5 Easy Ways to Get Outside this Spring

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Finally! Spring is here at last! Who’s excited for those warmer days ahead? The approach of spring means the 3-Day Series is coming up quickly so it’s the perfect time get outside and take a new approach to your 3-Day training, team building and fundraising efforts. Here are some fun and easy ways to make the most of the new season.

Take a training walk

This is the most obvious answer. Get outside and take a walk! Whether you’ve officially started using our 3-Day training app to guide your steps, are taking part in local training events, or training on your own time, spring is the time to kick it all into high gear. Warmer weather and more daylight give you even more opportunities to get your steps in.

Take your fundraising into the sun

There are so many ways to fundraise for the 3-Day, but you can get even more creative than usual now that the weather is getting warmer. Here are just a few outdoor fundraising ideas:

Advertise while you walk: Ask local companies to sponsor your walk and in return, wear their logo or name on your T-shirt while you train.
Work the neighborhood: Walk from house to house throughout your neighborhood to ask for donations. There’s nothing like a face-to-face request!
Dog walk for donations: Send out a flyer to your neighborhood offering to dog walk or dog-sit while the owners are out of town. Time with the pups will give you an excuse to get outdoors!

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Give camping a try

Not all our 3-Day camps will be outside this year (say “Hello” to hotel camps!) but that doesn’t mean you all can’t get out and camp under the stars this spring! Grab your friends, family, or 3-Day teammates and have a slumber party camping night in your own backyard. Everyone can bring their own tent, or get a taste of the famous 3-Day Slumber Party tents and get a big tent for everyone to get cozy in together.

Plan a scavenger hunt

This is one of our favorite ways to host a 3-Day team building event! Call your 3-Day teammates and ask them to each bring two new people they think might be interested in the 3-Day. Then use our tips to plan an afternoon of fun that will give everyone just a taste of the excitement, teamwork and support they’ll find on the 3-Day.

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Let the flamingos flock

This is the most fun way to celebrate the new season! Start by buying 10 pink plastic flamingos for lawn decorations. Pick 10 homes in your community to be the “lucky” recipients. Attach note cards to the flamingos’ necks with a phone number and your 3-Day donation information. Let your friends and family know that for a $10 donation, the flamingos can be removed from their yard, but for $15 they will be moved to the lawn of their choice. Then they can spread the flamingo fun to their own friends and family!

Make sure you also place a sign that has cards with your contact name and phone number next to the flamingo for those who drive by and would like to have the flamingos placed in a friend’s yard. That way, they can contact you and donate to your 3-Day goals.

How are you getting outside this spring? Tell us in the comments!

Welcome Spring! 3-Day Fundraising Ideas

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Spring is here at last! The weather might not quite be reflecting it yet in some parts of the country, but we are more than a little excited about blooming flowers, sunshiny days and more walks outside. This change of season also allows for new fundraising opportunities, and we have them rounded up all in one spot. Get outside and make the most of the season!

Spring Cleaning Garage Sale

This one is a no brainer, and helps you in more ways than one! Spring cleaning your house, closet, kitchen and beyond will help de-clutter your life. This can also help de-clutter your emotions and even be a de-stressing technique. Throw away or donate what you need to, but save as much as you can, then hold a garage sale with the proceeds going to the 3-Day!

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April Fool’s Day

Lots of people play April Fool’s Day pranks – Why not take advantage of it? Partner with local comedians or radio hosts to set up a “you donate and we prank” fundraising movement. You can have them make prank calls or even prank “deliveries,” and ask your friends and family to donate for the right to send a prank on the funny holiday.

Spring Spa Day

Ask local salons, spas and hairdressers to donate products like lotion, nail polish, or scrubs and host a spa day at home! Ask for donations from your friends in exchange for “services” like scalp massages, manicures or hand scrubs. It’s the perfect way to spend a Sunday with your friends.

Flower Delivery

Those florists and local gift shops you worked with to send Valentine’s Day flowers? Call them up again! See if they would be willing to donate any extra flowers at the end of each week, then you can make special deliveries to potential donors. Who could say “no” to a fundraising letter that comes with a bouquet?

Earth Day or Arbor Day Hike

Ask people to sponsor miles of a hike you will take in honor of the many Mother Nature-related holidays in April. Every mile you walk means more funding for the 3-Day! It will double as a good training walk, and could be used as a team building or recruitment exercise as well! Asking your friends to walk with you gives you plenty of time to tell them your 3-Day story…they might just join you!

Get Outside

Offer lawn care services and car washes,to people in your neighborhood in exchange for donations! You probably have all the materials you need right at home, so all it will cost is your time. It will also give you a great excuse to get outside!

What are your spring fundraising plans? Tell us in the comments!

Fall Team Building Activities

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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!

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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!

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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?