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PLANNING YOUR 5K
TOOLKIT & RESOURCES
To celebrate Phi Sigma Sigma's Founders' Day, each chapter plans a 5K run/walk/move to engage with the local community and raise funds through the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation for their local Community Impact Fund. Below, you will find a series of resources to help you plan and execute your chapter's 5K!
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ABOUT THE 5K
WHEN?
Any time! While Founders' Day might be a great reason to bring sisters today, you can plan your 5K for anytime during the school year. When selecting the date, consider other events on your chapter and campus calendar and how it might encourage or discourage participation. Keep in mind weather and availability of your desired route.
WHERE?
First, contact your recreation department and campus safety to discuss possible 5K routes. What do you need to register your event on campus? What steps does campus safety require you to take?
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Members of the fraternity/sorority, campus and local community, students and families from your partner school, alumnae (and their families) and sisters’ family members!
WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?
The money is held in your chapter’s designated Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation Community Impact Fund account, and will be used to support your partner school in a way that you designate.
WHY A 5K?
A 5K is a great fundraising event as it has low overhead costs, moderate risk, open to all age groups and easily scalable.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
The chapter is responsible for the following:
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Identify 5K chairman
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Determine date, time and location of event
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Determine registration cost for the event
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Decide whether to include t-shirts for in-person participants (you'll need to account for cost in registration fees)
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Create and manage registration page on CrowdChange
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Coordinate logistics
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Advertise and engage with campus and community
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Determine how teams are formed
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Educate chapter and community on their partner school
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Make event exciting and fun
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Headquarters will provide the following:
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Send emails to alumnae & parents
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Provide marketing resources
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Provide resources to help choose a partner school
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Provide information on the Community Impact Fund
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Facilitate open office hours for assistance with 5K planning
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Ship t-shirts to the chapter for races where shirts are included for in-person participants
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PLANNING LOGISTICS
Get started by downloading the 5K event planning guide. ​
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SUGGESTED PLANNING TIMELINE
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90 DAYS OUT (AUGUST)
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Bring this idea to your chapter to get them excited about hosting a 5K in celebration of Founders' Day!
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Appoint 5K chairman
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Identify date and location
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Aim for late October to early December in observance of Phi Sigma Sigma’s Founders Day on November 26
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Reserve space/location
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Reach out to on/off campus partners to inform them of your event
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FSL/Student Activities Office
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On campus recreation center
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Campus police
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Local municipality (city, town, etc.)
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Inform chapter so they save the date
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60 DAYS OUT (SEPTEMBER)
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Establish budget and vendors/supplies needed for event
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Establish advertising plan
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WHO are you advertising to?
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HOW will this advertising happen?
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Start to reach out to different audiences
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Utilize 5K marketing resources
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Determine registration plan, cost and how teams will be formed
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Work with chapter coach if insurance information is needed
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30 DAYS OUT (OCTOBER)
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Create registration page on CrowdChange's 5K page
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Manage registration
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Continue advertising
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Purchase supplies
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Confirm with vendors (if applicable)
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Determine day of logistics
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Coordinate volunteers
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Inform members of event obligations
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TWO WEEKS OUT
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Inform potential participants that anyone who registers before the cut off date will receive a t-shirt (for races that include t-shirts).
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Confirm your chapter's shipping address for t-shirt shipping.
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Follow up with anyone who hasn't registered but you were expecting to.​
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ONE WEEK BEFORE
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Review your race registration report.
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Make a final push for registrations.
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Follow up with anyone who hasn't registered but you were expecting to.
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Send an email to participants with information about race day. You can find email addresses on your registration report. Get started with this draft email.
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Assign volunteer roles for day-of support. View a list of potential volunteer roles and duties here. As the 5k coordinator, DO NOT assign yourself a role so you are available to troubleshoot day-of.
ONE DAY BEFORE
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Resend race day information to your participants by email. Make sure to include a day-of contact for questions/issues.
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Share a schedule of the event with sisters and volunteers.
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Confirm your day-of contact with the venue so you know who to contact in the case of any issues.
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Download and print out a couple of copies of the registration report. Make sure to identify anyone who should be receiving a t-shirt so you don't forget to hand it out.
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Prepare and pack all supplies for race day so you're ready to load the car/walk them over to set up.
DAY OF
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Make sure you have all necessary supplies on hand. Check out our recommended supply list.
