FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Transcription

1 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 1) How do I register for the WALK to End Hydrocephalus? Go to the Hydrocephalus Association s (HA) web page ( Click on WALKs, click on Schedule of WALK events, click on your local WALK. When the WALK site web page opens click on Join a Team Form a Team or Register (if you are participating as a non-team, individual walker) and follow the prompts. 2) Is there a registration fee? There is no registration fee. However, HA encourages all walkers to raise money from family, friends and colleagues. Walkers raising $75or more will receive the official WALK to End T-Shirt. (That s asking 8 people you know for $10/each!) The money raised with the WALK will be used to fund HA s program services, support, education and research. (The average walker raises $127 and we know our walkers are well above average!) 3) Is there a minimum to participate? No, but we encourage every participant to support HA and its mission by raising money from family and friends, aiming high when setting their fundraising goals! (The average WALK to End Hydrocephalus participant across the U.S. raises $127) 4) Do I raise money based on how far I WALK? No, each WALK participant raises money through flat donations to HA. 5) May I register the day of the event? Yes, you may register the day of the event, however HA prefers participants register as soon as possible to give them time to raise money and to enable HA volunteers to anticipate and prepare for the correct number of participants. (See answer to Question 4 below Why should I register? ) 6) Why should I register to participate? There are several reasons why we ask walkers to register electronically prior to the day of the event. They are: When a WALK participant registers online their own personal WALK to End Hydrocephalus web page is automatically generated. This gives a participant access to HA s great online fundraising tools to make fundraising easy! The participant receives a hyperlink to their WALK web page which can be sent to family and friends asking them to contribute to your participation in the event. Your contributors may easily make a donation online using a credit card on your WALK web page. Additionally, approximately 7-10 days before the event, HA sends all registered WALK participants important information about the event (what time to arrive, directions to the event, where to park, where to go when you arrive, what to bring to the WALK, what NOT to bring to the WALK, etc.) HA can t send the information if the participant isn t registered. Finally, the local volunteer Committee works very hard to ensure that everything is in place for a fun and safe day for all. This includes securing donations of food, beverages, supplies, etc. The Committee needs to know as soon as possible how many people will be at the event to ensure that they have enough food, T-Shirts, beverages, etc. for everyone. When WALK participants don t register or don t register until the last week the volunteers then have to scramble to ensure there are sufficient quantities of everything. This last minute scramble often requires HA to purchase something that could have been WALK To End Hydrocephalus - FAQ s 1

2 donated with more time. Please don t think I m only one person one more won t make a difference. Unfortunately, hundreds of people think that! Please help the local volunteers by registering for the event as soon as possible. 7) IMPORTANT INFORMATION -- I registered last year do I have to register again this year? YES! In 2017 HA has moved to a new software platform for the WALK to End Hydrocephalus. It was not possible to bring previous WALK participants/donor history to the new software. Everyone will need to register from scratch as if it was your first time. (We apologize for the inconvenience!) 8) I will be walking with small children do I need to register them as well? Please YES -- all WALK participants should register to WALK for insurance purposes, to provide approximate attendance numbers and for proper record keeping. Please register each member of your team separately. 9) I am having a hard time registering online, what should I do? Please contact HA staff at the following number (888) Ext. 115 or Ext ) May I run the route? Any participant wishing to casually run the route is welcome to do so. The WALK to End Hydrocephalus is not an official, sanctioned or timed running event. 11) Are bicycles, roller blades or scooters allowed? Bicycles and scooters (Razors, etc.) are NOT permitted at the WALK to End Hydrocephalus! Roller blades are permitted providing the participant is wearing all proper protective gear. Roller bladers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times! 12) May I bring my dog to the WALK? Dogs are permitted at some WALK sites but not all. Please contact the local WALK Chair contact information for local volunteer Chair is on the WALK web page to obtain the rules/regulations regarding dogs for your site. (Where dogs are permitted, all dogs must be leashed at all times and the owner must clean up after the dog.) 13) Is there a fundraising rewards program? WALK to End Hydrocephalus Frequently Asked Questions Page 3 Yes! When you fundraise for HA, you show the world that you can make a difference in the lives a million Americans living with the challenges of hydrocephalus. To thank you for your commitment and hard work, HA offer some great recognition gifts as rewards. After your final donations are tallied, you ll select a prize based on the total amount of money you raised. WALK participants raising $75 or more receive the WALK to End Hydrocephalus T-shirt. (T-shirts are distributed at the event participants qualifying for the T-shirt must be present at the WALK to redeem their T-shirt.) WALK participants raising $250 or more qualify for additional recognition gifts see flyer on WALK web page (insert link to recognition gift flyer). WALK To End Hydrocephalus - FAQ s 2

