Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee before they ask it.
In addition, consider internal committee questions like: How will both Sub-Committees work together to track team registration and fundraising progress? How will we work together to plan Bank Night? Try and decide all of these aspects before the Relay season gets in full swing. It will make the process much more seamless for the teams.
15 Members Per Team
Keeping teams between 8-15 members has many advantages for the Relay and for the teams. First, it keeps all teams at a manageable size for the Team Captain. Being a Team Captain and motivating all of your team members to fundraise to fight cancer is a tough job, and 15 people is about the most any one Team Captain can truly organize, motivate, and empower to fundraise to fight cancer.
When teams grow above 15 team members, typically all of the hard work of fundraising is done by a handful of participants, and the rest of the large team can “hide” behind the effort of their teammates and not work as hard to raise funds to fight cancer. With smaller teams, everyone feels the responsibility of contributing to the team’s success, and no one slides on the coattails of other teammates’ work. Because of this trend, two smaller teams typically raise more funds to fight cancer than one large team.
In addition, 15 people is typically the maximum that can truly be comfortable on a team campsite at the Relay. When teams grow over 15 members, they should split into “partner” teams with two campsites next to each other. For instance, you could have Target Team 1 and Target Team 2 with campsites next to each other, with the same decorating theme, but they each had a Team Captain, 12 team members, and raised $1,200 (rather than one big team of 24 which raised $1,800). On the night of the Relay, it feels like one big team, but for the motivating and empowering to fundraise ahead of time, there were two teams with two Captains working together to keep them organized.
Lastly, one more reason to keep teams at 15 members is because it keeps it fair for all teams when figuring awards. In addition to local awards, there are National recognition awards and levels for teams that are based on team sizes between 8-15 members. If your team has more than 15 members, you are no longer eligible for these National levels, so encourage your large teams to split into partner teams. They won’t really notice the difference, and it will make your Relay more successful.
Incentive Prizes
Believe it or not, many people are motivated by incentive prizes, and may strive to meet that next fundraising level just to get the prize they want!
36 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Keep in mind that just because you are motivated by something other than the prizes doesn’t mean that no one is motivated by the prizes. Our studies show that many of the top fundraisers in the country are motivated and feel recognized by receiving the optional incentive prizes, and it is a Best Practice nationally to offer them. In addition, there are several more great things about the incentive program: It only rewards Top Fundraisers who go above and beyond their goal. We ask every participant to try and raise $100 each. The bottom level for the incentive prizes is for fundraisers who double that amount and raise $200. Most Relay participants won’t even qualify for the prizes. Those fundraisers that do qualify for the prizes deserve them. If someone raised $2,000 by themselves, they deserve the prize they get. It is one way we can recognize the hard work of our top fundraisers, thank them for what they are doing to fight cancer, and hopefully give them a reason to come back next year. All incentive prizes are optional. Any individual who earns one can choose to donate it back to the American Cancer Society by not claiming their prize. Or many individuals use their prizes as auction items to help their fundraising for the next year!
The Eastern Division negotiates great discount prices on the prizes in order to help keep the expenses low, and they are more than worth it to make your Top Fundraisers feel recognized and appreciated, and help motivate them to come back next year.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 37 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 6 – Host the Relay Kick Off
The Importance of Kick Off
Your Kickoff sets the tone for your entire Relay season. It is truly the beginning of your Relay event, where teams sign up and get energized to begin fundraising. The actual Relay is a continuation of the Kickoff, the celebration to reward all the hard work done by the teams fundraising to fight cancer. If the Kickoff is exciting and a lot of people come, your Relay will probably be exciting with a lot of people participating. If it is boring with few people in attendance, you have a lot of work to do to overcome that slow start…in fact you may want to hold another Rally to bump up the energy and truly set the tone you want for your Relay.
Using a Theme
A theme for your Kickoff can help keep the atmosphere fun. Some successful ideas have been a Mission Possible theme, a Relay around the World theme, an ESPN Sports Center Theme, a Mexican Fiesta theme and more! These themes can allow you to create fun invitations, use fun music, have fun food and more. Or you could not use a theme and just go all-out with a Purple Relay Party. The important thing is to make the Kickoff a party where people leave excited about the Relay.
Whet Their Appetites
Your Kickoff should give participants a taste of what they will get at the Relay: fun, powerful emotions, and inspiration. If you can make them laugh and make them cry, they will sign up their team. For a portion of the evening, use inspirational survivor speakers, powerful stories, small Luminaria ceremonies, touching poetry, videos, or other techniques to touch their heart strings and get them emotionally invested in your Relay. They will want to stay involved.
Setting a Kick Off Goal
Your Kickoff recruitment goal is to have at least 50% of your total goaled teams register at or before the Kickoff. The best Relays have 75% or more registered by the end of the Kickoff. This gives the teams ample time to fundraise before the Relay so they aren’t rushed at the end. In order to get this number of teams registered, a lot of work needs to go into inviting many people from around the community to attend the Kickoff.
Inviting People to Attend
For your Kickoff, you should invite all of your past Team Captains (both from last year and years before that), past team members, top fundraisers – including All Stars and Team Fundraising Club teams, past Survivor participants, your Team Prospects, community
38 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook leaders, the local media, and other members of the general public (from Chamber Lists, etc). Work with your Publicity Sub-Committee Chair to get the word out about your Kickoff as much as possible to the general public. For past team members, past survivors, and other members of the public, postcards or letters are adequate, but for your high priority targets, like past team captains and team prospects from your Hit List, you must do more than simply send a postcard invitation. Make one-on-one contact through a phone call or face to face if possible to personally invite them to attend. Then make sure it is an exciting, impactful evening!
Have Online Registration Available
Try to hold your Kickoff in a location where there is internet availability, either wirelessly or through connected computers, and have online registration available at the end of the Kickoff. Online registration is so easy, and it is a great way to track your teams. And it is a great fundraising tool for your teams, so give them the opportunity to sign up online right there at your Kickoff.
A Recap of Tips for Success: Start with a fun theme Make personal calls and send e-mails before the Kickoff to get the word out there to past teams and potential teams Offer an incentive for Kick Off attendees – perhaps first choice of campsite, chances to win a midnight pizza party or bagel breakfast for their team at Relay, chances to win a “keep cool” package at Relay for their team (including cold drinks, water balloons, squirt guns, etc.)…or be creative and think of another fun incentive Set up several computers at the Kickoff location and have many knowledgeable volunteers to help teams register online. Offer an additional incentive to those who sign up their team online that evening (extra chances toward the pizza party/bagel breakfast/”keep cool” package, etc.)
Give it a try...it works!
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 39 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 7 – Recruit New Teams
Introduction to Team Recruitment
Your teams will make or break your Relay. Survivors are the heart of a Relay, but without teams, there is no Relay. Therefore recruiting and retaining teams should be the NUMBER ONE priority for the entire Relay. That’s why Team Development Chairs are invited to the Leadership Summit for extra training…because Team Development is the most critical Sub-Committee for your event. Team Recruitment is a huge part of the success of the Team Development Sub-Committee, and it takes great people skills and a positive attitude. And even though you should have one Team Recruitment Sub-Committee partner for every 5 new teams you want to recruit, everyone on the large Relay committee should participate in the Team Recruitment process. Remember, without teams around the track, all of the event planning in the world can’t make a good Relay. Without teams out there fundraising, you won’t raise money to fight cancer either. Your teams make your Relay, so concentrate on finding those teams.
The Importance of Communication
Be sure to stay in communication with all of your Sub-Committee Partners and with other members of the Relay Committee who are making asks of companies and organizations in your community (such as the Corporate Sponsorship Sub-Committee asking for sponsorships, the Entertainment & Activities Sub-Committee asking for prizes or auction items, the Logistics Sub-Committee asking for day-of volunteers, etc). Teams are the first priority, but all asks should be coordinated so no companies or organizations are being bombarded. Track your prospect communication on your Prospect Hit List and work together with other Sub-Committees to get the most out of every ask.
The Importance of Accountability
As Team Recruitment Sub-Committee partners, work together to make sure that each person who commits to contacting a company or individual contacts them in a timely manner, and report back to your Team Development Chair and Event Chair on your recruitment progress. You can use your Team Prospect Hit List to help with this by keeping good records of who has which warm leads and who committed to contacting that lead, as well as a date to contact them by. This way you will make sure that all of the prospects are contacted in time to form teams and fundraise for the Relay. If you find that you have too many prospects and not enough people to contact them, you should try recruiting more volunteers for the Team Development Sub-Committee to help you contact teams and schedule presentations, and also prioritize contacting your best warm leads first when working down your list.
40 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Steps to Team Recruitment
1. Research Team Prospects
Begin Keeping a Prospect Hit List of all potential teams in your community. Your brainstormed list of warm leads from the committee meeting is a great start. Use your community data, your fellow sub-committee partners, other Relay committee members, and even returning Team Captains for ideas and leads to add to the list.
Your Prospect Hit List should have twice as many prospects as your Team Recruitment Goal, because you should plan on one out of every two prospects saying no.
Your list should include (among other ideas): o Survivor & Caregiver participants who were not on a team last year o Relay Sponsors who didn’t have teams last year o Committee Members’ employers and connections o Hospitals, clinics, and health clubs o Banks and Credit Unions o Realtors and Mortgage Brokers o Faith-based organizations o Schools o Large Employers o National Corporate & Non-Corporate Team Partners
Consider Creating an Incentive System for existing Team Captains to give you warm leads or bring in new teams. o Consider offering chances in a drawing for each new warm lead and for each new team. The prize could be “pampering” at Relay (a cot, heating lamp, Starbucks coffee, etc.), Spirit Points, exemption from walking during the early-morning hours of Relay, gift certificate for a massage, etc.
Make sure that someone has committed to approaching each prospect. Your Sub- Committee partners should each have prospects to contact, and that they should work with the large Relay Committee to pursue their warm leads.
Pursue Warm Leads First, including people you know in the community and contacts from your Team Development Sub-Committee, from the larger Relay committee, and from Team Captains.
Ask the person who knows them for any and all information about the prospect. Prepare yourself with as much information as possible before contacting them. Do your own research about the person or company.
o What other community activities are they involved in? o Are you aware of a connection to cancer? o What kind of advertising do they do as a company?
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 41 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook o How would being involved in Relay benefit them (positive image in the community, advertising, employee morale, honor someone with cancer, the positive effects of volunteering, etc)? o Does their company or organization share any priorities with the American Cancer Society (i.e., pharmaceutical companies, weight loss centers, organizations that advocate for no smoking, etc)?
