Arlington Mental Health 5K Run/Walk Captain

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Captain Responsibilities

We want you - as our captain - to take ownership in your local Five Fifty Fifty Run/Walk event. Put your
passion for mental health issues to work by gathering support for the run/walk in your community. This
includes attracting participants, donations, sponsors and volunteers. And know we are here to support
you every step of the way!

Finding Participants:
Below are some suggested ways to draw more participants to your local Five Fifty Fifty Run/Walk event.
Keep in mind we will be doing social media advertising, email blasts and press releases in each market.
 Distribute flyers and post cards (we will provide the materials)
 Speak to civic groups, school groups and other organizations with a focus on mental health
 Use social media to spread the word
 Visit local running stores and running clubs to talk up the event (make sure to take flyers with
you!)
 Encourage groups of any kind to participate. They can create a team through our online
registration system and members can sign up for the team during the registration process.

Finding Donations:
Funds raised from run/walk registrations are crucial, but account for less than half of our revenue.
Donations are another important source of funding in our mission. Here are some suggestions for raising
money for the Five Fifty Fifty cause:
 Encourage participants to make a donation during the registration process. The registration site
gives them the option of doing this.
 Encourage participants to set up their own fundraising page and solicit donations that way.
 Ask participating groups to set a fundraising goal and help them achieve it by offering prizes
such as gift cards and apparel.

Finding Sponsors:
The final piece of our funding puzzle is through corporate sponsorships. We have found there are many
businesses and organizations who share our passion for mental health issues. It’s just a matter of finding
them. You can reach out to local businesses and organizations for sponsorship. They can sponsor our
local event or even become a regional or national sponsor. There are different sponsorship levels at the
local/state, regional and national levels.
We will send you an electronic version of our sponsor sheet. You are encouraged to email this document
to any potential sponsors, or print and hand-deliver it if you are meeting in person. If you would like to
bring in a Five Fifty Fifty staff member for assistance in the process, we are happy to help.
In addition to cash sponsorships, we are looking for in-kind sponsors to help offset costs for things like
food and drinks at the events, advertising and printing.

Finding Volunteers:
We will need anywhere from 5 to 15 volunteers, depending on the location, at each Five Fifty Fifty
Run/Walk event. We will provide you with a list of positions needed about one month prior to the event.
When you are out in the community promoting the run/walk to groups and individuals, keep in mind the
need for volunteers and take down information if someone asks how they can help. One of your duties
in the weeks leading up to the race will be coordinating the volunteers and making sure there are
enough people to fill the spots.

Your Role on Event Day:
As a captain, we ask that you take a leadership role on the day of the run/walk. You are welcome to
participate as a runner or walker, but we also expect you to assist our staff in setting up the event site,
coordinating volunteers and answering questions from participants. We will have a 2-3 person staff
onsite for the event. They will oversee course setup and teardown.

Questions?
Call or email Series Race Director Chris Ponteri at 262-758-9226 / chris@fivefiftyfifty.com.