How to Plan a Peer to Peer Fundraiser - The MyEvent Guide

Planning Your Event

7 Things to Plan Before Your Event

Volunteers
Depending on the type and size of your event, you will likely require volunteers for help on the event day. Volunteers who are giving their time deserve to be appreciated, so treat them well. Do what you can to make their jobs easy and to make them comfortable. Always be appreciative and always thank your volunteers in person at the event. Don't assume volunteers will be there for the event as promised, it's not uncommon for them to forget or for circumstances to change. For this reason, it's always better to have more volunteers than less. Be sure to remind them a few days or a week prior to the event about their commitment and confirm their attendance.

Provide volunteers with clear instructions and make sure they understand their jobs. If someone is volunteering for hours, they will most likely need a break at some point. Be prepared to move volunteers around to cover if necessary. Smaller events can have as few as 2 or 3 volunteers, while larger events require more. Areas where you might need volunteers for help are; welcome/greeter, registration, water/snacks distribution, t-shirt sales, first aid, crossing guards/course officials, “warm up” trainer/instructor, money manager, photographer/videographer, and music/DJ/band.

Registration
If your peer to peer event has a specified “start time” or even an “opening” time, you will likely experience a rush of people who all want to check in at the registration table at the same time. The key to handling registrations is to be prepared. It's a good idea to practice a few “mock registration” run-throughs before you open the registration table just to make sure your registration volunteers are clear on the procedure. You don't want to be figuring things out or making mistakes in the rush with a line-up of people waiting. Make sure the people who are registering and/or checking in participants are familiar and comfortable with the process.

MyEvent makes your check-in/registration easy. Simply download the spreadsheet of all registered participants and print or use online. As participants arrive, you verify they are registered on your spreadsheet, and make a note that they have checked in/registered. If you're distributing any T-shirts, samples, coupons, or give-aways, you can track that as well for each participant on the spreadsheet when you give them out.

Start/Finish Line
Make a clear and visible start/finish line. This can be accomplished with chalk, balloons, ribbon, pilons, signage, etc. Try to make it as visible as possible. Decorating and enhancing your “start” line helps increase your visibility to the public.

Water/Snacks
Make sure to have water available for your participants and volunteers, especially if the weather is hot. De-hydration is a concern, particularly among the young and the elderly. Ideally, you should have water available every 1.5 miles or so on your course. At a very minimum, make sure there is a water fountain accessible. Consider using a large thermos with paper cups at your tables.

Snacks are not essential, however the more distance/work your participants are doing, they will need energy. If possible, get some fruits and/or other healthy snacks donated. Try to get some energy bars or energy drink companies to donate samples.

Course Marshal
Depending on your chosen location, setting up your course can be time consuming. Consider appointing one volunteer to be responsible for managing the course including; start line, crossing guards, signage and course markings, pilons, chalk, maps, etc. If your course is long or complicated, consider distributing a map handout to participants.

Cash management
If you will be accepting cash or checks for donations, registration fees, t-shirts, or anything else, it's a good idea to appoint one volunteer to hold and watch the money. You should have a proper box (preferably with a lock) where you can store all your money. Make sure that all money accepted gets recorded, so you can balance everything after. Things can get hectic so keep it in a safe place or with a person where it will be secure. In addition, someone may have to hold a large amount of money until it can be deposited to a bank.

In addition to your main event, if you have enough people, you may want to try the following:

Speeches
If you're able to gather any celebrities, politicians, or the leaders of any groups or foundations, consider having some speeches. Welcome and thank your participants. Let them know how important the event is. Try to keep it very brief (2-5 minutes).

Stretch/Warm up
If you're expecting most participants to all start at a certain time, then you can co-ordinate a warm up. Since everyone will just be hanging around for the start, try to get a local workout guru or aerobics instructor to run participants through a short stretch and/or warm up.

Start/Kick off
When you're ready to get the walk started, assemble everyone at the start line. The start is an excellent opportunity to capture a large group shot, perfect for posting on your website. It's also the best shot for any photographers/reporters who may have come to cover the event. Finally, get the crowd to countdown from 5 or 10 for added fun and a synchronized start. If your event is a competitive one, make sure the start is wide enough to accommodate the crowd size.

During the walk
While your participants are walking, make sure no one is going off course or getting lost. Try to ensure no one is experiencing any distress of any kind. You (or a volunteer) may want to use a bike or a car to monitor participants along the course or have volunteers at regular intervals to report any problems. Have them carry some extra water in case participants are in need.

Liven it up!
Smiles are free. If you're patrolling in a vehicle give your participants some friendly honks. If you have a bullhorn, a bell, shakers or other noisemakers, some noise (not too loud and annoying) can help to add to the fun. If possible have volunteers cheer and encourage participants along the route, and as they finish the course. Add some upbeat music to further enhance the atmosphere.

Finishing the course
Increase the fun by announcing the names of participants over a speaker as they cross the finish line. Once they finish, participants will be thirsty, and possibly hungry. It's likely they will want to sit down somewhere.

Cleanup
When all the participants have finished and gone, it's time for the cleanup. The cleanup is important for 2 main reasons. First, you want to organize and store all your equipment signage and supplies neatly so they can be used again next year (or for another event). Second and most important, you want to leave the location the way you found it (or better). If you are using public property and do not clean up, you may not be granted use of the same location next year.

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