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Fall Team Building Activities

Fall is here, and that means these are some of your last nice weather days to get outside! Before the cold weather hits, spend time in the sun with your 3-Day teammates. Whether you’re preparing for one of our remaining 2017 3-Days, getting a jump start on your 2018 training, or just want to hold a gathering for your 3-Day friends, there’s no better time to get together. We found some fun, fall-weather-ready team building activities to make the most of the season.

The Mine Field

Find an open space, like a park! Place objects like cones, balls, chairs, etc., sporadically across the open space. Have everyone pair up, and make one person on from each pair put on a blindfold. The other person must lead their blindfolded teammate from one side of the open space to the other without stepping on the objects — using only the verbal instructions. No pulling them out of the way! Plus, the blindfolded person cannot speak at all. It’s a perfect exercise in communication, and gets all the teammates moving!

This could also be done at a pumpkin patch or corn maze, with team members guiding each other from one side to the other.

Game of Possibilities

Each person on your team picks an object out of a bag, but don’t show your teammates! One at a time, everyone has to go in front of the group and describe a use for that object. Just don’t accidentally say the name of object! The rest of the team must guess what the player is demonstrating. Pick objects that can be used on the 3-Day, like a tent or fanny pack or even pom poms!

Masterpiece Murals

Find space outdoors and create 3-Day art! Give each member of your team a canvas and brush, and let everyone create a colorful masterpiece on their canvas. Focus on a 3-Day theme like “More Than Pink” or “Bold Goal,” and help team members create their own 3-Day mood painting. These could also be used as fundraising tools, with large donors receiving the artwork as a thank you.

Spider Web

Tie pieces of string between two trees in varying patterns. This string is the “poisonous spider web” that no one can touch. Your team must get all their members through the opening between the strings without touching it! This is a great one to host leading up to Halloween!

Dare Jenga

While Jenga is an entertaining indoor game as well, you can now play with giant Jenga games, and take your fun outside! Start by having everyone write dares or questions on all the Jenga pieces. Make them 3-Day-themed if you can! Suggest peopole share their best fundraising tip, agree to bring treats for all the teammates’ tents on the 3-Day, or be the designated water bottle carrier for the team on event.

When all the blocks have dares or questions on them, stack them up like in Jenga. When people pull a block out, they have to perform the dare that’s written on it.

What fun outdoor activities do you have planned for the season?

Fall into Fundraising

Can you believe we’re already halfway through October? Fall is ripe with opportunities to fundraise for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day^®. Here are some practical fundraising tips that we shared last year to help you fall into fundraising. Don’t forget, if you need more ideas, your 3-Day coach is available to help at 800-996-3DAY.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month – As you probably know, October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s a great time for you to make your friends and family aware of your part in the breast cancer cause. Wear a 3-Day^® shirt around town or on training walks, and take advantage of opportunities to talk about your 3-Day fundraising efforts. Often, a little conversation is all that’s needed to ignite a new supporter’s interest.

Fall = Follow Up – When’s the last time you reached out to your donor base? Take the turning of the new season as an inspiration to send an email to your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers, and update them on your fundraising and training progress. Let them know about your goals for the last few months of the year and ask for their support. Remember, the real impact of fundraising letters/emails comes with the follow-up. Sometimes people just need that gentle reminder, and October is a fitting time to give a little pink nudge.

Trick-or-Treat for Donations! – We’ve heard a few stories over the years of 3-Day participants going door-to-door for donations on Halloween night. Jenny, a Twin Cities 3-Day participant, even wore this amazing pink ribbon costume, complete with her “boobie bucket.” You could find all kinds of ways to dress up for the cause (there’s no shortage of pink superhero costumes, pink wigs, pink tutus, etc. out there this time of year), and even get some training in by walking around your neighborhood.

Warm Up Those Fall Sports Fans – Is your town overtaken with high school or college football fever this time of year? Or are you tight with the local soccer moms at Saturday morning games? How about selling hot chocolate or coffee to tail-gaters or at the sports fields? If you want to think a little bigger, you could even make some no-sew fleece blankets to sell. As always, make sure people know their purchase is going toward your fundraising efforts and often, they’ll invite you to keep the change, too.

Give Thanks, Get Donations – While Thanksgiving is not typically a gift-giving occasion, the feel-good vibe of the holiday tends to put people in a generous spirit. Share that spirit of gratitude by telling people—in person, on Facebook, with a hand-written note—how much they mean to you, and how grateful you are for the advances in breast health that Susan G. Komen^® and the 3-Day have helped fund.

Black Friday = Pink Friday! – The day after Thanksgiving, informally known as Black Friday, is the busiest day of the year for retailers. Challenge your friends and family to calculate 10% of what they plan to spend on shopping that day, and instead donate it to your fundraising efforts (this challenge could extend all the way through the weekend to Cyber Monday, the busiest online shopping day). Or, if you’re feeling especially bold and adventurous, sell coffee and donuts to patrons who line up outside their favorite stores early on Friday morning. They’ll appreciate the breakfast options, and you’ll earn some money toward your 3-Day goals.

Giving Tuesday – On the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back to charitable causes. Take advantage of all of the warm and generous feelings flying about (not to mention the wallets that have already been loosened by Thanksgiving weekend shopping) and ask for a donation to support your fight to end breast cancer.

What other fabulous fundraising ideas can you fashion for the fall season? Share them in comments or on Facebook!