NATIONAL TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE

NATIONAL TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE

YOU JOINED THE MOVEMENT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Your organization is on the list of over 100 companies that qualify as National Teams. The National Team program is designed to enhance the National MS Society s relationships with our national partner organizations in a way that is meaningful and significant to them. Most of our National Teams start with a few teams that locally support the National MS Society. Through the determination, enthusiasm, and vision of their dedicated Team Captains, the teams spread throughout the country. Our vision for National Teams is to have a local affiliate of a National Team in every market where your organization has a presence, with the goal of increasing your company s visibility in the community, engaging as many of your colleagues as possible in a worthwhile cause, and of course, raising more dollars for the movement toward a world free of MS. Thank you for joining the movement.

CONTENTS Together We Are Stronger National Teams...1 We Are People Who Want to Do Something About MS Now...2 Fundraising Impact...3 Leading a National Team...3 Recruitment: Building Your National Team...5 Raising Money Has Never Been Easier...6 Communication: Stay In Touch...7 Creating a Committee: Your Own Team!...8 Goal Setting: Who Has the Most Team Spirit?...9 Team Goal Setting Worksheet... 10 Benefits to Our National Teams... 11 For more information, tools and resources, visit: nationalmssociety.org bikems.org walkms.org challengewalkms.org muckfestms.org

TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER NATIONAL TEAMS You ve signed up for the challenge to be a National Team Captain so get ready for the experience of your life! You probably already know about leading a local team. This information is designed to help you with the larger task of organizing and leading a National Team. You ve taken the first step and we re here to help guide you and your teams through the rest. This National Team Captain Guide will help you keep your National Team organized and motivated, and provides some great tips for having fun while fundraising. Thank you for your willingness to serve as a National Team Captain for your company! You are the central force bringing together all the components of your National Team it is your energy, enthusiasm, dedication, and vision that make all the difference! We are depending on you to provide the leadership and intimate knowledge of your organization to take us to the next level of partnership with your company. The energy and coordination that you bring to your position will affect the overall direction and success of your teams nationwide. We are deeply grateful for your willingness to take on this role, and we will work with you to make your teams as strong and successful as possible! Being a National Team Captain is an opportunity to share a great experience with others a community coming together for a common goal! As a leader, it s up to you to remind your local teams and teammates of why they registered and what they are accomplishing. Bike MS, Walk MS, Challenge Walk MS and MuckFest MS can be more than fundraising events they can be joyous celebrations of how far we ve come in the movement toward a world free of MS! WHAT IS A NATIONAL TEAM? A National Team is a team that participates in events in MULTIPLE MARKETS in one year and has a National Team Captain. National Teams can be corporate or friends and family, and events can be Bike MS, Walk MS, Challenge Walk MS, Muckfest MS, or other team events.

WE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT MS NOW ABOUT NATIONAL TEAMS Bike MS, Walk MS, Challenge Walk MS and MuckFest MS are the National MS Society s largest fundraising events. While individual cyclists and Walk participants are always welcome, experience shows that participants who join teams have more fun, derive more personal satisfaction from the event, and raise more money than people who participate alone. Teams raised nearly $100 million last year for the Society. National Teams like yours are critical to the National MS Society s fundraising efforts. ABOUT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling, to walking difficulties, fatigue, dizziness, pain, depression, blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 2.3 million worldwide. ABOUT THE NATIONAL MS SOCIETY The Society mobilizes people and resources so that everyone affected by multiple sclerosis can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever. Last year alone, through our comprehensive nationwide network of services, the Society devoted more than $100 million to connect approximately one million people affected by MS to the connections, information and resources they need. To move closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested $42 million to support more than 380 new and ongoing research projects around the world. We are united in our collective power to do something about MS now and end this disease forever. Learn more nationalmssociety.org. NATIONALMSSOCIETY.ORG 2