Working the Track at the Relay is a great way to find warm leads for the next year from Team Captains and team members. If you didn’t collect that information last year, work with your Team Retention Sub-Committee Partner to ask each returning team if they know anyone else in the community who isn’t involved in Relay but should be. Add these warm leads to your Prospect Hit List and work together to make contact with those prospects.
Pursue cold contacts second. Use the Relayville Mapping exercise and the Recruitment Wheel to identify organizations to contact and split the contacts between members of the Relay committee.
Access information about which companies, schools, churches, and organizations are in your community through your own local market research.
Prioritize the prospects that you would like to be involved and learn more about their group or company: how they have been involved in the community in the past, any connections to cancer, what their community service goals or mission might be, etc. Consider what benefits they might gain from being involved in Relay.
Find out who the most appropriate person to contact at each location is, (i.e., manager, or Human Resources, or Community Involvement Coordinator, etc). Prepare yourself with as much information as possible before contacting them.
Research National Corporate Non-Corporate Teams Program companies through their Fact Sheets, available to access on RelayForLife.org. These Fact Sheets list the title of the person to contact at the local NCTP branches to hopefully get them involved. Co-branded Promotional Flyers for each company are also linked from RelayForLife.org.
Be sure to reach out to all National Corporate & Non-Corporate Teams Companies and offer them the opportunity to participate in the local Relay For Life. Since each individual branch and office has the choice to get involved locally, they may not choose to participate, but they should definitely be asked! o Also be sure to thank them for their corporate involvement and keep the relationship positive for next year, even if they say no this year.
2. Reach Out to Team Prospects
Make first contact once you feel like you have a solid understanding of the prospect you are pursuing, warm or cold. First contact can be by phone, but in person is typically more successful.
42 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook The goal of your first contact is to schedule a presentation or appointment with that group or individual. Here are some quick examples of requesting time for a presentation or an appointment:
o Could I have 7 minutes at your next staff meeting to give a brief presentation about our local Relay For Life? Everyone should have the opportunity to fight back against cancer through Relay, and we would love to have a team representing
When digging for teams or sub-committee volunteers in this way, reserve an afternoon and try to schedule several presentations or appointments on that afternoon. That way you will maximize the time spent devoted to team recruitment, and you will improve after each presentation.
3. Reel Teams in with Recruitment Presentations
Here is a sample flow of a group recruitment presentation: Thank the manager for the opportunity to present, introduce yourself, and give a basic intro about Relay (see example below) — about 1 minute Share a short version of your personal story of why you Relay. Try to tug their heartstrings. — about 2 minutes Show a short video to give people a concept of what Relay is, if possible. – 3-5 minutes o Or show pictures of Relay from a calendar. Remind them that you have been touched by cancer, and that is why you got involved. Ask for a show of hands of who has been touched by cancer. — 30 seconds Challenge the group to get involved, and ask specifically if anyone would consider learning how to become the Team Captain from that group or company. —30 seconds Thank them for their time, and follow up individually with the person or people who are interested in learning more.
Ideal presentation is around 7 minutes long — stay under 10 minutes.
Also consider working with the Team Recruitment Sub-Committee partners to present Team Rallies at large employers where there could be a possibility of multiple teams, especially if there has been a single team from that company in the past.
A Team Rally is like a mini Kickoff for a specific organization like a school, hospital, government agency, or other large employer for the purpose of recruiting and retaining teams.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 43 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Here is a sample flow of an individual recruitment appointment: Take them out for coffee or dessert. Something informal and inexpensive, but a place where you can get 15 minutes of their time. Give them positive “strokes” – why did you think they would be great or why did so-and-so mention that they might be interested or recommend that you talk to them. Short synopsis of why you Relay – share your passion for fighting cancer and how Relay has met that need in your life. Tug their heartstrings and spend 5 minutes or less on your story. Possible 3 minute video on a laptop, or a Relay calendar with pictures for a visual aid to quickly explain the event (see example explanation below). Make the ask: Would you consider forming a team for our Relay For Life event? Follow up with more information o If yes, tell them they can learn more at the Kickoff or Team Captain meeting. Give them the information to attend and tell them you will be following up soon. o Ask if they need any help recruiting their team members and help make the process as easy as possible for them to be successful. o If they have questions, answer them as well as you can. o If they tell you they want to think about it, tell them you will follow up next week. o If they say no, or they are too busy, that’s ok. Ask them if they know anyone who has been touched by cancer that might be interested in the opportunity to celebrate survivors, remember loved ones, and fight back against cancer through the Relay For Life. o If that person gives you a name, ask if you can say they recommended that the new person might be interested. o Depending on their interest, offer other ways to get involved. They might be too busy to be a Team Captain, but they might be a great Team Member for another team that is struggling to recruit members. Or they might be able to sponsor the event, donate an item to an auction, or simply be interested in purchasing a luminaria. Thank them for their time and support, and invite them to come out to see the Relay even if they aren’t on a team. Ideal appointment is about 15-20 minutes long, depending on the amount of “small talk”.
Here is an example of a very basic way to explain Relay in about 1 minute — Don’t try to explain all the details of the event…it can be overwhelming to someone hearing about it for the first time.
Stick to the basics, and let them ask follow up questions. This example centers around three basic concepts at Relay: Celebrate, Remember, and Fight Back. Try using something like this at your next presentation! Relay For Life is a way for us to celebrate cancer survivors in our community, remember those we have lost to cancer, and fight back against this disease. We celebrate cancer survivors at the Relay through an incredible Cancer Survivors Victory Lap kicking off the event, and a special Survivor Reception with tons of great food and goodies completely free to all cancer survivors. Last year we had 44 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook over ___ cancer survivors attend! At Relay, we remember those we have lost to cancer through the incredible Luminaria Ceremony at sundown. The whole track is lined with white bags decorated in honor of those who have survived cancer or those we have lost. The lit bags around the track and the amazing Luminaria Ceremony is my favorite part of the Relay. And we fight back against cancer at Relay by forming teams of friends and family to raise money to support the programs and services of the American Cancer Society. Most of the money is raised before the Relay so that on the night of the event we can concentrate on celebrating cancer survivors and remembering those lost to cancer. We take turns walking all night long because cancer never sleeps, and neither will we until we find a cure.
4. Recognize Teams
Recognize the effort it took to say yes when you get a new team, and how excited you are that they are going to be a part of the Relay. Also be sure to recognize their commitment to fight cancer, and recognize in advance all the great things they are going to do for your event.
Thank them from day one for their current and future involvement. Thanks can come in many ways, including verbal, written, small gifts or tokens, physical hugs or handshakes, or acts of appreciation. Try using all of them when thanking teams.
Notice and Recognize their fundraising efforts throughout the Relay season. Be sure to recognize any special events or if they go above and beyond with their fundraising. See Step 11 – Recognize Teams (in this guidebook) for more recognition tips and ideas.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 45 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 8 – Retain Teams
Two Parts of Team Retention
There are two parts of Team Retention: bringing back past teams by contacting them and convincing them to come back to the Relay this year, and keeping current teams happy so they want to come back next year. Both of these are very important to the success of your Relay. In the past, Relay For Life has not typically done a great job of team retention from year to year, in fact the national average for team retention is around 60%. This means that in order to make a Relay grow, we not only have to find and recruit new teams, but we have to replace 40% of our existing teams!
Realistically, we should not expect to get this retention number up to 100% because there are always things that come up in people’s lives that change whether they can participate in Relay, but we should realistically be able to get that retention number above 80% if we are treating our teams right and meeting their needs.
Your role as a Team Retention Sub-Committee Partner is to concentrate on contacting all teams from the last three years and personally inviting them back, and also to focus efforts on treating teams well this year so they want to come back next year.
Bringing Back Past Teams
To target teams from last year and convince them to return this year, you should have one person for every ten teams you want to bring back. If teams had a good experience last year and had fun at the Relay, they will be more likely to say yes when you contact them for this year. Gathering Lists of Past Teams
This data work should all be done before the Kickoff so that past teams can be specifically invited to register and attend the Kickoff. Gather team lists from your staff partner from our Siebel database from last year, and from the previous three years if possible. The Siebel database has more and more good information as we increase the use of scannable forms to capture team data, but lists from several years ago may not be complete. Cross reference these Siebel lists with any spreadsheets from past Team Development Chairs. Using these lists, begin creating a Returning Teams Hit List including team names and Team Captain contact information. You may have to do some local searching in the phone book or on the internet for updated contact information for some of the older teams.
Researching Past Teams
Try to find out as much as possible about last year’s teams before contacting them. How long have they been involved in Relay?
46 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Are they affiliated with a company or organization, or is it a team of family and friends? Is there a specific person they are honoring or remembering? How much money do they average per year? Have they ever been involved in other aspects of the Relay, like the planning committee? Do they typically attend Team Captain meetings? Did they attend Bank Night last year? Do they decorate their team campsite? Have they done any special fundraisers in the past? Do they have an individual fundraiser who really stands out?
Also take note of any other details about the team that you can gather. Try speaking with your Event Chair, with last year’s Team Development Chair, and with your staff partner to learn about the past teams. The more you know about the team, the more likely you will be to build a relationship with them and convince them to come back this year.
Prioritizing Your Team List
After you have compiled your Returning Teams Hit List and done some research on the past teams, consider prioritizing your Returning Teams Hit List to help you determine which returning teams to focus your energy on first. Here are some sample definitions of priority levels:
High Priority Teams — These are your top teams who were very successful fundraisers and went above and beyond your event’s fundraising team goals (for most events, this will be teams over $2,000, but some large events may have a higher baseline for High Priority teams). Priority Teams — These are teams that did exactly what you asked of them. They made their basic fundraising goal and have the potential to become High Priority Teams in the future. Opportunity Teams — This includes new teams and any returning teams who were not able to reach their goal last year for whatever reason (i.e., maybe they joined the Relay at the last minute), but have tons of potential to be great teams.
Make Contact
There are several ways to make contact with past teams in order to persuade them to recommit to the Relay again this year. This contact should be made one-on-one with the Team Captain…do not just rely on mailed pieces to get past teams to attend your Kickoff or recommit to the Relay. This contact can be made by phone if necessary, but face-to- face contact is typically more successful.