3 14) When will I receive my recognition gift? HA s recognition gift program, including the WALK T-shirt, is a way to reward WALK to End Hydrocephalus participants who raised money from family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, etc. After the T-shirt (requires raising $75 or more) participants raising $250 or more qualify for recognition gifts. Recognition gifts except the T-shirt -- are not cumulative. WALK to End Hydrocephalus participants have four weeks post-event to finish collecting money to be counted toward qualifying for recognition gifts. Please allow 3-4 weeks after the deadline (6-8 weeks post-event) for your recognition gift redemption certificate to arrive. Your certificate will be sent to you via (it will be sent from Thankyou@hydroassoc.org or US Postal Service.) IMPORTANT NOTE: If you don t receive your redemption certificate please check your spam filter! Instructions for redeeming your certificate will be included. After you have redeemed your gift certificate your item will be shipped directly to the address you indicated on the form. 15) Someone who donated to my WALK web page wants an official WALK to End Hydrocephalus T-shirt. How can they get it? WALK T-shirts are reserved for registered participants, raising at least $75 and attending the event, so share with your donor how they can register to join your team! Team Captains are encouraged to share this information with team members whose donors want a T-shirt so they may be added to the team as WALK participants, raise money and earn a T-shirt! 16) What if I cannot make it to the WALK? May I still raise money? Of course! You can choose to sign up as a Virtual Walker when you register. This means that even though you won t be walking in person, you ll still run a fundraising campaign and virtually walk to support HA. Please send any money you have collected to the Hydrocephalus Association, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 905, Bethesda, MA Att: WALK. (Please convert all cash to a check or money order please do not mail cash!) Please enclose a note with the WALK participant s name, the participant s telephone number, the team name (if applicable) and which WALK this money should be attributed to. Or WALK participants may forward money collected to their local volunteer WALK Chair. To be eligible for recognition gifts all money collected must be received by HA by four weeks post-event. Virtual Walkers can be Team Captains, Team Members, or Individual Walkers. Each registered WALK participant also gets access to great online tools * Special Note: Becoming a Virtual WALK participant is a great option for those who want to fundraise, but do not live close to their preferred WALK location or cannot attend the WALK to End Hydrocephalus. If you know from the beginning you will not be able to attend the event (work commitments, travel plans, etc.) HA suggests you register for your local WALK as a Virtual Walker. To do so: Go to Click on WALKs; click on Schedule of WALK events Choose your local WALK site Choose Join a Team if you re joining a team as a virtual participant If you are not part of a team choose Register Then choose virtual participant Follow the prompts and fill in all information requested 17) What if it rains on the day of the event? HA WALKS are held rain or shine, so plan accordingly and bring rain gear and umbrellas. Surely we re not going to let a little water stop us! WALK To End Hydrocephalus - FAQ s 3

