Fueling Your Fundraisers: �The Great 8 Coaching Strategies�October 29, 2025

Housekeeping

The meeting is being recorded! The slide deck and recording will be added to the

Walk Manager Resource Center within a week.

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Put your questions in the chat throughout the presentation! We will answer it in the chat or live at the end.

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The content of this presentation is for licensed NAMIWalks events only, but can be shared with board members, volunteers, and other local NAMI Staff.

NAMIWalks �Team Introductions

Agenda

• Participant Coaching Plan
• Registering 8+ Weeks in Advance
• Customizing Your Fundraising Page
• Sending Invites to Your Network
• Utilizing Facebook Fundraising
• Returning Participants

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• Setting a Fundraising Goal
• Walk Stars
• Making a Self Donation
• Participant Coaching Plan in Action
• Next Meeting
• Q&A

Participant Coaching Plan

Participant Coaching Plan

What is a Participant Coaching Plan?

A year-round plan to engage participants using data and insight from past seasons.

• Helps you prioritize the right audiences and move the needle on fundraising.
• Encourages personalized communication that motivates action and builds connection.

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• Reinforces that every participant matters, from first-time walkers to returning captains.

Flow of engagement → Recruit → Motivate → Retain → Recognize

Participant Coaching Plan

Why the Participant Coaching Plan Matters �When you coach your participants, you strengthen engagement, retention, and results.

• Personalized outreach makes participants feel valued and part of something bigger.
• Builds lasting relationships that drive growth and sustainability.
• Highlights where you succeed and where new opportunities exist.

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• Expands your base and tells the story of how you communicate year-round.
• Creates data-informed outreach that inspires and re-engages.�

Coaching turns participation into partnership, and moments into movement.

Participant Coaching Plan

Why the Participant Coaching Plan Matters

Participant coaching isn’t just about outreach, it’s about unlocking potential.�Right now:

• 66% NAMIWalks Participants raise $0
• 33% fundraise, averaging $242 each

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• Coaching helps bridge that gap, transforming participants from walkers into fundraisers and advocates.
• By connecting early, personalizing outreach, and celebrating milestones, we can move more people to take action.�

Coaching turns participation into purpose — and purpose into progress.

Participant Coaching Plan

Participant Coaching Plan

Your Roadmap to Participant Engagement

• A step-by-step plan to engage, retain, and grow your participants.
• Helps you identify who to reach, when to reach them, and what to say.
• Built from data — designed to make your outreach intentional and effective.

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Participant Coaching Plan

Coaching the Actions That Drive Success

• Every successful participant takes these key steps, our coaching helps get them there.
• The Participant Coaching Plan aligns your outreach with each action.
• Coaching to these moments builds confidence, connection, and growth.

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Registering 8+ Weeks

in Advance

Registering 8+ Weeks in Advance

Getting participants to register early sets the stage for success.

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• More time to fundraise. Gives participants extra weeks to reach out to friends and family.
• Team Building. Early registration can give team captains more time to recruitm, plan, and build excitement.
• Access to resources. More updates, tips, and fundraising tools along the way.�

Early birds make a big impact:

Participants who register 8+ weeks ahead raise 8x more on average than those who don’t.

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Team Captain Incentive

• Team Captains who register and raise $50+ at least 10 weeks before their event earn a branded NAMIWalks notebook.
• Recognizes and rewards early commitment.
• Builds excitement and drives early retention.
• Creates momentum for stronger fundraising and team growth.

Small rewards. Big motivation. Stronger starts.

Team Captain Incentive Email�NAMI National sends this email automatically to eligible Team Captains.

• The email is sent to Team Captains who raise $49 or less and lapsed captains from 2025.
• Delivered 84 days before your event, no setup required.
• Recognizes and motivates early fundraising
• Your role? Promote and amplify it locally.

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Simple way to boost retention and early action.

Customizing Your Fundraising Page

Customizing Your Fundraising Page

Customize Your Page — Share Your Why

Encouraging participants to personalize their fundraising page builds connection and results.

• Know your participants beyond the walk. Invite them to share why they walk and make their story visible.
• Celebrate every milestone. First donation, T-shirt goal, Walk Star status — recognition fuels motivation.

• Yet only 17% of participants customized their page in 2025.
• Those who do raise 6x more than those who don’t.�

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Every story shared inspires another to give, and every personalized page turns a simple walk into a powerful statement of hope, connection, and purpose.