There are three types of face-to-face retention visits you can make, plus personal phone contact:
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 47 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Personal Courtesy Visit — for teams that are firmly associated with the individual Team Captain, like friends and family teams, some small business teams, etc. These teams would probably not be teams without the Team Captain. Personal Phone Call — there are times when a visit is not possible, but past Team Captains should still be contacted one-on-one through the phone. Similar to personal visits, Personal Phone Calls are appropriate for all past Team Captains, but a face-to-face meeting should be the first priority. Employee Staff Meeting — for teams that are more associated with representing their company or organization around the track. These teams may have different Team Captains every year or two, and typically have a team because the leadership of the company buys into Relay, rather than because a single person wanted to do it. Company Rally — for companies or organizations that have several teams around the track, like schools, hospitals, large employers, etc. Different Kinds of Teams
There are several different types of teams that you will encounter when trying to retain past teams. We know that 100% team retention every year is unrealistic…there will be teams that have conflicts, don’t want to come back, or disintegrate. But if you can put the effort into inviting back all teams, remembering to contact dropped teams from past years, and convincing “on the fence” teams to come back, you could get your team retention rates up to 80%. Here are some different types of teams and some strategies regarding them:
Teams that will come back — these are teams that had a good time last year and are definitely planning on coming back to the Relay. Make sure that they are recognized for their hard work, and that all their questions are answered and their needs are met.
Teams that are on the fence — these lukewarm teams will take more work to recapture. You may need to make several personal visits or phone calls, but don’t push them away by annoying them. Try to figure out what they are thinking; what is causing their hesitation. If they are frustrated with an aspect of the Relay event from last year, thank them for bringing their concern to your attention, let them know that you would like to try and address their concern with the committee, and then consider ways to resolve the problem by planning around it early this year, and follow up with them with the resolution. If it is a lack of motivation, consider a personal visit with a cancer survivor to share their experience with an American Cancer Society service funded by Relay. If it is a personal reason, this team may need to take a break for a year. Let them know that it’s ok, and that you would love to have them back in future years.
Dropped teams from past years — teams from two or three years ago that decided to take a year off because of conflicts or for personal reasons should be invited to come back to the Relay. Many Relays lose these teams over time through a combination of committee volunteer turn over and poor data capture. Do your best to find and contact all dropped teams from two and three years ago and let them know they are missed and they are welcome to come back.
48 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Teams that want to come back, but can’t because of a conflict this year — sometimes there are one-time life events like weddings, family reunions, or special vacations that take people out of town for the Relay weekend, and there is nothing you can do about these teams. Make sure that these teams are kept on your list and invited again next year!
Teams that don’t want to come back — there will sometimes be teams that just don’t want to come back to the Relay. That’s ok. Make sure they know they are appreciated for their efforts last year and welcome to come back at any time.
Disintegrated Teams — sometimes teams disintegrate between one Relay and the next, like if the Team Captain and their family move out of town or the company goes out of business. Do your best to invite team members to the Kickoff and keep them involved, but sometimes there just isn’t a team to bring back.
Keeping Teams Once They Say Yes
Once your teams say yes, the job of developing them and treating them right begins. Keeping teams happy this year will go a long way toward bringing them back, so make Team Retention easier for next year by treating your teams well now. There are 5 things the entire Team Development Sub-Committee can do to keep teams engaged in the Relay and wanting to come back next year. While the whole Team Development Sub- Committee should work together on making sure these things happen for teams, the Team Retention Sub-Committee partner takes the lead on this piece throughout the Relay season.
1. Keep Teams Informed — They know what to expect. Inform teams what it means to be a Team Captain before they register. Make sure they understand the basic concept of Relay and what is expected of Relay teams (fundraising goals, attendance at meetings, etc). Keep them informed during the Relay season with updates, deadlines for important items, and Relay progress. And update them after the Relay is complete with the Relay’s statistics and success.
2. Keep Teams Empowered — They know they can do it. Make sure each Team Captain knows that their job is possible, and that they are capable of accomplishing it. Give them the training and tools they need to be successful through Team Captain meetings and TCU. Encourage them to keep working throughout the season because they can make it.
3. Keep Teams Motivated — They know how they make a difference. Show each Team Captain how they impact the success of the Relay, and how the money they raise impacts the fight against cancer through the mission of the American Cancer Society. Don’t let them forget the Reason they Relay – to fight cancer.
4. Keep Teams Excited — They know how rewarding and fun it will be. Keep a fun atmosphere and positive energy throughout the Relay process, from the Kickoff and Team Captain Meetings, all the way through to Relay. Build up the fun of the event by showcasing entertainment that will be onsite and by encouraging teams to get involved with team themes, activities, and healthy competition. Also make
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 49 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook sure each Team Captain enjoys a sense of fun and accomplishment when it is complete by sharing the Relay success.
5. Keep Teams Appreciated — They know they are doing a great job. Recognize and appreciate Team Captains’ ideas, accomplishments, and effort throughout the Relay process. This includes appreciating their commitment to form a team, noticing their hard work fundraising before the Relay, and recognizing their overall performance during and after the Relay.
Team Retention Visit
What to Say
Thank them for their participation in the Relay. Bring up any special things that they brought to last year’s Relay. Mention specifically their theme or campsite activity, their regular attendance at Team Captain meetings, their positive energy, or their fundraising total…anything that let’s them know you noticed their special influence on the event. Let them know they made a difference and will be missed if they are gone. Also let them know how the money they raised is fighting cancer through the mission of the American Cancer Society. Tell them you are hoping they will bring their energy back to the Relay this year…that it wouldn’t be the same without them. Ask if they are ready to commit to bringing their team to the Relay again, and let them know how to register at the Kickoff (or other process special to your event). If they say yes, thank them again and let them know you will be following up with more information soon. If they say maybe, tell them it’s ok, and that you hope they attend the Kickoff anyway to support the event, and that they can decide later if they need to. If they say no, find out why if you can. o If the Team Captain is burned out, maybe they could give you the name of someone else from the team who would take on the role instead. o If there is a conflict with the date, let them know you will contact them in two years because you would love to have them come back. o If there was a problem with the Relay that made them uncomfortable, take their suggestions back to the committee to improve the event in the future.
What to Bring
A Kickoff Invitation Team Registration Materials (Team Captain Kit, forms, etc) Relay posters, brochures, or other promotional pieces Your contact information A clever gift. A small token of appreciation is a great way to break the ice with Team Captains you may not know, and also lets them know that you truly appreciate them. Cute little tokens from the grocery store or a Dollar Store work great. A couple little ideas could be: o a calculator with a note saying “We’re Counting on You”
50 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook o a mint candy with a note saying “Thank you for your commitMINT to fighting cancer” o lifesavers candy with a note saying “You’re a Lifesaver” o a helium balloon with a note saying “With your support…the sky’s the limit!” o a scented tea light with a note saying “No one holds a candle to you!”
Follow Up
Always follow up the meeting with a personal note thanking them for their time. This personal touch goes a long way, whether the team said yes or whether they are still on the fence. Relay note cards are available from your staff partner. Use wording like this in your handwritten notes:
You should always try to contact past Team Captains in person first, but there are times when an in person visit isn’t possible. In these cases, you should make personal contact via telephone. Do not rely simply on mailed pieces to get teams to return to the Relay. Here is a sample telephone script:
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 51 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook
Team Retention Presentation
Retention presentations at employee staff meetings are appropriate for teams from companies or organizations that are supported by the leadership of that company. These are teams you can usually count on to come back each year because the company leadership supports the mission of Relay at a high level, but if you don’t find a solid Team
52 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Captain to lead the team and motivate team members, their team could surprise you and fall through at the last minute or have low fundraising numbers.
Typical organizations that fall into this category are cancer treatment centers, banks, and corporate sponsors. So, presenting at an employee staff meeting is a great way to find a Team Captain and motivate the employees to join the team and get them excited to fundraise…and you never know, you might even be able to motivate the company to form two or three partner teams!
What To Say
Before the presentation — Use upbeat background music and edible treats to make the presentation fun for the employees and to remind them how much fun Relay is. Greet team members individually as they come in – the more you know about them, the better. 5 minutes — Welcome and thank them for their participation in the Relay last year. Bring up any special things that their company team brought to last year’s Relay. Mention specifically their theme or campsite activity, how many years they have been at the Relay, their regular attendance at Team Captain meetings, their positive energy, or their fundraising total…anything that let’s them know you noticed their special influence on the event. Let them know they made a difference and would be missed if they were gone. 10 - 15 minutes — Let them know how the money they raised is fighting cancer through the mission of the American Cancer Society through specific examples of programs or research. You could show a video if you wanted. Also share your personal story of why you Relay and ask them to join you in the fight. 5 -10 minutes — Tell them you are hoping they will bring their energy back to the Relay this year… that it wouldn’t be the same without them. Ask who wants to be Team Captain this year, and then help them register or let them know how to register at the Kickoff. Also ask if there is any interest in forming two (or more) partner teams this year, and answer any questions they may have as a group. After the presentation — Follow up with the Team Captain(s) after the meeting and answer their questions and give them more information about the upcoming Kickoff and Team Captain meetings.
What to Bring
A Kickoff Invitation Team Registration Materials (Team Captain Kit, forms, etc) Relay posters, brochures, or other promotional pieces Your contact information Some yummy treats to share with the employees while you present and get them motivated to join the team. Examples could be: o Donated pizza for a lunch hour pizza party presentation o Donated ice cream for a social afternoon presentation o Donated donuts/bagels for a breakfast presentation o Home baked goods like brownies for an afternoon presentation o All necessary materials to serve the goodies (ice cream scoop, spatula, paper
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 53 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook plates, napkins, etc)
Follow Up
Always follow up the meeting with a personal note. In this case, you should send a note to the company leadership for allowing you the opportunity to present to their employees, and also to the people who agreed to be Team Captains this year.
Step 9 – Communicate with Teams Year-Round
The Importance of Communication
Regular communication with your teams keeps them engaged in the Relay and keeps you informed of their progress. Keeping teams informed is one of the main steps to retaining them year to year, and communication is how you keep Team Captains and team members informed. Communicating with Teams during the “off” season is also important, as it makes teams feel like a part of the Relay community.
Types of Team Communication
There are many ways to communicate with teams, both Team Captains and team members. Here are a few examples: Team Captain Meetings Team Mentor Phone Calls Team E-mail Updates Relay Newsletters Other Relay mailings
Because Team Captain Meetings and Team Mentor Phone Calls are covered in other sections, we will focus on Relay newsletters, other Relay mailings, and Team E-mail Updates in this chapter, but be sure to read the sections on Team Captain Meetings and Team Mentoring too.
