Team Captains
Team Captains are at the heart of Down Syndrome Walk Arizona. You bring people together to celebrate someone you love, share your story, build awareness, and raise the funds that make DSNetwork’s work possible year-round. You don’t have to be a fundraising expert. Your story and your connections are your greatest tools. We’ll give you resources to make it easier.
Your Role as Team Captain
As a Team Captain, you:
- Create your team and personalize your fundraising page
- Share why you walk and who you are celebrating
- Invite family, friends, coworkers, and others to join your team
- Ask your network to donate and share your fundraising page
- Reach out to businesses that may want to sponsor your team
- Keep your team connected and celebrate every participant, donor, and milestone
Start With Your Story
Your story is your most powerful fundraising tool. Tell people who you’re walking for, what makes them shine, and why the Down syndrome community matters to you. Share what you hope for their future or what DSNetwork has meant to your family. It doesn’t need to be long. One or two personal sentences and a favorite photo can create a meaningful connection. Use your story on your team fundraising page, in emails and texts, when talking with potential sponsors, and on social media.
Create Your Own Walk Graphics
Make your fundraising personal with our ready-to-use Once Upon a Walk Canva templates. Choose a design, add your favorite photo, team name, fundraising goal, and team link, then share it with your family, friends, coworkers, and community.
Easy Ways to Raise Funds
Share your team page. Post your link and story on social media and ask your team members to share it, too.
Make it personal. Send individual texts or emails to family, friends, coworkers, and people in your community. A personal ask can be much more meaningful than a general post.
Ask a business to sponsor your team. Think about your employer, vendors, professional contacts, healthcare providers, restaurants, and businesses you already know. When a business sponsors your team, 100% of the sponsorship is credited toward your team’s fundraising total.
Get your workplace, school, or community involved. Invite coworkers, classmates, neighbors, clubs, or other groups to join your team or help you fundraise.
Create your own fundraiser. Host a restaurant night, garage sale, birthday fundraiser, neighborhood event, or something that fits your family and community.
Check for matching gifts. Ask whether your employer—or the employers of your donors—offers a matching gift program.
Looking for a Team Sponsor?
You don’t have to know how to “sell” a sponsorship. Start with people and businesses you already know, share why you walk, and ask. Our sponsorship opportunities are a starting point, and we are happy to work with interested businesses to find a partnership that makes sense for them and supports DSNetwork.
How to Ask a Business to Sponsor Your Team
TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE – HOW TO CREATE A TEAM
- Go to the DSNetwork Walk Fundraising Page: Down Syndrome Walk Arizona
- Click the “Join / Create a Team” Green Button to the right of the Walk home page.
- Sign up using email (or Facebook or Google).
- Choose “Start a New Team”. Add your team name. Theme names encouraged!
- Add your account details, add your T-SHIRT SIZE, optionally click the box for text notifications if you want, add 1-2 sentences that sum up why your team is walking, then click Next.
- This is where you add and choose T-shirt sizes for your loved one with Down syndrome, plus any family and friends you want included right away. Important: This is the only chance you’ll have, as the Team Captain, to add people directly to your team (for example: spouse, kids, grandparents, etc.). Anyone else can join later using your team link—they’ll just need to sign up with their own email.
- Confirm your registration and submit. You will receive an email receipt. Now let’s set up your page…
- Click Registration Complete – Set Up Your Page.
- On the Manage Your Team Page, Select “PARTICIPATE AS PART OF A TEAM”, verify this is how you want your team name to appear, add in your own fundraising goal, and your own personal story. Upload a photo (see parameter suggestions), and, if you like, a logo.
- Share your team page with your unique URL. Click the Grown Your Team button to invite via text or social media and send personalized invites to family and friends. Or,
- Click the “My Team Page” on the right of your Team’s Name and copy and share your unique URL.
- From your Team Page, friends and family can make a donation and/or scroll down to see “join the team” to walk with you on November 21!
Need help? We are happy to set it all up for you. Email Lori@dsnetworkaz.org or Call/Text 480-759-9150
Prefer to give by check? Mail to: DSNetwork 1445 E. Guadalupe Rd, Suite 103, Tempe, AZ 85283
Team Captain Information Letter (Nov 7, 2024)