Give a Meal Team Challenge Toolkit

Give a Meal 

Team Challenge 

Toolkit 

TEAM CAPTAIN GUIDE 

TEAM CHALLENGE

TEAM CHALLENGE

TEAM CHALLENGE 

Welcome to Give A Meal Team Challenge! 

We’re so glad that you have joined Give a Meal Team Challenge to help us fight 

hunger in America. 

Team Captains are the backbone of our program and play a vital role in the 

fight against hunger by forming and leading fundraising teams. Recruit your 

co-workers, friends, family members, and everyone you know to join your team. 

Your team members can also help you reach your fundraising and recruitment 

goals by asking their co-workers, friends, family members and acquaintances for 

a donation or to join your team. 

Every dollar you raise helps Feeding America provide meals to Americans struggling 

with hunger. To make your efforts as easy and fun as possible, we will be 

there to help you every step of the way! This Team Captain toolkit can be used 

as your step-by-step guide to reaching your Give A Meal Team Challenge goals. 

Enclosed, you will find valuable materials filled with helpful information and 

fundraising tips to build your team in the most effective (and fun) way possible. 

• Hunger Fact Sheet – gives the basic details on hunger in America 

and Feeding America 

• Participant Center Guide – tutorial on how to use your online 

fundraising center. 

• Recruitment Tips – includes information on how to be a successful 

Team Captain 

• Fundraising – includes tips on how to fundraise 

• Matching Gifts – find out if your company has a Matching Gifts Program 

• Contact us 

If you have any questions or need additional support, the Give a Meal team 

is here to help! Please don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Contact Info: 

Feeding America 

35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2000 

Chicago, IL 60601 

Phone: 800-914-6307 

Thank you for your leadership. Together, we can solve hunger in America. 

Give a Meal Team Challenge Toolkit Team Captain Guide | 3

TEAM CHALLENGE


About Feeding America 

How can 50 million people face hunger in a country that wastes billions of 

pounds of food? 

Here in America, there is more than enough food to feed every man, woman and 

child, yet one in six people face hunger. As individuals, charities, businesses and 

government, we all have a role to play in getting more food to people in need. 

Together we can solve hunger. 

The Feeding America network of food banks is leading the fight against hunger 

in communities across the country. 

How We Work 

The Feeding America network secures and provides food to families struggling 

with hunger; operates programs that promote self-sufficiency among the people 

we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for 

legislation that protects people from going hungry. 

Many myths exist about the nature of domestic hunger and the people who 

struggle to get enough to eat. The Feeding America network works every day to 

educate the public about the facts about hunger. 

• Hunger affects people you see every day—the cashier at the grocery store, a 

child in your son or daughter’s class, the senior down the street who requires 

expensive medications. 

• Hunger exists in every county and every congressional district in the nation. 

• Hunger, which was once considered a problem for very low-wage earners, is 

now a problem for people from all walks of life. 

• Many people live one paycheck away from financial disaster. An unexpected 

illness, injury, car repair, or life change can put a self-sufficient person at risk 

of hunger. 

Through the assistance of local and national food assistance programs, Feeding 

America is able to provide nutritious, fresh foods to Americans struggling with 

hunger; safe and nurturing places for children to have a meal; emergency assistance 

for disaster victims; as well as a chance at self-sufficiency for adults trying 

to break the cycle of poverty and hunger. 



Why do we fundraise? 

• More than 50 million Americans, including nearly 17 million children, are food 

insecure, meaning they live at risk of hunger. 

• 37 million Americans receive food and groceries from Feeding America each 

year, including nearly 14 million children and 3 million seniors. 

• More than 1 in 5 children live at risk of hunger. 

• 1 in 7 Americans lives at or below the poverty level. 

• 1 in 8 Americans is currently served by Feeding America. 

Getting Started 

Step 1: Register online 

Visit www.feedingamerica.org/Nielsen to register now if you have not already 

done so. There is no fee to register or minimum fundraising goal to participate 

but all participants are encouraged to raise funds. Once registered, you’ll have all 

the online tools needed to start recruiting and fundraising! 

Step 2: Recruit Your Team 

The more participants on your team, the more money you will raise. As team 

captain, we count on you to spread the word and encourage others to join you 

in your efforts. Your team may consist of co-workers, family, friends etc. Set a 

goal to recruit at least 10 team members! 

Step 3: Fundraise 

Set a fundraising goal for your team and keep team members updated on 

the progress towards reaching the goal. The sky’s the limit with fundraising 

activities—utilize the online Participant Center, host a vendor campaign or plan 

a fun team event! Check out the “Fundraising Tips” section for more ideas. 

Step 4: Build Team Spirit 

Building camaraderie among your team members will help make the experience 

more memorable. Be creative—choose the team name together, volunteer at your 

local food bank or create team t-shirts, buttons or signs to post outside of your 

office letting folks know you are participating in Give A Meal Team Challenge. 