Team Email Updates
Email is a very handy and inexpensive way to communicate. Because of federal guidelines, all emails should have an option to unsubscribe, so please work with your Online Chair to use Convio (our Relay Online platform) to send out your email updates to your teams rather than sending them from your personal e-mail address, if possible. When communicating through e-mail, send short, quick e-mail updates every month or so until the three months before the event, and then send e-mails every couple weeks to keep up the energy for the Relay. Avoid sending large attachments, if possible. Be responsive to questions that are e-mailed to you, and answer them quickly.
54 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Relay Mailings
These include things like holiday cards, Kickoff invitations, Save the Date postcards, thank you letter, etc. Work with your Event Chair and staff partner to decide what kind of mailings you want to send throughout the Relay season and get the pieces ordered. Many mailings are primarily logistical, like quick invitations or reminders of dates and times. Other mailings are “care” communications, like a holiday card or thank you letter. Be sure to mix both logistical and care messages in all of your communications.
TIP: When possible, request the services of the Eastern Division’s Bulk Mail Center. They are able to pull mailing labels for you, make photocopies (just specify the type or color paper), fold & stuff envelopes, and save your event some money by taking advantage of the bulk mail postage rate!
Ideas for Off-Season Communication
There’s not really a true “off ” season for Relay, but there are several months when most teams take a break from Relay (although we want to encourage year-round fundraising because it is the easiest way to fundraise). In order to keep them thinking about Relay and planning to return next year, communicate with them during this “off ” time. Here are some examples:
Team Wrap Up Party after the Relay – thanks and recognizes teams for their hard work, shares the success of the event, keeps energy up for next year. Team Captain Thank You Letter – sent after the Relay, personally thanks the Team Captain for their individual and team contribution to the success of the Relay and the work of the American Cancer Society. Holiday Card – consider sending a holiday card around Thanksgiving and “give thanks” for their continued support for the Relay For Life. This gives the advantage of being one of the first and therefore memorable holiday cards they receive, and also avoids specific religious holiday affiliations. A Relay e-newsletter focusing on the mission of the American Cancer Society – send an e-newsletter in the off season focused on all the work the Society is doing to fight cancer, through research, cancer education and prevention, cancer advocacy in the legislature, and local patient services. Work with the Online Chair to send this through Convio.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 55 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 10 – Building Relationships with Teams
Team Meetings
Effective Team Captain Meetings run for an hour or less and provide pertinent, timely information for all Team Captains, experienced or new. They create a sense of community and healthy competition among the Team Captains and a sense of excitement for the upcoming Relay. They also equip the Captains to be successful fundraisers, leaders of their teams, and ambassadors for the American Cancer Society in the community. So, how do you plan effective Team Captain meetings?
Scheduling Meetings
Schedule all of your Team Captain meetings early so you can hand out the full schedule at the Kickoff. Here are some scheduling tips:
Hold at least 3-5 Captain meetings, plus your local Team Captain University and Bank Night. Make sure your schedule for the year accommodates all of these Team events. Host each meeting at the same time, same night of the week, in the same location. This makes it predictable and easy to remember for the Team Captains. Choose a night that makes sense, like Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evening after work. Avoid weekends nights if possible for regular meetings because they are not well attended. Schedule your first Team Captain Meeting no more than four weeks after your Kickoff and be sure to announce the upcoming dates for your TCU and Team Captain meetings to the Kickoff attendees.
Planning Meeting Content
Each team captain meeting should be no more than an hour in length and should cover three main topics: 1. Fundraising – this is a chance to teach teams how to fundraise, allow teams to share their fundraising plans and ideas, etc. 2. Mission – remind everyone why we Relay by inviting a survivor to share his/her story, or by incorporating an activity that highlights an ACS mission priority 3. Logistics – inform team captains of the activities schedule, what to bring/what not to bring, parking, ceremony times, the event sponsors, etc.
On The Link, you’ll find Team Captain Meetings in a Box – a resource that provides sample agendas and activity ideas for a season’s worth of team captain meetings.
Regardless of whether you use the sample agendas or not, plan your Team Captain Meeting content at the beginning of the year and decide what you are going to talk about during each meeting. This will help you stay on topic and have fresh, timely information for your Team Captains at each meeting that will make them feel like their
56 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook time was well spent. Always keep your audience in mind too. There are brand new Captains and experienced Captains in the room, so try to include things for both in all of your meetings.
Setting Up the Meeting
Choose a welcoming location in a central part of your community, if possible. Try conference rooms in local businesses, libraries, or hospitals, or the back room of a restaurant, or a classroom at a local school. Make sure it is quiet enough for a productive meeting, and can support A/V equipment if needed.
Use fun music to set the tone as Captains come in to make it comfortable and welcoming.
Arrange tables and chairs in the room so people have room to network and feel comfortable.
Put up some Relay decorations (like a banner or balloons) to make a festive atmosphere.
Use extra Relay items as door prizes (give out with tickets for best answers).
Offer simple finger food refreshments in an easy to access part of the room (work with the Hospitality Sub-Committee to secure refreshments).
Decide on what handouts you want at the meeting, and find a way to have the printing or copies donated ahead of time. Work with your Event Chair and/or staff partner if you need ideas for handouts, or use some of the examples on The Link (see details in Tools, Samples & Examples section of this guidebook).
Don’t forget to prepare a sign in sheet to take attendance and know who was there.
Leading Your Team Captain Meeting
Ask the most charismatic committee member on the Relay committee (regardless of their position) to help you up front to keep the energy of the meeting fun and engaging Utilize your experienced Team Captains as much as possible…they can be great presenters or at least share stories and successes as examples during the meeting Look for ways to recognize, notice, and appreciate the hard work all of the Team Captains are doing during the meetings.
Practice going through your meeting agenda ahead of time…this will give your presentation a comfortable flow and continuity instead of just “winging it”.
Stay on schedule…don’t let your meetings run long. There is a ton to cover, but no one likes meetings that are longer than an hour. Respect the time of your Team Captains and start and end on time.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 57 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Be sure to check out the Team Captain Meetings in a Box guidebook, located on The Link, for more ideas and tips (see details in the Tools, Samples & Examples section of this guidebook).
Following Up After the Meeting
Use the information from the sign-in attendance sheet to know which teams sent a representative and which didn’t. Email detailed notes from the meeting to the teams that didn’t attend and let them know you missed them!
Email the meeting notes out to the Team Captains who were there as well as a reminder of what you covered. Let them know how thankful you are that they took the time to attend.
Have each Team Mentor follow up with a phone call to their assigned teams within two weeks of the meeting to go over the topics in detail to see if they have questions or need help in any areas. Then make sure all the Mentors report back on progress for your team tracking.
Make sure each Team Captain knows who to ask if they have questions, including their Team Mentor, the Team Development Sub-Committee members, and the Event Chair.
How Does Team Captain University (TCU) Fit In?
Team Captain University is a separate intensive Team Captain Training session that goes over the different aspects of being a successful Team Captain in detail, with specific examples, helping them to become better leaders of their teams, more successful fundraisers, and educated ambassadors for the American Cancer Society. It typically takes place for several hours on a Saturday morning, and has shown to be very successful in helping teams fundraise for the Relay.
In fact, teams that attend TCU typically raise $200 more on average than teams who do not. Team Captains who attend also give very positive feedback about the experience.
Your local TCU may be a larger event combined with other local Relays with the support of your Regional Relay Advisory Team (RAT Pack) or Relay Task Force, or it may be something your event puts on locally for just your Team Captains (depending on geographic differences around our Eastern Division). Check with your Event Chair and Staff Partner to help plan the details of your TCU, and be sure to communicate about it to your Team Captains to make sure they attend.
Detailed Team Captain University Planning Guides and Facilitator’s Guides are available electronically on The Link (see details in the Tools, Samples & Examples section of this guidebook) to give you Relay everything you need to put on a successful Team Captain University.
58 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Mentor, Coach & Develop Teams
Team Development is taking Relay teams to the next level. Taking brand new teams and helping them to be successful and meet their basic Relay fundraising goal of $100 a person. Taking returning teams and helping them raise the bar for their energy and fundraising, through more participation in activities and events and more successful fundraising, even producing Top Teams in the Eastern Division over $100,000! (Yes, we have teams that do this!)
Taking Relay participants from teams and giving them opportunities to get more involved with the Relay through becoming Team Mentors, members of the Team Development Sub-Committee, or volunteers on the larger Relay Committee. Team Development is truly helping teams reach their full potential as cancer warriors, and it takes a lot of work from all members of the Team Development Sub-Committee, particularly the Team Retention Sub-Committee partners. In this chapter, we are going to focus on the coaching and mentoring aspects of Team Development, which the Team Retention Chair should focus on once all returning teams have been contacted about returning to the Relay.
Set Up a Team Mentoring System
Give your successful Team Captains a chance to share their knowledge and experience by mentoring a handful of other Relay teams. Setting up a mentoring system like this helps you build a sense of community among the Team Captains, and also gives you a structure to communicate important information, and it also allows you to use the asset of your experienced Team Captains to shape new Captains.
Who would be better at answering questions from new Team Captains than a Captain who has been there? Another benefit of a Team Mentor program is that it takes some pressure off of the Team Development Committee because you have mentors working one on one with Team Captains, making sure they are on track and have everything they need to be successful. Work out all the details of your Team Mentor program (how you are going to communicate back and forth with your mentors, what you would like them to do, any other expectations of the mentors, etc) before you begin recruiting.
A Mentor Should Accomplish the Following: Provide each Team Captain with one on one support Show each Captain that they are an important part of the Relay and they are truly wanted Help with any difficulties the Captain may be facing Communicate with and remind Captains of their responsibilities and deadlines Give Captains the opportunity to ask specific questions
Increase the Team Fundraising Average
In addition to recruiting new teams, increasing your Team Fundraising average is another way to help your Relay raise more funds to fight cancer and increase your total year to year. There are several ways to help increase your team fundraising average, including helping Team Captains set a positive mindset around fundraising to share with their team members, giving Team Captains the training and tools to be successful fundraisers,
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 59 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook recognizing and appreciating their fundraising efforts, and fostering a sense of healthy, friendly fundraising competition.
Be sure to promote the Team Fundraising Club, Relay All Stars, and Million Click Challenge initiatives in all Team communications, meetings, etc.
Fundraising Training Tools
Give your Team Captains the tools to be successful fundraisers in multiple ways:
1. Encourage them to attend your local Team Captain University. They will learn how to write and run a successful letter campaign, how to plan a successful team fundraising event, how to tell their ACS Story, how to answer questions about the American Cancer Society and what we do, and other tips for being great Team Captains.
