Building a Solid Walk Committee Brian Welch California Southland Chapter LEAD THE WAY

*From Scratch: “ From the beginning; starting with no advantage or prior preparation. ”  Think about who and what you NEED  Make a wish list – keep it close by  Remember: peer-to-peer asks work! * -Wiktionary

“Help!” Where and how do I begin?

Take inventory of what you currently have Remember…a good place to start is always at the beginning!

Whether you are starting from scratch, or need to fill in some gaps, this is a good place to begin…

Lead Walk Staff Walk Event Chair Team Chair Volunteer Committee Structure Phase I Marketing & Outreach Chair Mission ChairLogistics Chair Sponsorship Chair Committee Volunteers

There are currently 310,776,832 people living in the United States today. “There’s a good chance that there’s someone close by who’d love to be involved”

That’s great. But where do I find these people?

10 Easy Ways to Find Committee Members

1. Run a report in Blackbaud – who indicated interest in serving on the planning committee? 2. Call your top team captains. Have a conversation. Call a team captain that didn’t re-register for this year. See what they’re up to. 3. Ask your participating sponsors. What a great way to get them more involved! 4. Day-Of Volunteers. Look for people who are really engaged and want to go above and beyond with their scheduled job for the day. 5. Post-Walk Survey. A great tool to engage participants while they’re still in walk mode. Try Survey Monkey ( It looks like this…

6. Ask your Program Staff. They might know a family member who wants to channel their passion into a useful outlet. 7. Network and schmooze 8. Facebook is our friend. Post your committee positions that are available. 9. Send an e-blast to current participants. 10. Pick up the phone! If you’ve ever thought “Wow. He/she would be a great committee person”, then just ask.

Meet & Greet: Make the connection! Where and how do you make that connection?

The Where

5 places to make a connection 1. Host a volunteer open house or committee recruitment event 2. Speak to a group (Chamber of Commerce, local sponsor, etc.) 3. Have a 1-1 conversation with someone who showed interest 4. Send an e-blast to team captains and invite them to attend a conference call for those interested in joining the committee 5. Have your current committee bring 2-3 guests to a special committee meeting designed to recruit new members

The How

Talk, talk, talk

Lead Walk Staff Walk Event Chair Team Chair Volunteer Committee Structure Phase I Marketing & Outreach Chair Mission ChairLogistics Chair Sponsorship Chair Committee Volunteers

More hows… Attend community events and see who has a connection to Alzheimer’s. Break the ice. Find out what would excite them about planning the walk (“I love to crunch numbers”, “Ahhh…anything but public speaking”) It’s not about finding a Chairperson at this point. It’s about finding the right fit for the right person. Set overall expectations for the committee early. If they’re returning, have them “re-take their vows”.

Let them know what to expect…

Committee expectations should include: Form or join a team Fundraising, including a personal donation Help to recruit teams Help identify community and corporate partners Attend monthly meetings Make phone calls to participants throughout the year Distribute collateral materials

Be clear in what you’re asking This is the time to be up front with what is required and needed! Terms of service and length of positions Volunteer commitment forms Aware of monthly benchmarking goals They should be staying touch with you as you are with them. “It’s a two-way-street”

The Last Piece of the Puzzle Welcome to the Team!

Where are you? Take a look at the three different phases in your hand out, and think about where you’re at right now, and what you need to get to the next phase. Remember, these are only guidelines to help you build a stronger committee. Each Walk committee is different and unique. And that is a solid, strong point that benefits everyone.