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Customizing Your Fundraising Page

Coaching Participants to Customize Their Page�Make it easy for every participant to personalize their story:

• Share the Participant Guidebook. Send step-by-step instructions directly.
• For visual learners. Post short how-to videos on your NAMIWalks site or Facebook group.
• Host a Team Captain’s Meeting. A 10-minute walkthrough can make a huge difference.

A few minutes of coaching can spark powerful stories, deeper connections, and stronger results, because when participants personalize their pages, they’re not just fundraising, they’re sharing why mental health matters to them.

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Quick Guide to Customizing Your Page�Your go-to tool for participants to personalize their pages.

• Step-by-step instructions for adding photos & stories.
• Designed for quick sharing. Perfect for emails, captain meetings, or social posts.
• Empowers participants to tell their “why” and inspire others to give.

The easier you make it to personalize, the more powerful every page becomes.

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Sharing Our Stories

• Helps participants craft and share their personal “why.”
• Simple 4-step guide to make storytelling easy and authentic.
• Great tool to share in emails, captain meetings, or on social media.
• Inspires connection and turns personal stories into fundraising momentum.

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Sending Invites to

Your Network

Sending Invites to Your Network

Instead of texting and calling their networks, participants can also send an email through their participant center.

• Ask to Donate to individual walk page.
• Fundraising Update to see if they have met their goal.
• Ask Friend to Join NAMIWalks team.
• Team Update to see if they have met their team goal.
• Ask Friend to Donate to Team.

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Those who sent emails raised 14x more than those who did not.

Sending Invites to Your Network

Coaching Participants to Send Invites�Encourage participants to use their Participant Center to reach out directly to their networks — it’s quick, personal, and proven to work.�

• Ask for Donations. Use the email function to ask your network to contribute to your goal.
• Fundraising Update. Share progress updates toward a goal.
• Thank Your Donors. Send personal messages thanking your donors.
• Ask a Friend to Join Your Team. Grow the movement.
• Team Updates. Celebrate milestones and motivate teammates as they work towards their goals.

Participants who send emails through the platform

raise 14× more than those who don’t.

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Quick Guide on How to Use the Message Center�The Message Center makes fundraising simple — connect, ask, and thank all in one place.�

• Step-by-step guide to help participants send emails directly from their dashboard.
• Includes pre-written templates for donation asks and fundraising updates.
• Makes outreach fast, easy, and personal.
• Great to share in team captain meetings or participant follow-ups.

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Coaching Participants to Use the Fundraise4NAMI App�Empower participants to take fundraising mobile, the app makes it easier than ever to connect and share.�

• Fundraisers who use the app raise 100%+ more than those who don’t.
• Quick, convenient, and built for sharing on the go.
• Key Features:
• Text friends and family with donation links.
• Use built-in QR codes to make giving simple.
• Fundraise through Instagram and TikTok in just a few taps.

Questions about the App?

Attend the Fundraise4NAMI Coaching Call!

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Utilizing

Facebook Fundraising

Utilizing Facebook Fundraising

Coaching Participants to Use Facebook Fundraising

Encourage participants to share their story where their friends and family already are — Facebook makes it easy to inspire support and raise more.

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• Only 3.5% of participants enabled Facebook Fundraisers in 2025.
• Those who did raised an average of $628, compared to $67 for others.
• Participants who utilize Facebook Fundraising raise 9x more than those who don’t.

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Facebook Fundraising Setup Guide�

• Step-by-step instructions for enabling Facebook Fundraising for your NAMIWalks event.
• Outlines how to register your NAMI as a verified charity and connect with DonorDrive.
• Includes contact details and support links for quick setup or troubleshooting.
• Helps ensure your event is ready so participants can easily activate Facebook Fundraisers.

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Facebook Fundraisers Step-by-Step Guide

• Easy, five-step guide showing participants how to connect and launch their Facebook Fundraiser.
• Walks them through registration, setup, and syncing donations to their NAMIWalks page.
• Great for sharing in participant emails, captain meetings, and social media posts.
• Helps every walker take their fundraising further, it’s fast, simple, and effective.

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How to Re-Sync a Participant's Facebook Fundraiser

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• A quick fix for a common issue.
• Step-by-step guide for manually reconnecting a participant’s Facebook Fundraiser to their NAMIWalks page.
• Helps ensure donation totals display accurately.
• Quick reference for troubleshooting when participants report missing or mismatched totals.

Facebook Fundraising in Action

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Returning Participants

Returning Participants

Who are you Targeting?

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Your Constituents:

• Team Captains
• Walk Stars
• Individual Participants
• Sponsors
• Volunteers

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Returning Participants

Why Retention is Important?