2. Review the different types of fundraising at Team Captain Meetings, including giving specific examples of Team and Individual fundraising and letting the Team Captains share ideas as a group. Team Captains and participants should concentrate their efforts on meeting their fundraising goal through a mixture of Team and Individual fundraising techniques, and this is what you should concentrate your fundraising training on. The different types of fundraising include: a. Individual Fundraising – examples are letter-writing campaigns, e-mailing friends and family, face to face asks, and individual events like a small lemonade stand and other ideas that each team member does as an individual, typically asking their friends, family, and other contacts for donations. b. Team Fundraising – examples are organized team fundraising events like garage sales, bake sales, parties, auctions, Mini Relays, contests, and other ideas that a whole team does together, typically targeting the general public for donations. c. On-Site Fundraising – this kind of fundraising is icing on the cake after teams meet their goal. Examples include things like selling food or drinks at your campsite, selling or renting fun items like glowsticks or sports equipment from your campsite, having games or activities with a fee to play like Wheel of Fortune or an X-Box, and other creative ideas. These activities do not typically raise a lot of money (typically around $100 or so) but they add a fun, carnival feeling to the Relay and give participants lots of things to do during the night. d. General Event Fundraising – this kind of fundraising benefits the Relay as a whole, but does not count toward team fundraising goals. Things like large silent auctions, food sales, and luminaria sales typically are organized by the Relay Committee and benefit the event as a whole but do not count toward team fundraising totals.
3. Educate yourself and your Team Captains on different types of specific fundraising opportunities, like Relay Online, the Mini-Relay Kit, and other fundraising ideas. There is a section of fundraising ideas on The Link, and be sure to ask your staff
60 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook partner for more information and ideas.
4. Use your team mentoring system to support Team Captains who may need fundraising ideas. Make sure to explain many fundraising opportunities to your mentors so that they are well equipped to share ideas with any teams that may need fundraising help and motivation.
Friendly Competition
We live in a competitive society, and many of us are motivated to be the best we can be. Incorporate this into your Relay by fostering a sense of healthy, friendly competition among your Team Captains.
This helps not only create a sense of community within the Relay, but it also gives teams an extra reason to do their best in fundraising, and there are very few other competitive outlets that serve such a good purpose. Surveys of the best Team Captains across the country show that one thing they all have in common is a strong competitive spirit and a desire to be the best. They are competitive not only toward other teams, but can also be competitive with themselves to beat their previous total year after year. Give them an outlet for this positive trait by providing ways for healthy competition between teams (for awards, special recognition, Relay benefits, or prizes) and also recognizing their efforts year to year to beat their previous best (through individual incentive prizes and other recognition methods).
Keep your Team Captains from getting bored by taking this opportunity to keep them interested in the competition year after year. Do your very best to develop ways for healthy, friendly competition throughout the Relay season, and watch the positive results roll in!
Recognition
Fundraising recognition is a very important part of encouraging teams to increase their fundraising goal from year to year. Teams need to feel like their contribution to the Relay is noticed and appreciated, both on an individual and team level. There are many ways to recognize team fundraising efforts, including team awards and individual incentive prizes, and a detailed list of ideas is provided in Step 11 of this guidebook.
Track Team Progress
Work with the Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee as well as the Online Sub- Committee to keep your Event Chair and Relay committee informed on how the teams are doing so that they can make accurate projections on what the committee needs to do to make your overall goals for the Relay. Tracking team registration and attendance and taking notes on their progress also allows you to pay special attention to teams that may need more help or motivation to meet their goals. In addition, tracking team attendance at meetings helps you to follow up with teams that miss meetings so you can catch them up on the important information they missed.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 61 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Reports Available to You
Work with your committee’s Relay Online Chair for reports that show all online activity, including: Registered teams Online dollars raised
Work with your staff partner for Siebel reports, that show all online activity plus all offline activity (Scannable registration forms, cash & check donations), including: Team Rosters Team Funds Raised (called “Team Estimated Revenue”)
You’ll need to track attendance separately (Kick Off, Team Captain Meetings, TCU, Bank Night, etc.), as well as progress toward team goals.
T-Shirts
T-shirts are very important to team members, so it is important that the Relay committee has them right. The Registration and Accounting Chair should be keeping a t-shirt size report from paper and online registrations. In all Team Communication (newsletters, emails, Team Captain Meetings, etc) encourage teams to turn in their registrations prior to the t-shirt order deadline (approximately 6-8 weeks prior to the Relay) to be guaranteed their correct size.
You will have new teams and team members register after the order deadline, so extra t- shirts should be ordered (if the event is mostly adults, M, L and XL are good sizes to order extras. If the event has a lot of youth participation, make sure you order a lot of S and M shirts). Your Event Chair and staff partner can help you with the details of ordering extra shirts, but keep in mind that while your staff partner will help with t-shirts, it is up to the Relay committee to sort and distribute them.
Once the T-shirts arrive, seriously consider sorting them by team prior to Bank Night. This makes the process so much easier for the teams than handing them out at the night of Relay or trying to figure out which sizes teams ordered at Bank Night. Consider holding a special committee meeting where you sort t-shirts a couple nights before Bank Night so it would go very quickly.
The Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee should provide a list of sizes ordered by team, and then the committee can simply place the correct shirts in trash bags marked with each team’s name. Then it is very simple to hand out the team bag at the T-shirt station at Bank Night instead of trying to sort through t-shirts there, which holds up the line. This also makes sure that all teams are guaranteed the sizes they ordered, since they are already pre-sorted in marked bags. Then you can deal with the inevitable size exchanges and requests for extra shirts for new team members out of whatever is left of the extra shirts instead of taking shirts away from teams that pre-ordered them.
62 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Bank Night
Work closely with the Registration and Accounting Committee to coordinate all of the Bank Night details and communicate them to the Team Captains. Bank Night is a great opportunity to collect and hand out lots of information and logistical items at one time when almost all Team Captains are present.
Bank Night works really well as a series of stations where teams turn in, sign up, or pick up different things for the Relay. Here are some ideas of things you can accomplish at different stations at Bank Night:
Turn in any registration scannable forms, youth waivers and chaperone agreements that have not been previously turned in . You might consider making this the first station – mandatory before receiving t-shirts or any other information. Sign up for things for the Relay (possibly campsites, entertainment contests, volunteer hours helping with registration/accounting/luminaria/food, etc) Pick up important materials/items (could be things like a site map, program, Relay FAQ sheet, meal tickets, security bracelets, t-shirts, etc) Turn in Luminaria orders and decorated Luminaria bags (might even have a decoration station) Participate in Survivor Recognition activities (like having all Team Captains sign a banner, decorate paper chains, create handmade cards, or other creative ideas you come up with) And most importantly, turn in all fundraising dollars raised so far in cash, checks, and credit cards. This task needs to include both money counters and someone tracking Team and Individual totals for awards and prizes.
Tips for a Smooth Bank Night Experience
Hold your Bank Night in a location where you can handle a lot of people and have a separate secure room for counting the money. Options could be banks, schools, community centers, etc.
Bank lobbies work really well, and can be a great benefit for sponsor recognition of a bank (even a selling point for a local bank to become a sponsor. They could be the official Bank Night sponsor, with all the teams actually coming into the local branch…talk about great marketing!). You could even recruit their bank tellers to help with the money tallying, which helps the process move quickly.
Consider setting up your Bank Night as a circle of stations where teams go from station to station around the room. This helps with traffic flow and reduces the lines at any one station if youhave a lot of teams arrive at once. Make the stations very clear with signage so Team Captains know exactly where to go, in which order, and make sure the traffic flow pattern makes sense with a lot of people moving around and possibly forming lines at the stations.
Recruit extra help to man all of the stations. The entire committee should help at different stations, like the Luminaria Chair manning the luminaria station and the
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 63 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Survivorship Chair manning the Survivor Recognition station. Also consider recruiting a handful of accountants, tellers, or other volunteers with good cash handling skills which will help the tallying go quickly.
Make sure all station volunteers know their role ahead of time and arrive early for Bank Night. For instance, the registration station might be asked to write down the number of registered team members on the checklist so that the next station can hand out the correct number of security bracelets (especially for all-youth events), so both station volunteers need to understand the process.
Have a 2-3 hour window where Team Captains can come and go during Bank Night, but provide some incentive for Teams to arrive at the beginning. This way, if all the teams come early, you can close up on time and not stay late counting money.
Incentives could be prizes for the first 10 teams at Bank Night, the first teams at Bank Night get points toward the Team Spirit award, first people at Bank Night get first choice of campsites, etc.
Separate the money collection station from the money counting room. The money collection station should track and verify team and individual totals for prizes and awards, and then give the money to the money counters in the secure room. This way the counters can begin counting and batching the cash and checks for deposit as soon as they are turned in, instead of waiting until the end of the night.
Make sure one person (such as the Event Chair or Team Development Chair) is not assigned to a station, but rather floating around and problem solving any issues during the evening.
64 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 11 – Recognize Teams
We all like to feel like what we are doing is important and is making a difference. Recognizing teams is a very important part of retaining them from year to year, and the Team Retention Chairs should work hard to make sure all teams feel recognized. You can recognize teams in many ways, but don’t skip this step! Increasing your team recognition will go a long way toward increasing your team retention percentages year after year.
Say, “Thank You!”
The first and most inexpensive way to recognize teams is simply noticing and verbally appreciating their unique contribution to the Relay. This requires a personal relationship with the teams, either through a Team Mentor or Team Development Sub-Committee members. Nothing is worse for a Team Captain than to work really hard raising money and have no one notice or thank them. The teams at most risk in this category are the average teams who simply meet their $100 per member goal…the ones who aren’t fundraising superstars, so they don’t win the awards and might never be personally thanked for their contribution. Make sure that you recognize all special things about their team, including how much they raised, how quickly they raised it, any creative fundraising techniques, something special about their teammates, their team theme and decorations, their energy at team captain meetings and at the Relay, etc. Noticing their contribution can come through a personal email, a personal thank you note, a personal phone call, and/or face-to-face Thank You’s throughout the Relay season. This will help a lot with team retention next year, and you never know… taking this extra step might motivate those teams to become fundraising superstars in the future!
Team Awards
Consider offering awards for your teams to motivate them to be the best and encourage a sense of healthy competition. Work with the Entertainment and Activities Sub- Committee to secure prizes for any awards that you decide to offer. Traditional awards are for things like the Top Fundraising Team, or for the team with the Most Team Spirit. More creative awards – which can be tied in to the theme of the Relay – could include: The Forrest Gump Award to the person caught doing something good at the Relay The Rookie Award for newest Relay For Life team The Rocky Award to person who doesn’t give up The Greatest Game Ever Played Award to the team with the best campsite game The Road Trip Award to the person who traveled the farthest to participate in the Relay The Sleepless in Seattle Award to the team with the most members at 6 a.m. The Napoleon Dynamite Award to the most unique Relayer/costume The Devil Wears Prada Award to the team with the best outfits The Great Outdoors Award to the team with the best campsite The Footloose Award to the most energetic team Other great ideas you come up with!