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Send out an OurHouse reminder to the chapter with the schedule and any other last minute reminders.
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Get there early to set-up and make sure everything is ready before participants begin arriving.
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Greet participants and thank them for supporting the cause.
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Have fun!
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PLANNING RESOURCES​
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Draft Participant Email - Use this template to share race day details with your participants.
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Race Day Supply List - Here's a checklist of all the items you might want on-hand for race day.
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Volunteer Roles - Have your sisters sign up to help with the 5K.
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Need more support? Visit the Philanthropy & Service Resource Page for resources including:
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Philanthropy finance instructions
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Philanthropy event expense and revenue tracker
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Money order instructions
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Community impact funding request form
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CrowdChange manual​​
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5K OFFICE HOURS​
To support your 5K planning and answer your questions, we'll be hosting regular office hours throughout the fall semester.
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5K office hours will be held from September 18 - Wednesday November 13 each Wednesday from 8:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. ET / 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. PT. Click here to join: https://zoom.us/j/98351142100
RACE REGISTRATION
You will set up a custom registration page for your chapter’s 5K on CrowdChange’s NEW! Phi Sig 5K page: https://phisig5k.crowdchange.co/. The provided blueprints will allow you to edit and adjust your fundraising page based on the specific details of your race.
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Follow the step-by-step directions below to get started. Once you've set up your registration page, it will be sent to your chapter coach for review and approval.​
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NOTE - If you're planning on doing a 5K with another chapter, each chapter should set up their own CrowdChange fundraiser.
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START A NEW FUNDRAISER
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Open the Phi Sig 5K CrowdChange page: https://phisig5k.crowdchange.co/
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Click "Start a Fundraiser."
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Select either the t-shirt or no t-shirt blueprint.
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Under "Fundraiser Name" name your fundraiser using the following format: [Omega Omega] Chapter at [School Name] University - 2024 Phi Sigma Sigma 5K
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Toggle on "Date and Time" and set the date and time for your race.
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Toggle on "Fundraiser has a location" and add the location for your race.
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Under "Purchase Options" you do not need to change any of the settings, they have been pre-set as part of the blueprint.
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Click "Next."
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The settings under "Additional Settings" have been pre-set as part of the blueprint; you do not need to make any changes.
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Click "Create Fundraiser."
This will create the fundraising page which needs to be approved by your chapter coach before it goes live. However, you should proceed with customizing your page using the directions below so it is ready to go once approved.
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REGISTRATION PRICES​
Your chapter can determine and set the registration prices for your 5K race. This enables you to choose a rate that is in alignment with campus norms. This also allows you to make sure the registration price will cover any costs incurred to host this event. Fundraising events are only successful if you raise more money than you spend. ​
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If you are including t-shirts for participants, add an additional $5 to the registration price to cover that additional cost.
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SET UP REGISTRATION OPTIONS
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On the side menu bar, select "Purchase Options."
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Click on "Registration."
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Click "+ Create Registration Tier"
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Add tier name and description (see below for options)
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Set price (see below for suggestions)
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Click "Save".
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Repeat steps 3-6 until you have all registration options created.
Below are suggested registration options, descriptions and pricing.
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Tier Name: Individual Participant or In-Person Participant
Tier Description: Registration cost covers participant's entry fees and participation. Any in-person participant who registers by [CUTOFF DATE] will receive a FREE 5K race shirt!
Suggested Price: $15-25; if you're including t-shirts you'll want to increase registration by $5 to cover the t-shirt cost.
Important Note - The cut-off date should be at least 1 week before your race (10+ days before your race for west coast chapters) to allow for shipping times.
Tier Name: Virtual Participant
Tier Description: Registration cost covers participant's entry fees and participation. Virtual registration does not include a race t-shirt.
Suggested Price: $10-15
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DESIGN YOUR FUNDRAISER PAGE
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Click "Home" on the side menu bar" to return to your main event dashboard.
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Click the "Design your fundraiser" button.
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Scroll down to the block titled "Story" and click the pencil button to edit.
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Change the text that says "Story" to "About our 5K"
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Copy and paste the description below into the text section on that page.
WHAT: A 5K run/walk/move in celebration of Phi Sigma Sigma's Founders' Day!