Returning Walkers = More likely to Fundraise

• 53% of Returning Walkers Fundraise
• Whereas only 29% of New Walkers Fundraiser

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Returning Walkers Raise More

• Average amount raised by a returning participant is $262
• Average amount raised by a new participant is $44

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Those who come back to NAMIWalks raise 6x more

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Guide on How to Pull a Lapsed Participant Report

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• Step-by-step guide for generating your Lapsed Participant Report in DonorDrive.
• Identifies past participants who haven’t yet registered this season, your warmest prospects.
• Perfect for targeted outreach, retention campaigns, and personalized coaching.
• Use it early to re-engage loyal walkers and strengthen long-term relationships.

Just Say “Yes” Campaign:

NAMIWalks

San Mateo County

Setting a Fundraising Goal

Setting a Fundraising Goal

Setting a Fundraising Goal Above $100

Encourage every participant to set a goal, it’s one of the easiest ways to boost fundraising.

• Set the bar at $100 or higher to inspire action and confidence.
• Fundraising levels to coach to:
• T-Shirt: $100+
• National Fundraising Recognition Program: $250+
• Walk Star: $1,000+
• Participants who set a goal over $100 raised an average of $323, compared to $21 for those who didn’t — that’s 15x more!

Setting a goal gives participants something to strive for — and turns “I’ll try” into “I did it.”

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Raise $100 and Earn Your 2026 T-Shirt

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• A fun, visual reminder that celebrates achievement and motivates action.
• Perfect for promoting early fundraising and goal setting.
• Encourages participants to reach the $100 milestone, the first step toward bigger goals.
• Great to share on social media, in emails, or at kickoff events.

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National Fundraising Recognition Program Coaching

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• Outlines exclusive NAMIWalks-branded gifts to motivate participants at key fundraising milestones.
• Includes scripts and tips to coach walkers toward higher levels.
• Great for motivating beyond the $100 T-shirt level, aim for $250, $1,000+, and more.
• Fundraising stays open 30 days after Walk Day.

Walk Stars

Walk Stars

Who are Walk Stars?

Walk Stars are an elite group of participants who raise $1,000 or more.

• Why Walk Stars Matter. 2% of our Walk Stars raise 40% of our fundraised dollars.

• Stewardship is important. This group of participants needs to be stewarded early and often. They are most likely your smallest group of participants raising the most amount of funds.
• Equip them for success. Provide talking points, fundraising ideas, and sample messaging.
• Walk Day VIPs. Make them feel special on walk day. VIP parking, a tent, special food, etc.

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“Almost Walk Star” Email Template

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• Pre-written email for participants nearing Walk Star status ($1,000+).
• Encourages continued fundraising and celebrates progress.
• Sent automatically when participants reach $750 raised.
• Easy way to motivate top fundraisers to reach the next level.

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Guide for Using the Walk Star Report Template

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• Step-by-step instructions for downloading your Walk Star Report in DonorDrive.
• Identifies participants who’ve reached or are close to $1,000 raised.
• Helps target top fundraisers for recognition and one-on-one coaching.
• Great for celebrating milestones and encouraging continued momentum.

Making a Self Donation

Making a Self Donation

Coaching Participants to Make a Self-Donation

A self-donation sets the tone, it shows commitment and inspires others to give.

• A self-donation is when a participant donates to their own fundraising page.
• In 2025, only 27% of participants made one — but they raised 12x more.

• Self-Donors: average $247 raised
• Non-Self-Donors: average $20.52 raised

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Automated DonorDrive Email: �Six Steps to Start Your NAMIWalks Success

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• Automatic email sent to new registrants encouraging a self-donation.
• Reinforces commitment and introduces the six ways to show you are NAMIWalks.
• Simple reminder that inspires participants to take their first fundraising step.
• Great to amplify through local follow-ups or captain messages.

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Team Captain Welcome Email or Letter Template

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• Pre-written email welcoming new Team Captains to NAMIWalks.
• Reinforces key first steps, self-donation, page updates, and recruiting.
• Easy way to build early connection and set expectations for success.
• Perfect for sending right after registration.

Participant Coaching

Plan in Action

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Guide on How to Use the Participant Coaching Report Template

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• Step-by-step instructions for downloading and customizing this report in DonorDrive.
• Helps identify key participants for outreach, retention, and engagement.
• Essential for tailoring your coaching strategy to meet local goals.
• The more you use this data, the stronger your event performance.

Participant Coaching Report Template

Event Insights

Next Meeting

Next Meeting

November Spring NAMIWalks National Call

November 5, 2025�1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT/11 a.m. MT/10 a.m. PT/9 a.m. AKDT

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