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 65 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Individual Recognition
Consider giving special individual recognition at your Relay as well, and work with the Entertainment and Activities Sub-Committee to have prizes or awards for individuals too. Traditional awards would be for your Top Individual Fundraiser, your Top Online Fundraiser, and for the person who walked the most laps. Consider having creative recognition for individuals too, like giving your Top 5 Online Fundraisers special buttons to wear at the Relay, giving all individual fundraisers who raised over $250 a special bandana to wear at the Relay, etc. Giving individuals something special to wear at the Relay lets them know that you recognize their fundraising efforts, it helps recognize them in a public way at the Relay, and it also gives others something to work for to earn in the future.
Relay All Stars
The Eastern Division celebrates all individual Relay participants who raise $2,500 or more as Relay All Stars. Each year, the Relay All Stars receive a commemorative pin as well as a gift (usually a nice-quality sweatshirt, or similar type of item). Many Relay events make a big fuss over their All Stars with a special All Star lap, or even a special breakfast on the morning of Relay. This really excites team members with a competitive spirit!
Team Captain Recognition
Each Team Captain should receive a special gift from the Relay committee to recognize their efforts. There are some great options, selected by the Eastern Division Promotional Workgroup, included in the Early Buy at a discounted price. Be sure to work with your staff partner to order these special items for your Team Captains. All Team Captains deserve a little something to recognize all of their hard work and thank them for their contribution to your event.
Team Fundraising Club
The Team Fundraising Club is a special recognition for teams with 15 or fewer members that raise $2,500 or more. These teams are recognized with a coro-plast Yard Sign to display at their Relay campsite, as well as a lapel pin for each team member. They come in Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Sapphire, Diamond, and Purple levels, based on the amount the teams raise. This is another visual way to recognize your top teams at the Relay and encourage a healthy sense of competition between your teams. Also, because the levels are the same at every Relay across the Division, the signs let each team know how they are doing with their fundraising compared to teams all over New York & New Jersey. Your local office may have a set of signs that they use for promoting the Team Fundraising Club, or your staff partner should be able to order signs for your event.
Always encourage teams to keep their signs – to display at home, in their office, school, etc. Many teams bring their signs back and display them at their campsite each year as a badge of honor. It is important that you DO NOT ask teams to return their signs. It is an award for the team! And the expense ratio is less than one percent (0.1%) for a Bronze level team…it is even less for a Purple Team (0.007%) – well worth the investment.
66 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook The Team Fundraising Club Guidebook, found on The Link, will help you promote and implement this program with your Relay teams (see details in the Tools, Samples & Examples section of this guidebook).
Incentive Prizes
Also be sure to offer the Individual Incentive Prize vouchers to your individual fundraisers who raise more than $200. It is very important to recognize the special efforts of these fundraisers who went above and beyond their $100 individual goal. The incentive prizes are an easy way to thank and recognize those great individual fundraisers, and they can also motivate some fundraisers to raise extra funds to fight cancer if they want to reach the next prize level.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 67 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 12 – On-Site Management
Work the Track
Working the Track gives multiple benefits to your Relay. It allows you to greet and thank participants to make them feel recognized, to collect valuable feedback about your Relay to improve it for future years, as well as get commitments for next year in order to gain momentum and set the tempo for next year’s event. Working the Track basically means that the committee is out and about, mingling on the track with participants. While mingling, they thank each participant, ask for feedback, and ask how they would like to be involved in the Relay next year (either recommitting their current level of participation or showing interest in forming a team, being a sponsor, or being on the committee). Having these conversations around the track is a great way to take advantage of the positive energy of the Relay and encourages participants to be open to new ways of participating in the Relay.
In a recent National study, 80% of Relay survivors said that they would form a team or join the committee if they were asked. So make sure they get asked!
Schedule and Priority List
The Team Development Sub-Committee should work together to determine a schedule and priority list. You can then encourage everyone on the large Relay committee to sign up for slots during the Relay at one of your last committee meetings. If there are specific people you have in mind for a specific position on the committee (perhaps there is a great Team Captain who would be fabulous as a Team Recruitment Sub-Committee member next year) then assign a specific committee member to approach that person.
The Team Development committee will plan on assigning people from the Relay committee to cover each of these areas (assign people to areas that make sense, like the Survivorship Sub-Committee to help with Survivors and the Sponsorship Sub-Committee to help with Sponsors):
Team Captains (especially your Top 5 fundraising Team Captains) Team Members (especially your Top 5 fundraising individuals) Survivors Representatives from Sponsors Special Guests (city officials, media representatives, etc)
Three Aspects to Each Work the Track Conversation
1) Give a Sincere Thank You – thank that participant for something they are specifically offering the Relay. This could be a special in-kind sponsorship, a great creative energy with their campsite decorations, having ten teammates up at 3am, their fantastic fundraising, participating in the Survivor activities, or simply being present. Try to be as specific and genuine as possible when thanking each person you speak with.
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2) Ask for Feedback for the Relay Committee – this feedback could be on any aspect of the Relay, and can be formal with an actual survey/evaluation or informal with simply collecting comments and taking notes. It is important that all comments are written down and brought to the committee wrap up meeting, so consider giving each committee member a clip board to take notes when they Work the Track.
3) Ask How They Would Like to be Involved Next Year – either recommitting to their current participation (as a Team Captain, Sponsor, Survivor-walker, etc), or interested in getting more involved next year (forming a new team, increasing their sponsorship, joining the Relay planning committee, etc). Also ask if they know anyone in the community who should be involved next year, to begin creating the Team Recruitment warm lead hit list for next year. Be sure to offer all options to each person because you never know who might be interested in getting more involved with the Relay. In fact, in a recent survey, 80% of Relay Survivors said that they would form a team or volunteer for the Relay if they were asked. At the Relay is a great place to make this ask!
Following Up After the Relay
Be sure to collect all the notes and forms from each committee member who Works the Track. The next crucial step is following up with anyone who recommits to the Relay at their current level, or gives you the name of someone to contact for next year, or anyone who is interested in getting more involved in the Relay next year. It’s also important to take all the feedback for the Relay committee to the committee wrap up meeting to help improve the Relay for next year.
Collecting all that great information is a waste of time if you don’t take it and follow up with all the people, so it is important for the committee to take the time to contact each person to solidify their commitment for next year and get them more involved in the Relay. Work with the Team Development Sub-Committee to make that information worthwhile.
Working the Track Works!
For example, by July of 2007 the Gulf Coast Region of the Great West Division had already recruited 83 new committee members and signed up 37% of their team goal for 2008 simply by Working the Track. They even used a cute slogan – “I fight for a cure and I just couldn’t wait – I signed up for 2008!” You could come up with your own slogan and give each person a sticker or button when they sign up at the Relay to make others want the special recognition too. Then you could have a whole Relay full of participants committed for next year! Try something like this rhyme for 2010:
Are you coming back to Relay again? We’re already signed up for 2010!
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 69 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Communication Plan for Emergencies & Urgent Situations
The Logistics Sub-Committee should have plans for inclement weather or other emergencies or situations. Make sure you learn their plan and think about how you will communicate important information to teams in the days before the Relay and at the event. Think about how you would communicate to participants in the following situations: The afternoon of the Relay brings torrential rains and the committee decides to use the rain back-up facility in the gym next door. You need to communicate the new location to all participants. There is a tornado warning and all participants need to evacuate and find shelter temporarily and then the Relay will be back up and running in two hours, so they should come back then. A week before the Relay, the school changed their mind at the last minute and decided you couldn’t place your tents on the football field grass, but could use an adjoining field for tents instead. You need to communicate where the new team campsites will be and why the change was made to all of the teams quickly. Any other situation you can think of where teams might need to be communicated with quickly for an urgent reason during the days before the Relay and at the actual event.
Team Check-in at Relay
Work with the Registration and Accounting Sub-Committee to make sure that the Team Check-In/Registration/Information table volunteers at the Relay have answers to any questions teams might ask, like a map of all team campsites, extra t-shirts/bracelets/meal tickets just in case, a list of entertainment and activities that they may have signed up for, official registration lists, how to turn in team money at the Relay, etc.
70 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Step 13 – Wrap Up
Finish Strong
Most of your work is complete once the Relay is over, but there are a few things to finish up before you are completely done. Be sure to complete all of the following items to leave the Relay in great shape for next year!
Develop Plans for Post-Event Fundraising
Your event may decide to go the extra mile and try to reach your goal after the event has passed. You can continue collecting funds through the end of the fiscal year, August 31, to credit your event. Be sure to remind teams to look into Matching Gifts from their employers, which will usually come in after the Relay. A post-event Online e-mail campaign can also be a great way to bring in some extra funds toward your goal after your Relay too, so work with the Online Sub-Committee on that. There are post-event fundraising resources located on The Link. Check out the Tools, Samples & Examples section of this guidebook for more details.
The Importance of Thank You Notes
Send a personal hand-written Thank You note to every Team Captain. You can split this work among all the Team Development Sub-Committee partners, or use your Team Mentors, but every Team Captain should receive a personal note thanking them for their unique contribution to the Relay with specific references to what their team did this year. Your staff partner can order special Relay Thank You notes, or you can use inexpensive generic ones from a local store. The important thing is the personal note it includes. You can also use this note as a reminder to attend the Relay Team Wrap-Up party and invite their team members to join them. Also thank your invaluable Sub-Committee Members for all their help throughout the Relay season.
Attend the Committee Wrap-Up Meeting
Attend the Committee Wrap-Up Meeting to discuss with the entire Relay committee: (a) which parts of Relay went well, and (b) which parts could be improved. Also discuss Relay impressions with your Sub-Committee Members, and take notes on what could be improved for next year.
Plan a Wrap-Up Party for Team Captains
This may be combined with the committee wrap up, but it does not have to be. Choose a date and location for your Team Wrap-Up Party (approximately 3-6 weeks after the Relay). This is a great way to keep teams engaged year-round in the Relay and help them to feel invested in the success of the event. It also makes them feel thanked and
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 71 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook recognized for their contribution.