FUNDRAISING IMPACT The National MS Society is the largest private funder of MS research in the world, leading to discoveries that have transformed treatment and care. People affected by MS have access to around-the-clock information, support, and resources from the National MS Society to help them live their best lives. Advances in understanding the complex symptoms of MS have resulted in effective new ways to address them and ease the challenges of living with MS. LEADING A NATIONAL TEAM Great teams are a direct result of great leadership. You, the National Team Captain, are the driving force behind the success of your team. The energy and coordination that you bring will affect the overall success and set the tone from beginning to end. As the National Team Captain, you will also oversee a number of key responsibilities that are at the core of the team s success. These include: Establishing the goal and vision for the team: The first step includes setting up fundraising goals and a goal for the number of teams to be created within your organization. Serving as the main contact between your organization and the National MS Society: While each local team will be in contact with their local market staff, you will also work directly with a dedicated staff member who will support your efforts for your team. Maintaining open communication with the entire team: Team conference calls, group emails, blogs, social media and websites can help your teams keep in touch. Frequent contact will help keep all of the local teams moving forward together. Building a Team Committee: Good leaders know how to delegate, and the Team Committee allows that by creating a core group to handle different responsibilities. Committee members can handle tasks such as recruitment, communication, apparel, fundraising, etc. Spearheading fundraising and recruitment: The best move any National Team Captain can make is to set the tone for their team. Captains are encouraged to set high goals for their local teams fundraising and recruitment numbers, and pass on that enthusiasm to the other Team Captains. 3 NATIONAL TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE

National Team fundraising helps people living with MS like Dominique (center), diagnosed in 2015 connect with the programs and services that truly make a NATIONALMSSOCIETY.ORG difference in their lives. 4

RECRUITMENT: BUILDING YOUR NATIONAL TEAM DEDICATED SOCIETY STAFF CAN HELP IN THESE WAYS: Give you contact information for your company s established Team Captains Connect new Team Captains with their local Society office Connect you with other National Team Captains to share ideas on recruitment, fundraising and national team management Pass on messages to employees in other areas; search for event participants affiliated with your company who may not yet be on company teams Once you identify how many teams you already have, you can begin strategizing about recruiting new teams. Here are a few tips to help recruit more teams from your organization nationwide. Start with who you know: Use your network connections to gather leads for potential teams. Send an email: Casting a wider net by sending an email from a person with influence (i.e., the CEO or another senior officer) that asks others to start teams is an effective tool (just be sure to know your company s rules on email solicitation). Set your target areas: Pick your largest offices first. Chances are good that there is at least one person who shares your passion for moving toward a world free of MS. Offer incentives: Provide incentives to your current Team Captains (or members) to find Team Captains in other offices or regions. Recruit at company meetings: Arrange to have an MS booth at your company s Health Fair or large company meeting/conference. Staff from your local Society office can provide information about MS (and even join you at the booth!) while recruiting to join your team. Coordinate with your HR department: If your company has a Health and Wellness initiative or coordinator, ask to have your team included as a way of promoting fitness and well being. Engage company activity groups: Does your company have a cycling club or do coworkers get together to walk during lunch? Join them, and spread the word! Promote internally: Use other internal means to promote your team and recruit team members provide information on the company intranet, or write an article for your internal newsletter. Engage your dedicated Society staff: They are here to support you every step of the way.

RAISING MONEY HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER As a National Team Captain, your influence will be critical to reaching your national goals. Following are some ways to build your team s fundraising activities. BUILD YOUR TEAM S FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES Get creative: Start a little rivalry between teams to help push the teams toward their goals. Create friendly competitions among regional offices, departments or work teams. You can also encourage your teams to sell Walk MS and Bike MS pin-ups in locations such as retail stores. Every dollar raised is counted toward your team income. Encourage team fundraising activities: It s a great way to build team spirit and provides teams a chance to gain some visibility at the company. For example, think team bake sales, car washes, chili cook-offs or ask your HR Department if you can offer a casual day to employees who will donate $5 to your team. Individual fundraising: Think about ways to encourage individuals as well as teams to fundraise. For example, offer a reward to the team that has the highest pledge average per participant. Share your successes: Get your Team Captains together on the phone or email to share great ideas. Use incentives: For example, a $10 gift certificate for all Team Captains that raise the minimum team goal; lunch for each team who raises the most in their region; team t-shirt for each team member who raises a certain amount; discounted Bike MS jersey for team members who raise a certain amount by a certain date; airline tickets and dinner with the CEO for the Team Captain who raises the most nationally. NATIONALMSSOCIETY.ORG 6