WHEN: [DATE] at [TIME]
WHERE: [LOCATION INCLUDING ADDRESS & MEETING POINT]
WHY: This 5K will help support our chapter's Community Impact Fund through the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation, a fund that supports Phi Sigma Sigma's local school partner by funding grants for initiatives supporting school and college readiness. By participating, you help us give back to the local community and support today's students!
(For races with t-shirts) Any in-person participant who registers by [CUTOFF DATE] will receive a FREE 5K race shirt! Pick up your shirt on race day at sign-in.
CROWDCHANGE MANUAL
For more information and directions on managing your fundraiser, check out the CrowdChange manual and CrowdChange resource page.​
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RACE T-SHIRTS
Your chapter can include to include t-shirts for participants or not. Here are some important reminders if you choose to include t-shirts.
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REGISTRATION PAGE
Make sure to select the "2024 Phi Sigma Sigma 5K (Shirt Option)" blueprint when setting up your fundraiser. This blueprint is set up to collect t-shirt sizes from participants as part of registration.
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PRICING
If you are including t-shirts, plan on increasing the price of your registration cost by $5 per participant to fund the t-shirts. The cost of producing and shipping the t-shirts will be deducted from the money raised as part of the CrowdChange event close-out procedures.
CUT-OFF DATE
The cut-off date should be at least 1 week before your race (10+ days before your race for west coast chapters) to allow for shipping times. Make sure to include the cut-off date on your race registration page and in any marketing materials.
SHIPPING
Participant t-shirts will be bulk shipped to the chapter for pick-up on race day. Make sure to have a plan for distribution.
MARKETING & PROMOTION
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Press Release Template - download and complete the press release template to share with local publications including your campus newspaper, local community newspaper, local Patch.com, etc.
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Flyer Template - Customize this Canva template flyer or create your own to post on campus, post around the community and share with other organizations.
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5K Logo - Download this logo to use on marketing and promotional materials.
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5K Logo Blue Background - Download the blue background version of the Phi 5K logo.​
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Instagram Post Template - Customize this Canva template or create your own to post on your chapter's page and have sisters re-share.
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Instagram Story Template - Customize this Canva template to share on your chapter's story and sisters' stories.
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Downloadable Race Bib Template - Customize this Canva template to create downloadable and printable race bibs.
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SPONSORSHIPS
WHAT?
Want to offset some of your event costs? Sponsors can support your event with a monetary donation or by donating items such as cases of water, food or refreshments, items to use as prizes, etc. Checks should be made out to "[Chapter Letters] Chapter of Phi Sigma Sigma" and deposited into your chapter's Billhighway account.
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WHO?
Sponsors could be on-campus businesses, local businesses, small businesses owned by family or friends. ​
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HOW?
If you or a chapter member already has a personal relationship with a possible sponsor, ask them to reach out and start the conversation. A lot of businesses will need an official request to review and approve. Below you will find a sponsorship letter template that you can customize. If you're looking for a sponsorship from a large corporation, most will have an online sponsorship request you will need to fill out and submit.
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WHY?​
Sponsorships are mutually beneficial. Any costs associated with the 5K will be coming out of the chapter's philanthropy budget. By bringing on sponsors, you are able to help cover the costs for your 5K. In turn, you will help bring publicity and recognition to your sponsors by letting them be a part of your event. Make sure to recognize and thank your partners during the event, through social media, etc. ​
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RESOURCES
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Sponsorship Letter Template - Download and complete the sponsorship letter to share with local businesses.
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CLOSING YOUR FUNDRAISER
Once your 5K has happened, make sure to close out the CrowdChange fundraiser!
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From the fundraiser, click: Advanced → Actions → Close Fundraiser → Yes
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This will close the fundraiser and stop it from accepting ticket sales or transactions of any kind
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COMMUNITY IMPACT FUND
The Community Impact Fund was established by the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation, providing Phi Sigma Sigma collegiate chapters the opportunity to support their partner school while also supporting the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation. The introduction of this fund coordinates efforts between the Foundation and collegiate chapters in support of Phi Sigma Sigma’s philanthropic cause of school and college readiness.
Collegiate chapters will identify a local Title I school as their official partner. When the chapter raises money through a fundraising event, the money will be deposited in the chapter’s Community Impact Fund through the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation. The chapter will be able to designate the proceeds to support their partner school by funding backpack builds, direct financial grants to support programs or projects, or purchasing other equipment/supplies for the school.
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