This is also a great place to recruit Team Mentors and new committee members for next year, and ask for warm leads to get started on Team Recruitment early. Make sure this is a fun time in a fun location with good food or dessert to make your Team Captains feel very special. This party doesn’t need to have a planned agenda or be too formal…let the Team Captains mingle and celebrate, and then have the Relay committee mingle and chat with the Captains, taking notes if anyone is interested in getting more involved as a Team Mentor or committee member next year. You could also pass out a survey collecting ideas and suggestions for next year. Leaving a Legacy for Future Years
Committee members typically serve in one position for two years, and then move to another position on the committee or to another volunteer opportunity in the Region or in the Division. Ideally, this helps keep the Relay fresh and exciting with a mixture of new and veteran volunteers on the planning committee each year, and also keeps volunteers from being burned out in a specific area.
Take the following steps to set up for future success: Decide now whether you are planning to return in your position next year, or whether there may be another position on the committee you would like to try. In addition, after serving as Event Chair there are additional volunteer leadership opportunities within the American Cancer Society available on: Regional Relay Task Force Division Project Teams – such as the Heroes of Hope Workgroup, RFL Leadership Conference Planning Committee, etc. Division RFL Advisory Team Division RFL Training Team National RFL committees International RFL training teams Have a conversation with your Event Chair and staff partner to discuss your plans, any committee openings for next year’s Relay, and your future goals as an American Cancer Society volunteer. If you decide to step down from the committee or move to another position, think about who you know that might be a good fit to take your place. Consider asking them if they would be interested in taking your place for the next Relay, or at least give their name and number to your Event Chair to contact them regarding filling the position. The goal is to have the whole committee lined up within the first two- three months following the Relay, so they can have the entire season to plan and not be rushed at the end. If you are leaving your position, leave a legacy of your hard work by giving all of your detailed notes, lists, and files to your staff partner to pass on to the next chair.
72 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Tools, Samples & Examples
If you do not already have access to The Link (the American Cancer Society’s intranet), please ask your staff partner to request this for you. There are many invaluable resources available with just a click of a button!
Log on to The Link at http://www.societylink.org
Once you are on the Relay For Life Eastern home page, click on the RFL 5Ds link, located on the left in the green “Inside This Community” menu
Click on the Team Development folder
Select the Team Recruitment Resources sub-folder to find: 50 Team Plan – a resource to help you brainstorm places to find 50 new teams ABCs of Team Recruitment – keep recruiters energized with these tips Circle of Influence – an exercise to help recruiters (committee members, team captains, etc) think about new teams to recruit Community Recruitment Events – an overview of each of the major community recruitment events you might hold for your Relay For Life How to Organize a Team – tips to share with new team captains Is Your Event RELAY Ready for Recruitment – a checklist to prepare for team recruitment Making the Ask for Teams – how to ask someone to be a team captain Recruit in 4 Weeks – strategy for team recruitment over a four-week period Recruitment Flowchart – a tool to help with recruitment plans Relay in 60 – a guide to running a recruitment meeting that takes participants through the Relay experience in just 60 minutes Relayville Mapping Exercise in a Box – a guidebook to completing the Relayville Mapping exercise with the committee for recruitment planning Sample 15-20 Minute Presentation – outline for a recruitment presentation Sample Pizza Box Recruitment Flyers – work with local pizzerias to stick one of these 3 flyers on all pizza boxes Sample Recruitment Flyer – a great one-pager for those who are new to Relay For Life Sample Recruitment Letter – generic letter for involvement; customizable Sample Youth Recruitment Letter – sample letter for recruiting youth groups, school groups, etc. Team Recruitment Challenge Cards – get the current team captains involved in recruiting new team captains Team Recruitment Challenge Email – sample email to send (via Convio/Relay Online) to encourage Relayers to help with team recruitment Team Recruitment Information – more info and tips for team recruitment Team Recruitment Strategy – sample template to help you build a successful team recruitment plan Select the Team Recruitment Blitz sub-folder (toward the top) to find: o RFL Team Recruitment Blitz Week Guidebook – guide to planning and
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 73 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook implementing a Team Recruitment Blitz Week with your committee o Team Blitz Tracking Form – spreadsheet to track the progress of your recruiters o Team Recruitment Tips & Script – perfect handout for committee members to support the Team Blitz Week Select the Team Recruitment Strategies by Market sub-folder (toward the top) to find: o Engagement Strategy Overview – guides for creating a targeted recruitment plan for each market in your Relay community o Engagement Strategies – Diverse Populations o Targeted Team Recruitment – Corporate o Targeted Team Recruitment – Faith Based o Targeted Team Recruitment – Government o Targeted Team Recruitment – Healthcare o Targeted Team Recruitment – Schools o Targeted Team Recruitment – Service & Social Organizations o Targeted Team Recruitment – Survivors
Select the Team Retention Resources sub-folder to find: 12 Month Team Communication Plan – worksheet to help you develop a year- round communication plan with teams Committed Teams to Paid – tips for moving “committed” teams to paid/registered teams Excuses to Call Team Captains – a great tool for Team D Sub-committees! Team Retention Guidebook – a complete guide to building your strategy for team retention Team Retention Plan Template – customize this template to build your retention plan Team Retention Assessment Tool – evaluate the current team retention practices and strategies with this tool Select the Team Mentoring Calls sub-folder (near the top) to find: o Team Mentoring Calls: INSTRUCTIONS – read this first; these call scripts will help team mentors (or the Team D Sub-Committee) make calls tailored to each individual team, based on that team’s needs o Team Captain Mentor Script: Average Team Members/Average Fundraising o Team Captain Mentor Script: Economy Pushback – tips for handling pushback from teams about the economy o Team Captain Mentor Script: Great Fundraisers o Team Captain Mentor Script: Needs Team Members o Team Captain Mentor Script: Needs to Fundraise
Select the Kick Off Resources sub-folder to find: Kick Off in a Box – a complete guidebook to help you plan and implement your Relay Kick Off RFL Kick Off Script 2008 Boonville– a sample Kick Off script that can be customized RFL Kick Off Script Utica 2008 – another sample, for your reference Team Captain Commitment Form – provides a place for potential Team Catpains to express their interest during the Kick Off
74 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Volunteer Interest Form – allows those interested in volunteering at the Relay to let you know how they would be willing to help
Select the National Team Partners sub-folder to find: NCTP & Non-Corporate Teams in a Box – a guidebook to help you make the most of the NCTP and Non-Corporate Team programs for your Relay For Life NCTP Blitz Fact Sheet – resource that may be useful for Relays planning to hold a NCTP recruitment blitz NCTP Blitz Sample Script – sample recruitment script to use during NCTP blitz NCTP Blitz Training Presentation – may be completed as an e-Learning course; or use this to train committee members who will recruit NCTP teams (go to View >> Notes to see speaking points for each slide) NCTP Blitz Visit Tracking Sheet – spreadsheet to track visits and outcomes with NCTP companies NCTP Blitz: Steps to Success – tips for a successful NCTP team recruitment blitz NCTP Guidebook – a guide to making the most of the NCTP and NTP programs for your Relay For Life NCTP New Corp Recruit – presentation to use when recruiting a new NCTP team NCTP Overview – explanation of the NCTP program; sell sheet Online Tip Sheet: NCTP – a “sign up…set up…send” flyer for NCTP teams
Select the Team Captain Meetings sub-folder to find: Star of Remembrance Activity – a mini-Remember Ceremony activity that can be done at a Team Captains Meeting Team Captain Meetings in a Box – a season’s worth of Team Captain Meeting agendas, plus tips and tricks for meetings with “standing room only”!
