planning Archives - The 3-Day Blog

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New year, new goals! It’s the perfect time to take stock, and plan for your best 2018 possible. With less than nine months until our first 3-Day of the year (you read that right!), setting goals now for your training and fundraising will set you up for success. To help you get started, we have tips to help you set goals that are attainable but still inspirational.

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Write them down

Writing goals down helps them stick in your mind, and gives you a visual representation of them to keep throughout the year. Set short term goals that you can check off each week or month. This will keep you motivated, and allow you to take smaller steps towards whatever your year-end goal might be.

Make them specific

As you outline your goals, make sure you’re detailed in your wording.

For example, instead of saying, “I want to train more before the 3-Day,” say “I want to train three times a week, and walk at least 20 miles per week through June.” Give yourself numerical, trackable goals.

This helps you be honest with yourself about what you truly think you can achieve, and track your results more easily.

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Be realistic but enthusiastic

Goal setting can be difficult, because you want to set yourself up for success, but still challenge yourself.

By being enthusiastic about what you want to achieve, while allowing for realism about your time constraints or other commitments, you’re going to amaze yourself with what you can achieve.

Take action

Once you set those goals, don’t forget to do them! Lots of people make resolutions for the New Year, and then forget about them. This is why writing your goals is key. Put them in a spot you will see every day so you’re always reminded of what you want to achieve.

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Believe in Yourself

No matter what your goals, remember that you are awesome just as you are! If you slip up, or face setbacks throughout the year, never give up. You can do anything you set your mind to! We think every 3-Dayer is truly something special.

What are your goals for 2018? Tell us in the comments!

If one of your 2018 goals is to join the 3-Day, the perfect time is NOW! Through February 5th, you can get $20 off your registration fee. Sign up today!

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So you’ve formed a 3-Day team. You’ve recruited your team members. Congrats! Now that you have people who are interested in walking with you, you need to get everyone in the same place so your team can meet, brainstorm, plan, and have fun!

It’s time to host your introductory team meeting. But how?

Photo via Eric Rothermel

Pick a date. And have a back-up date.

With today’s crazy schedules and conflicting calendars, it can be tough to find a time that works for every one of your team members. Do your best to find a good date, but don’t make yourself crazy. If there are a few people who can’t make it, set up a back-up time so they can still be introduced to the 3-Day. Even if it’s one-on-one over coffee, or with a smaller group, it’s important to make sure everyone feels welcome.

Use your experts.

If you or someone else on your team has walked before, tap them for knowledge. Meet with them beforehand to pull sample donor letters, talk about packing lists, and brainstorm fundraising ideas. That way, when you meet with the larger group, you’ll already have some talking points set.

Photo via Claudia Viloria

Create a comfortable space.

When the big day comes, hold the meeting in your kitchen, family room, or other welcoming space. You want first time walkers or team members who might not know everyone to feel like they are entering a safe space where they can speak their minds. Also, everyone loves food, so have a variety of snacks, desserts and drinks ready for the choosing. Make sure everything can be eaten without utensils, and is ideally bite-sized, so people can chat and dine at the same time.

Have a plan.

Before your meeting starts, decide what you want to accomplish. Do you just want to give people the chance to meet and share why they walk? Would you like to plan your first team fundraising event? Should people come with a draft of their donor letter? Make sure your guests know the goal in advance so they can do any needed preparation.

Photo via Glenn Carstons Peters

Prepare your answers.

There are some questions you know people are going to ask, especially if they’re first time walkers. Luckily, we have already answered many of them for you! Take a look at our FAQ to have talking points ready, share information about meetings and events in your area so your team can bond with others, and print out these infographics about the 3-Day for team members to keep handy. Check out all of the available resources at The3Day.org/Teams.

The more you have set up in advance, the easier it will be for the meeting to flow naturally and accomplish a lot.

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Get “active” with activities!

Get your team moving and thinking by incorporating fun activities that promote fundraising. Hang a tablecloth to make an at-home photo booth and take selfies with print outs of these fundraising progress graphics for them to post on social media. You can also host a “How to Write Fundraising Letters” workshop with samples, or color the 3-Day coloring page (above).

Have a take away.

Even though this is a “meeting,” that doesn’t mean it has to feel formal. Give each team member a fun take away, along with any pertinent information, so they can leave with something to remind them of their first team gathering. You can use the craft and treat ideas on our Creative Fundraising Pinterest page to make gifts for your team, then make extras to use for your own fundraising. These can also get others’ creative juices flowing for their own future fundraising endeavors.