4 18) How long is the WALK route? The length of the route varies for each WALK site. (Most routes are 5-kilometers or less which equals 3.1 miles or approximately a onehour walk for an average adult.) Participants are not required to complete the full route -- only walk as far as feels comfortable for you. WALK to End Hydrocephalus sites are accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, wagons, etc. Please contact your local volunteer WALK Chair for additional information. 19) What if there is no WALK to End Hydrocephalus in my area? We invite you to register for the WALK to End Hydrocephalus Virtual WALK (see #9 below for more information on Virtual WALK and/or participating as a Virtual Participant. ) Go to Click on WALK Choose Schedule of WALK events A list of all HA WALKs will appear; go to the bottom of the list Choose Virtual WALK See complete instructions for participating as a virtual walker below. Or, if you re interested in exploring the idea of starting and leading a WALK to End Hydrocephalus in your community please contact HA at walk@hydroassoc.org 20) What is HA s Virtual WALK or a Virtual Walker -- how does it work? A virtual WALK participant is just like any other participant. Virtual participants register to participate, raise money (electronically and/or faceto-face) and qualify for all recognition gifts. However, instead of walking at a WALK to End Hydrocephalus site the virtual participants walks in his/her own neighborhood on a day and time of their choosing at a distance that best suits you. (See complete Virtual Walker Instructions below.) 21) What is the best way to raise funds? There isn t just one right way to raise money - everyone is different, but one of the most effective (and easiest) ways to raise money for the Walk to End Hydrocephalus is to launch an campaign or letter-writing campaign. WALK participants who reach out in this method typically raise 5 to 10 times more money than participants using other methods of collecting donations. In the Participant Center, we have some great, pre-written templates for you to choose from and customize. Other fundraising tips and ideas are available in the WALK Resources page. 22) Can I continue to raise funds after the WALK is over? Yes, participant are encouraged to continue to collect after the event is over (electronically or with cash/checks.) Please send any post- WALK donations directly to the HA national office. (Hydrocephalus Association, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 905, Bethesda, MD 20814) Please convert any cash to a check or money order please do NOT mail cash! To ensure your contributions are credited to the correct WALK to End Hydrocephalus site and participant (many people have common names!) please enclose a note with the walker s name, the walker s phone number (in the event we have any questions), the team name (if applicable) and which WALK site the walker participated in. These donations will be added to your personal fundraising total as well as the local WALK s total. Donations not appropriately labeled will be added to HA s general WALK total and will not be eligible for recognition prizes. All donations must be received by the HA national office WALK To End Hydrocephalus - FAQ s 4

5 within four weeks post-event to be eligible for incentive prizes. Participants may also forward additional donations to their local volunteer WALK to End Hydrocephalus Chair. 23) Who should checks be made payable to? Checks should be made payable to Hydrocephalus Association. If you are participating in a local WALK to End Hydrocephalus please bring all checks and/or cash to the event with you and turn them in at Registration/Check-In. If you receive checks after the WALK, please mail all checks to the HA national office (address below.) To ensure that all checks are credited to the right walker, please enclose a note with the participant s name, the participant s phone number (in the event we have questions), the Team name (if applicable) and the name of the WALK site. Contributions not clearly labeled will be credited to HA s overall WALK revenue and will not be eligible for incentive prizes. HA national office address: Hydrocephalus Association, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 905, Bethesda, MD Att: WALK name of site. 24) Where does the money go? Money raised with the WALK to End Hydrocephalus funds hydrocephalus research as well as HA programs that provide support, education and awareness. HA program services include one-on-one support for newly diagnosed families, HA support groups in cities across the US, HydroAssist, the new hydrocephalus awareness campaign and more. 25) Are donations tax deductible? Yes, the Hydrocephalus Association is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization. Our tax ID number is A copy of HA s IRS determination letter is available from the HA national office. 26) Will there be food provided at the WALK? Each WALK to End Hydrocephalus provides refreshments, however what is offered varies by site. Water is always provided and, at a minimum, granola bars, fruit and other snack items are available. Some sites provide pizza, BBQ or a full picnic lunch. Please check with your local volunteer WALK Chair if you want more information. (If you have a medical condition that requires you eat at a specific time we encourage you to bring your own food to ensure your needs are met.) 27) How can I get more involved in the WALK to End Hydrocephalus beyond becoming a participant and raising funds? All WALK to End Hydrocephalus events are totally volunteer initiated and coordinated. Volunteer WALK Chairs are continually seeking volunteers, whether serving on a committee to help organize the event or serving as an event-day volunteer. (Event day volunteers should also register as WALK participants and raise money!) The WALK to End Hydrocephalus has volunteer opportunities to suit every skill set! Please contact your local WALK Chair through the contact information provided on each local WALK webpage under Event Information. Any other questions or concerns that you might have please walk@hydroassoc.org, your local WALK site ( address is on the web page) or call (888) Ext. 115 or Ext. 111 WALK To End Hydrocephalus - FAQ s 5