Campaign Quick Start: Gather Your Team

We’ve worked with a lot of different leader types the past decade and respect and admire all of them.  Maybe you recognize some of these types below?

  • The Organizer shows up on time, does what they say and always (always) finishes what they started. 
  • The Networker shows up with a miles-long list of people and businesses who they know personally. 
  • The Cheerleader shows up with every ounce of their enthusiastic being. 
  • The Risk Manager shows up with a thoughtful, critical eye on plans, strategy and risk management. 
  • The Do-It-Your-Selfer shows up ready to put the whole event on their back if they have to. 

Other types include the Number-Cruncher, Collaborator, and always-on Promoter. The point is, great teams are almost always made up of different types of people with their own unique personalities. A P2P fundraising event team will likely require team members who, collectively, have all of these skills and abilities. As Event Director your first goal in this first week of your campaign is to strategically assemble the best possible team. 

So without further ado, here’s what you need to do:

Gather Your Team.

Do it soon. Ask staff, high-capacity volunteers, or former event participants. Invite people with different gifts, skills, and backgrounds and ask for their help. People love to be needed so don’t hesitate.

Once they agree, set a weekly or bi-weekly meeting schedule (likely by zoom) to gather, plan, and execute your recruitment and fundraising plan. The more often you meet and the more accountable you are to each other and your plan the more successful you’ll be. 

Make a Plan

A good plan is clear, realistic, and above all simple. It keeps the most important things front and centre and helps everyone stay out of the weeds. Four tips to remember:

  1. Set your fundraising goal using the expected number of team captains as your guide—for every 10 teams you expect to recruit, add $15,000 and always set your public goal 15-20% less than your private goal. 
  2. Prioritize team captain and sponsorship recruitment in every meeting. Tackle these tasks first before anything else.
  3. Have everyone on your team responsible for asking 2-3 prospects. Own the recruitment responsibility together. 
  4. Make sure your meetings are fun so that your team loves meeting. You’ll need to  pull hard together from November through February. This should be a fun and exciting experience for your team members, not feel like a never-ended daily grind 

Key Takeaway:

Don’t try to do this alone. Gather a team around you, make a plan, meet regularly and have everyone on your team contribute in the recruiting of your team captains and sponsors.