Getting Organized
An important first step in creating a successful Bike MS team is to get organized! The goal in this is to put a plan together to organize your team, balance what needs to be done, and leverage your team members to assist. One person might be a great event planner. Have him/her organize team get togethers. Another might be creative. Put them in charge of team t-shirts or jersey designs. The more you delegate, the less like work and more fun being a team captain can be! Additionally, the more involved your team members are, the more likely they will raise money!
Tips to help you get organized:
- Register yourself and your team – Remember: no team members can register until the team captain has registered!
- Set Goals – And set ‘em high! Create and publicize your team recruitment and fundraising goals.
- Utilize Your Online Tools - Create an awesome team page, track your team members’ progress, send out recruitment and fundraising emails, publicize team sponsors, etc.
- Communicate – Keep in touch with your members. Send regular emails with updates, important event information, and team socials.
- Motivate & Inspire – Think of what motivates your team members and encourage them to reach their own goals. Would they be motivated by prizes or perhaps a more mission driven approach?
- Plan Activities – What social activities will your team enjoy? A Saturday morning ride? Happy hour after work? Encourage your members to participate in team social events before, during, and after Bike MS weekend.
- Delegate the details – Determine who the go-to people are on your team and ask for help! Assign team roles based on that what members enjoy doing or what skills they have.
If you haven’t already had a Bike MS kick-off party for your team, now’s the perfect time. Plan a cookout or night out on the town with your teammates to get everyone excited and motivated to begin/continue their fundraising efforts. Please contact the Development Team at bike@nct.nmss.org who is more than willing to join in the fun and present details about Bike MS and the National MS Society. Get your team excited, energized, and motivated for some cycling and fundraising today!
Recruitment
Whether your team is categorized as corporate or friends and family, you can recruit team members from every aspect of your life. Look around you, your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. are potential members waiting to be asked to join you in the fight against MS. Utilize your online Participant Center to send recruitment emails to everyone you know! Remember, all of your team members must individually register online as a part of your team.
Fundraising
First and foremost, set a team fundraising goal. Try not to set an arbitrary number. Instead, think about what you and your teammates are capable of raising individually and then calculate your team’s fundraising goal. Many teams plan and execute mini fundraisers (garage sales, tournaments, bake sales) to boost the team’s fundraising total. While these mini fundraisers can be very successful, they are not critical to a team’s success. However, it is critical for every team member to individually fundraise. This means that every team member is engaging his/her friends, family, and co-workers in the mission by asking for donations. Every team members’ individual fundraising total automatically rolls up into the team’s total.
Team Experience
Plan social events before, during, and after the event.
During Bike MS weekend, you and your team can have your very own tent in Team Village. All you need to do is bring (or rent) a tent, comfy chairs, fun décor, and some snacks. You and your teammates will enjoy hanging out before and after riding. Your tent can be as simple or as extravagant as you desire. Creativity will be rewarded—think tailgating at the Super Bowl!
After the event, many teams get together to celebrate their success and recognize members who have excelled in fundraising, recruitment, etc.