Being a team captain is an opportunity to share a great experience with friends and family members, or co-workers — a community coming together for a common goal and the accomplishment of a unique personal challenge! As the Team Captain, you are the leader, motivator and educator for your team. As a leader, it’s up to you to remind your teammates why they registered. Bike MS can be more than a fundraising event — it can be a joyous celebration of how far we’ve come together! Your enthusiasm will encourage your team members to raise more funds and come back year after year.
- Tell your story. Why have you decided to lead a team? Do you have a personal connection to MS?
- Be a motivator! Promote your team goals and work to reach them.
- Discuss training and fundraising ideas with team members.
- Encourage team members to register, turn in donations, and stay enthusiastic about the event.
- Recognize individual and collective accomplishments. You can send out group emails, hold team meetings or host a team kick off or post event celebration.
- Show up at the event with a smile!
- Thank all participants and sponsors for their support and let them know that you'll need their help again next year.
Team Captain Responsibilities
Your main priority is to keep your teammates informed, motivated and engaged in Bike MS. Once your team is registered, you will be contacted by a staff liaison to address any needs you may have.
Get organized. Many team captains send out emails or newsletters regularly, host or organize team parties and plan team
fundraising events.
Recruiting new team members is also a very important responsibility of a team captain. We encourage our team captains to set a recruitment goal and go for it!
Mentor new participants and teach them everything that they need to know about being a successful participant.
Set a fundraising goal and post it on your team web page! Fundraising to find a cure for MS is the main purpose of Bike MS. The minimum pledge requirement is $250. We encourage everyone to fundraise with the mission in mind and go for your goal.
Stay up-to-date on your team’s fundraising progress through your participant center.
Tips for New Team Captains
Now that you have taken on the role of team captain, you may be wondering what to do next. The Team MS staff is here to help and here are some ideas to get you started.
- Schedule an informational session with a Team MS staff member to help you recruit team members
- Attend an on-line training session from the comfort of your home or office to learn more about the on-line tools and how to set up your personal web page.
- Get an early start on fundraising.
- Set a recruitment and fundraising goal for your team.
- Be sure to participate in the Team Week competitions.
- Reserve a team tent in the Team Tent Village. It’s a great opportunity to spend time with your team and discuss the day’s events as well as meet other teams.
- Order team jerseys.
- Encourage your team members to complete the safety certification quiz and ask a team member to be your team’s safety marshal.
- Attend at least one Cycling U to learn more about bicycle maintenance, road safety, cycling etiquette and nutrition.
- Share duties with a co-captain to lighten the load.
- Raise the most money as a first-year team to become the #1 Rookie Team!
- Plan to attend the Awards Party in December!
Recruit a Co-Captain
Recruiter – Designate one person to register team members and monitor the online team roster.
Fund Raiser – The fund raising expert teaches team members how to fund raise successfully. He or she encourages
team members to raise more than the average cyclist!
Party Planner – The party planner is responsible for initiating sign-up days, team fund raisers and any other event to get the team motivated.
Team Mentor Program
Picture this: It’s your first year as a team captain for Bike MS and you have never been a “team captain” for
any other event in your life. You’ve registered yourself and you have a couple of friends who are possibly interested in riding. Where do you go from here?
Many team captains ask themselves the same question you just did. What do I do now? We have a solution to this problem. The mentor program pairs new team captains with seasoned team captains to help assist them with problem solving, decision making, fund raising and team growth.
If you are a new team captain or a seasoned team captain and you are interested in this program, please contact Traci Buss at 314-446-4186 or traci.buss@gatewaymssociety.org.