Select the Team Captain Resources sub-folder to find: Characteristics of Successful Relay Team Captains – tips for successful team captains Forming a RFL Team – tips for organizing a team How to be a Great Team Captain – tips for team captains How to Organize a Team – more tips for organizing a team Relay Checklist for Team Captains – share this checklist with Team Captains to help them prepare for the day-of Relay For Life Sample Team Activity Ideas – sample activity schedule and ideas for activities that teams can host at Relay For Life Team Captain Delegation Made Easy – help team captains delegate to team members with this handy guide Team Captain ePacket – go green with paperless Team Captain Packets Team Captain Job Description Team Captain Welcome Letter – customize this letter; especially for NEW team captains Team Fundraising Guidelines – an overview of ideas as well as the do’s and don’ts Team Themes – ideas for team themes Walker Lap Schedule – template of a lap schedule, to help team captains organize their team for the day of Relay For Life You Want ME to Recruit a Relay Team – tips for the hesitant Team Captain Select the Team Captains Packet sub-folder to find: American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 75 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook o Helpful Hints for Scannable Forms – distribute a copy with Scannable registration forms o Sample Team Captain Meeting Schedule – customize this schedule and provide to all Team Captains o Team Captain Packets – sample list of what to include Select the Team Captain University (located near the top) sub-folder to find: o TCU Facilitators Guide – complete facilitators guide for hosting Team Captain University o TCU Overview – a summary of the TCU training o TCU Plan for Success – one of the handouts for TCU o TCU Planning Guide – a helpful first step before hosting TCU o TCU Train the Trainer Facilitator Guide – if multiple TCUs will be held, train the trainers with this session first
Select the Team Recognition Resources sub-folder to find: Pampered in Paradise Promo Flyer – promote this team recognition idea at Team Captains Meetings, Kick Off, etc. Pampered in Paradise Rules sample – rules for this recognition concept should be established early on, and shared at TC Meetings, Kick Off, etc. Pampered in Paradise teaser – get team members excited about this recognition concept! Pampered in Paradise Voucher sample – send this voucher to all teams who achieve the Pampered in Paradise criteria as their entry ticket into the Pampered in Paradise tent at Relay For Life Seven Ways to Recognize Team Captains – fun ideas for recognition Team Captain Brag Sheet – Team Captains earn “points” and are recognized along the way for their accomplishments
Go back and select the Fundraising Development folder
Creating Fundraising Buzz at Relay – tips to motivate teams to fundraise Fundraising Ideas – share these with teams Fundraising Promise Form – securing a fundraising commitment Fundraising Tips – share these with teams Relay A-Z Fundraising – lots of great fundraising ideas RFL Fundraising Guidebook – a wonderful resource for teams Year Round Fundraising Toolkit – ideas to keep the fun in fundraising all year long Youth Fundraising – ideas for teams of students to fundraise together
Select the All Stars sub-folder to find: ACS All Star Flyer – flyer to promote the All Stars program
Select the Dress Down Day sub-folder to find: Dress Down Ask Letter – letter to company asking their support of RFL through a Dress Down Day Dress Down Day Flyer – to promote Dress Down Day Dress Down Day Kit – an overview of what is needed to have a successful Dress Down Day fundraiser
76 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook Select the Focus on Fundraising sub-folder to find: 10 Day Online Blitz – challenge your Relayers to raise more online in just 10 days Fundraising Enhancers Guidebook – a complete guide to enhancing ALL types of Relay fundraisers Georgetown Mission Possible Email – sample email that generated amazing results! How Will You Raise $100 – share this with Team Captains & team members to encourage the $100 minimum Increase Your RFL Team Size – great tool to help encourage Team Captains to grow their teams Onsite Fundraising Ideas – great ideas for onsite fundraising activities Sample Fundraising Letters – the #1 individual fundraiser is still letters; here are some samples
Select the Fundraising at Team Captains Meetings sub-folder to find: 10 Quick & Easy Fundraising Ideas Fight Back Thru Fundraising at TC Meetings – ideas to help teams fight back How to Raise $200 in 2 Weeks – great to share with teams On Site Fundraising Ideas – successful fundraising ideas for the day of Relay For Life Sign Up Set Up Send – tip sheet for Relay Online Team Fundraisers – ideas for successful team fundraising activities Team Fundraising Club 2009 College Content Sheet – promote the Team Fundraising Club at College Relays with this flyer Team Fundraising Club Community – promote the Team Fundraising Club at Community Relays with this flyer Team Goalsetting Tool – use this with teams to help them set goals Volunteer Relay Team Fundraising Guidelines – some do’s and don’ts of team fundraising Youth Fundraising Ideas – fundraising activity ideas for students
Select the Fundraising Best Practice Sheets sub-folder to find: RFL Teams: Engaging Your Community – ideas for teams to help them fundraise in the community RFL Best Practices: Donor Retention Tips – ideas to keep the same donors giving again each year RFL Best Practices: Enhancing Team Meetings – ideas for outstanding team captain meetings RFL Best Practices: Fundraising in the Workplace – share these ieas with corporate and business teams RFL Best Practices: Goalsetting – use these tips to guide teams in goalsetting RFL Best Practices: Individual Fundraising – ideas for individual fundraisers RFL Best Practices: Onsite Fundraising – ideas for onsite fundraisers RFL Best Practices: Sponsorship Recognition – ideas to keep sponsors feeling appreciated and valued RFL Best Practices: Team Fundraising – ideas for team fundraising activities RFL Best Practices: Team Retention Tips – ideas to keep teams coming back RFL Best Practices: Utilizing Incentives – make the most our of any incentive program
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Select the Fundraising Idea Sheets sub-folder to find: RFL Fundraising Ideas: Auctions – tips for holding auctions as fundraisers RFL Fundraising Ideas: Day Care Centers – tips for teams from Day Care Centers RFL Fundraising Ideas: Food – tips for fundraisers involving food RFL Fundraising Ideas: Miscellaneous – more tips and ideas to share with teams
Select the Matching Gifts sub-folder to find: Double Your Relay Dollars – tips for making the most of matching gifts Matching Gift Brochure – matching gift info is constantly changing; this brochure is not as up to date as the info link on your RFL event web site Matching Gift Sell Sheet - matching gift info is constantly changing; this flyer is not as up to date as the info link on your RFL event web site
Select the MISC Individual Fundraisers sub-folder to find: 10 Quick & Easy Fundraising Ideas – a great resource to share How to Raise $200 in 2 Weeks – more great ideas RFL Party with a Purpose Guidebook – a step by step guide to help individuals reach their fundraising goals by hosting a Party with a Purpose Ten Easy Ways to Raise $100 – help team members reach the minimum fundraising goal
Select the MISC Onsite Fundraisers sub-folder to find: 5K Run at Relay registration form – a fun idea for an on-site fundraiser Onsite Fundraising Ideas – ideas to share with teams Onsite Fundraising Ideas II – even more ideas to share Onsite Fundraising Ideas III – still more ideas
Select the MISC Team Fundraisers sub-folder to find: $1000+ Team Fundraisers – tried and true fundraisers that have raised at least $1000 $1500+ Team Fundraisers – real fundraisers that have brought in $1500 or more Team Fundraisers – more team fundraising ideas to share
Select the Post Event Fundraising sub-folder to find: Post Event Fundraising Boosters – ideas to enhance post-event fundraising activities Post Event Fundraising Guidebook – a complete guide to planning and implementing a successful post-Relay fundraising campaign or challenge
Select the Sample Fundraising Letters sub-folder to find: Donation Request Letter – sample letter requesting Relay donations Sample Fundraising Letter – an example of a personal fundraising letter Sample Thank You Letter – it’s important to thank all donors; here’s an example
Select the Sun & Moon Cards sub-folder to find: Sun Moon Poster – promotional piece to support the Sun & Moon card sales Sun Moon promo letter – sample letter to promote the Sun & Moon card campaign fundraiser
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Select the Team Fundraising Club sub-folder to find: EA Team Fundraising Club_college – Team Fundraising Club flyer for college Relays EA Team Fundraising Club_community – Team Fundraising Club flyer for community Relays Team Fundraising Club Guidebook – instructions and ideas to promote the the Team Fundraising Club with your Relay
Select the Where Do the $$ Go sub-folder to find: Adding Up the Cost – the cost of fighting cancer, in terms of donation amounts Where Does the Money Go – relates the impact of the ACS mission to funds raised at Relay Your Dollars at Work – list of mission-related activities/items and the cost of each Your Gifts at Work – featured in Triumph magazine; shows cost of various aspects of the ACS mission & work
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Pull Team & Participant Reports from Siebel, not Convio
Sometimes Relayers register through Relay Online (Convio) and do not capitalize the first letter of their first and last name…or sometimes they type “st.” instead of “St.” This can cause some problems when putting together a mailing list, due to the USPS standards for abbreviations and correct capitalization.
As a best practice, work with your staff partner to obtain these reports from Siebel instead. Siebel is the constituent relationship management database utilized by the American Cancer Society to track events, volunteers, donors, sponsors, etc. Fortunately, when information flows from Convio into Siebel, the information is “converted” into acceptable standard formats.
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Recognizing Top Community Relay Events and Individuals
Nationwide Awards and Recognition Program Be An Award-Winning Relay!
Since Relay For Life’s inception in 1985, countless individuals, teams, and communities have worked together to celebrate cancer survivors and remember loved ones we’ve lost while raising much-needed funds and awareness for the fight against cancer.
Relay volunteers are recognized in communities nationwide for their dedication to the mission of the American Cancer Society. While no award can adequately recognize all that Relay volunteers achieve in their efforts to eliminate cancer, the Society offers the Relay For Life Nationwide Awards and Recognition Program as a tribute to some of the nation’s most outstanding participants. The awards highlight the success of individuals, teams, and events that define the hallmarks of Relay For Life, and serve to inspire others across the nation. Those recognized as nationwide Relay For Life award winners represent the very essence of what it means to be a Relay For Life volunteer.
Winners in each category are announced and presented to the winners at the Division Relay For Life Leadership Conference in the fall.
American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org 81 TEAM DEVELOPMENT CHAIR guidebook American Cancer Society Relay For Life Nationwide Awards and Recognition Program
All American Relay Award (application required) Awarded to communities that show growth, retention, Nationwide Online Communications Award Relay branding, diversity, and leadership in incorporating (application required) the 5Ds within the Relay event and throughout the year Awarded to the top three events and the top three teams recognized by the nationwide Relay For Life Marketing and Gordy Klatt Number One Net Income Award Communications Leadership Committee as demonstrating Awarded to the number one nationwide fundraising the best use of the e-revenue/communication tool and/or community and youth fundraising event in the country www.RelayForLife.org for online communications based on net income from Lawson Nationwide Per Capita Award Gordy Klatt Number One Per Capita Award Awarded to the top 10 per capita counties in each Awarded to the number one per capita county in the country population bucket based on the net income from Lawson based on net income from Lawson and county and county population from all the Relays in each county population* and awarded to the number one per capita and to the top five per capita youth events in each youth event in the country based on net income population bucket based on net income from Lawson and from Lawson and enrollment population enrollment population
Heart of Relay Award (application required) Nationwide Team of Excellence Award Awarded to community, collegiate, and youth events that Awarded to all teams that raise $50,000 and above (with an demonstrate successful practices and innovations in average of $3,333 per team member) and to all youth teams supporting the Society’s mission and 2015 goals in the areas of that raise $15,000 and above (with an average of $1,000 per fighting back, advocacy, survivor/caregiver engagement, team member) based on estimated revenue and number of and youth involvement team members in Siebel
International Heart of Relay Award : One World – One Nationwide Top Net Income Events Hope (application required) Awarded to the top 10 nationwide fundraising events and Awarded to international communities that demonstrate to the top five nationwide fundraising youth events successful practices that support and impact the global fight in the country based on net income from Lawson against cancer in the areas of mission, survivorship, youth engagement, and advocacy. Nationwide Top Online Fundraising Award Awarded to the top individual and top event with the Nationwide Data Club Award most online dollars raised (both community and youth) Awarded to the top three Divisions that excel in data capture based on credit card donations as determined by the National Relay For Life Business Unit Data Management and Analysis Team Nationwide Top Individual Fundraising Award Awarded to the top 10 individuals who raise the most funds Nationwide Division Per Capita Award nationwide and to the top five youth based on estimated Awarded to the top three Divisions with the highest per revenue in Siebel capita based on net income from Lawson and total county population in the Division Nationwide Top Team Fundraising Award Awarded to the top 10 community fundraising teams and Nationwide Number One Power of Hope Award to the top five youth fundraising teams in the country based Awarded to the top counties in each population bucket on estimated revenue in Siebel including both online with the highest per capita number of total registered and offline income survivors participating in all events in the county based on county population and survivors in Siebel Terry Zahn Award (application required) Awarded to the top three events and top three teams Nationwide Number One Rookie Event Award demonstrating excellence in a Relay event or team Awarded to the first year community event with the top net publicity income in Lawson and to the first year youth event with the top net income in Lawson * County populations are provided by Claritas to the American Cancer Society Nationwide Number One Survivor Engagement Award based upon US Census figures adjusted annually. EnrollmentpopulationsarefromMarketDataRetrieval(MDR)(aD&BCompany) Awarded to the community event & the youth event with andareupdatedeveryotheryear.Financial figures are derived from Lawson. All the highest number of registered survivors entered in other award information is based on Siebel, unless otherwise noted. Siebel
82 American Cancer Society Eastern Division 1.800.227.2345 www.cancer.org ©2009, American Cancer Society, Inc.