COMMUNICATION: STAY IN TOUCH Every National Team has a number of different communication tools available to them, and using these channels effectively is key to maintaining a strong team. Regular communication will help your new Team Captains be more informed and encourage idea sharing. YOUR COMMUNICATIONS CAN: Share your National Team s goals Share successful ideas for recruitment, fundraising and recognition Introduce Team Captains to each other Brainstorm about team items (team t-shirts and jerseys) Announce how recruitment and fundraising efforts are going nationwide Establish competition Troubleshoot each other s challenges Show how individual team goals affect the national team goal Using different communication methods is recommended, since not everyone responds the same way. Monthly conference calls can work in combination with bi-weekly emails, constant chat via social media (LinkedIn or Facebook Group, Google+ Circles) and personal phone calls. You will get a feel for what works best for you and your the team. HOW WE CAN HELP: Attend your team conference calls to answer questions Provide contact information to your company s established Team Captains Connect new Team Captains with the National Team Captain and their local Society office Provide team fundraising and recruitment updates 7 NATIONAL TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE

CREATING A COMMITTEE: YOUR OWN TEAM! Adding the responsibilities of heading up a National Team to an already high-stress work environment can seem overwhelming. That s why creating a Committee can play such a vital role in the success of your National Team. By establishing a trusted group of individuals around the Captain, responsibilities can be delegated, lightening the load for everyone. SAMPLE COMMITTEE ROLES CAN INCLUDE: Team fundraising Social media or webpage designer/maintenance Lead recruitment of new Team Captains Team Captain trainer/mentor Team t-shirt/jersey Communications lead To find committee members, look to your own team first is there anyone you already know who is willing and able to share some of the responsibilities? Then think about some of the other Team Captains in your National Team. Most team committees meet once a month during the off season, and once every couple of weeks during event season. When your events for the year are all over, don t forget to thank your committee members! You might offer them each a free t-shirt or jersey, or create a special certificate, signed by all of the Team Captains. NATIONALMSSOCIETY.ORG 8

GOAL SETTING: WHO HAS THE MOST TEAM SPIRIT? One of the most important roles of the National Team Captain is creating national goals for your teams. Establishing a goal is an easy way to maintain motivation as well as give you and your team a benchmark for success. Fundraising and recruitment numbers will vary: Several large offices? You may want to establish a team in each. Many small retail locations? Create a team for each metropolitan area and have fundraising competitions among the stores. Establish local team size and fundraising goals with your Team Captains: Don t arbitrarily set a goal without input from the team. Each Team Captain needs to know that they are an important part of the entire team s success and that they each make a difference. Setting a minimum fundraising goal is a good start for new teams. Clear communication: Communication on an early conference call or at a meeting with your Team Captains concerning their goals is important. Having everyone on board and aware of the expectations that have been set at the start will make the experience better for everyone. Goals should be realistic, but significant: If it requires hard work to attain, it will be a source of more pride for your team. Our Team Goal Setting Worksheet (see page 10) can be a very useful tool as you think about your team s goals! 9 NATIONAL TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE

TEAM GOAL SETTING WORKSHEET Team Name: Captain:_ Co- Captain(s): Last Year s Results This Year s Goals (20% increase) # Teams: # Teams: # Team members: # Team members: Dollars raised: $ Team average: $ Dollars raised: $ Team average: $ Planning (check when done) Identify committee members Customize team webpage Create communications calendar/timeline Select team items (jerseys, t-shirts, etc.) Identify target markets for expansion and potential new Team Captains Bike MS /Challenge Walk MS /MuckFest MS/Walk MS announcement to last year s Team Captains/members Due Date: Due Date: Due Date: Due Date: Due Date: Due Date: Recruitment Strategies (new teams, new team members) Fundraising Strategies (local and national) NATIONALMSSOCIETY.ORG 10

BENEFITS TO OUR NATIONAL TEAMS National Teams are partnered with a dedicated team of Society staff who provide frequent team updates and can assist in: The creation of customized communication, recruitment, fundraising and outreach strategies Give you contact information for your company s established Team Captains Connect new Team Captains with their local Society office Provide you with updates on team registrations and fundraising nationwide Connect you with other National Team Captains to share ideas on recruitment, fundraising and National Team management Pass on messages to employees in other areas; search for event participants affiliated with your company who may not yet be on company teams National Teams receive assistance with team growth and expansion through targeted recruitment and marketing within the Society s nationwide network National Teams receive networking opportunities through shared contact information and conference calls with other National Teams National Teams are offered a National Team page on the Society s website as a central place for team data, news, and photos nationalmssociety.org/nationalteams 11 NATIONAL TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE

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