Team Up & Make Your Mark Against MS

• Catch the Team Spirit: Teams are about supporting each other. Form a team and stomp out MS together. A team consists of four or more members. Your company can increase its visibility in the community and promote teamwork, morale and fitness at the same time.
• It's Easy to Start a Team: Choose a Team Captain. Recruit at least three additional teammates. Every member must register individually.
• Benefits of Starting a Team: It’s easier to raise funds. Host team fund-raisers, get sponsors and network.
• It’s More Fun: The Bike MS is better with teammates to support and encourage you.

Corporate Benefits of Team

When you form a Team, it increases your company’s visibility and image in the community. It promotes teamwork, morale and loyalty within your company by bringing employees together for a great cause. This will increase productivity and creativity as well as promotes health and fitness. It shows that your organization cares about finding a cure for MS and helping New York families affected by this disease.

Team Captain Responsibilities

• Create a Team Name: Pick a name that identifies your organization. This is how you’ll be recognized throughout the National MS Society. Be sure that each team member knows and registers under this name. This is the only way for the Southern New York Chapter to credit your participants and fund-raising achievements.
• Register Your Team: Each team member must register individually. List the team’s name and your name as Team Captain on all forms. Again, make sure all team members use the same team name and not variations of it.
• Set Goals: Start early. Set recruitment and fund-raising goals. The sooner you start, the more riders you will recruit. Your team will also have more time to raise funds. Set team and member goals. Encourage members to reach their goals and update you on progress. Track proceeds. Follow up with your company on matching gifts.
• Recruit: Tell everyone about your team. Invite people to sign up.
• Promote Your Team: Get the word out. Ask people to join, volunteer or sponsor a team member. Be persistent.
• Raise Funds: The Bike MS Tappan Zee Ride is a fund-raising event to raise money for MS research and services. Your team’s funds benefit more than thousands of New Yorkers with MS. Each person on your team is a key part of this mission and is responsible for collecting and turning in money. The advantage of biking as a team is that you can work together to collect funds or solicit corporate sponsors in your area.
• Keep Records: List those who have registered or shown interest. Include each person’s phone number, address, association (co-worker, someone’s friend, etc.), and date he or she joined.
• Communicate: The Team Captain is the liaison between the team and the National MS Society. Communicate with the team about registration and raising funds.
• Motivate: Recognize members who go above and beyond. Emphasize the mission behind the ride. Motivate your team to raise money.

Team Captain Timeline

First Steps

• Decide on a team name. Keep it simple. The company name can serve as team name or you can be creative. Your team name is how you’ll be recognized throughout the National MS Society, Southern New York Chapter. Be sure your entire team registers under this name; this is the only way that accounting can properly credit your team’s participants and fund-raising achievements.
• Register your team.
• Secure support from top executives or leaders of your community group.
• Approach your marketing, matching gifts or contributions department for team support.
• Form a Team Committee or recruit a Co-Captain to share the work.
• Set goals for recruitment and fund-raising efforts.
• Make sure each team member registers individually, either online or on printed registration forms. Riders must fill in the team information box with the correct names of the team and Team Captain.
• Announce that you are forming a team at the next staff, club or faculty meeting.
• Keep an updated roster posted to list confirmed team members.
• Make sure your team members are aware of the staged increases in registration fees sign up early!
• Display ride posters everywhere, including cafeterias, lobbies and bulletin boards. Be sure you include your contact information so members and potential members know whom to contact.

Summer 2009

• Ask your company or local businesses to provide T-shirts, hats or jerseys for your team to wear on Ride day. Their company names will be seen by more than 1,000 riders, besides our volunteers and thousands of supporters, as well as TV, newspaper and radio media from across Southern New York.
• Place articles in your company newsletter and Web site.
• Plan a pre-Tour event to promote team involvement, including group rides. Have a meeting, party or prize give-away.
• Enlist those who are not riding to volunteer
• Keep track of team donations and announce current team totals and top fund-raisers.
• Attend a Safety Clinic
• Attend Training Rides with Team members

September 2009

• Training Rides continue
• Reward top team members. Get prizes for top fund-raisers from your company (such as a day off, tickets to local entertainment or sports events, gift certificates to dinner, etc.).
• Attend a Safety Clinic

October 2009

• Arrange last-minute details with teammates. Follow up with meeting area instructions.
• Remind your team about the starting time and directions to team meeting area.

IMPORTANT TEAM INFORMATION

Each individual team member is required to turn in the $125 fundraising minimum, and we hope they will try to raise even more. The purpose of the team is to support each individual in doing more, not less than they could do on his or her own.

Donations can only be attributed to one participant's account. We cannot split or transfer gifts. There is no separate team check-in. Each team member must check-in individually on the morning of the tour. After check-in all team members are invited to meet in the “Team Meeting Area” and have a team photo taken.

After The Ride

• Keep in touch with teammates.
• Send thank you notes to all team participants. Call teammates to personally thank them for their involvement.
• Remind your cyclists frequently about the fund-raising deadline for prize eligibility of Nov. 17th
• Attend the Awards Party TBD
• Follow up with the Southern New York Chapter to learn your team’s fund-raising total and which team members have not submitted any proceeds.
• Plan a team wrap-up meeting, such as a breakfast meeting or dessert party.
• Ask an executive to thank corporate teammates with a personal note, party or casual day.
• Follow up with your company regarding matching gifts. Make sure all paperwork is submitted by the company’s deadline.
• Submit a story to your company newsletter recapping the Tour, acknowledging top teammates, showing team photos and thanking supporters.

For team information call Tom Taylor at 1 (800) FIGHT MS (1-800-344-4867) option 2, ext. 42 or via email Thomas.Taylor@nmss.org.