6 | Give a Meal Team Challenge Toolkit Team Captain Guide


Step 5: Thank team members for their hard work. 

You can never thank folks enough. Consider writing handwritten thank you 

notes or publically thanking your team members for helping raise meals for 

those in need. 

Become a Recruiting Pro! 

• Make a list of 30 potential people to target as team members and follow up 

with them personally! 

• Send an email to everyone in your address book 

• Host an internal Kick-off to build excitement and recruit new members 

• Use social media to share your participation and encourage new registrations 

• Utilize your company newsletter, intranet, message boards or a staff meeting 

Fast Tips for Fundraising 

• Set a Goal! Encourage team members to set a goal of raising $225, which 

will provide 675 meals. Share these easy steps and see how easy it is to reach 

your goal! 

1. Make a personal donation $25/75 meals 

2. Ask four family members to match your donation $100/300 meals 

3. Ask friends on Facebook to donate $5/40 meals $25/75 meals 

4. Ask co-workers to donate $5/40 meals $25/75 meals 

5. Ask 5 friends to donate $10/80 meals $50/150 meals 

Total $225/675 meals! 

• Make it a competition. Encourage team members to collect donations 

by creating incentives for top fundraisers or holding weekly contests. 

For example, you could offer a paid vacation day, casual day, gift cards, 

theater or sports tickets, parking spot, or lunch with you! 



• Progress Updates. Keep your team up-to-date on fundraising progress. 

Highlight any star fundraisers! 

• Make it social! Take advantage of the great networks available through 

social media. Tell your story on Facebook, increase awareness on Twitter and 

highlight your involvement on Linked In. 

• Share your personal story. Send an email or letter asking people to make a 

donation or to join your team! Sample letters are available in your participant 

center. 

• Matching Gifts can double your funds raised! Many companies have 

programs that will match employee donations. Contact your Human 

Resource Department to find out if your company has a Matching Gift 

Program and how it works. 

• Involve suppliers/clients. Send a letter on company letterhead to your 

suppliers/clients requesting their support. Many companies you support 

through regular business relationships like to support causes that are 

important to you and your company. Make sure to get permission from 

your supervisor before sending! 

• Host a Team Event! There are endless opportunities to turn your resources, 

skills and interests into big fundraising! Things like Dress Down Days, happy 

hours and raffles are great ways to get everyone involved! 

Team Captain Checklist 

Week 1 

• Set your meal/fundraising goal. Aim high and remember every dollar raised 

provides 3 meals. 

• Build your team webpage—Include photos and why you are raising funds! 

• Recruit, Recruit, Recruit! 

• Promote team in company newsletter, intranet or staff meeting. 

• Schedule a team Kick-off event. 

• Plan team fundraising events. 

• Share the link to your fundraising page on Facebook, Twitter and Linked In. 



Weeks 2-3 

• Ensure all team members are registered and encourage them to get started 

fundraising. 

• Within your participant center, create your own donation request emails or 

customize the templates with your reason for participating. 

• Send donation requests to all of the contacts in your Address Book. 

• Find out if your employer offers a matching gifts and ask all donors if their 

company offers matching gifts. 

• Highlight team member success stories on your team page. 

Weeks 3-4 

• In your participant center, send follow-up emails to anyone in your Address 

Book who has not responded to your email donation request. 

• Hold Team Fundraising Events. 

• Recognize any team success stories. 

• Hold fundraising competition or contests to keep excitement high! 

• Remember to thank individuals that have already donated to the campaign. 

Weeks 4-5 

• Send a personal Thank You note or email to everyone that donated to your 

campaign. Announce your results and how many meals your fundraising 

could provide. 

• Send a Thank You to all team members with results of team and company 

fundraising totals. 

• Collect any outstanding donation and make one last check for matching gifts. 



Social Media Tips 

Social media provides you with a quick and easy way to broadcast your participation 

in Give A Meal Team Challenge to your entire network. Use these sample 

posts, cover photos and profile pics to help make your fundraising even easier! 

General Best Practices: 

• Always include a link back to your personal page. 

• Switch it up! Use photos and videos in addition to text. 

• Thank your donors publically on their social media pages or by tagging them. 

• Keep your networks updated on your progress. 

• Make sure that your tweets don’t exceed 140 characters (use the & sign, 

shorten your URL https://bitly.com/ , use contractions when possible and sub 

number for words) 

• When Tweeting, use the hash tag for your campaign #HungerAction and tag 

your company @nielsen 

• Tag @FeedingAmerica in your Tweets! 

Facebook Best Practices and Sample Posts 

• Did you know there are more than 50 million people in America facing 

hunger? I’m doing my part to help by raising funds for Feeding America. 

Donate today and help me reach my goal! 

• I’m on a mission to make a BIG impact for Feeding America! Donate today and 

help me raise big bucks to provide meals to American’s struggling with hunger. 

• Every $1 I raise will provide 3 meals for those facing hunger. Support me as 

I strive to raise $XXX. 

• I’m excited to be participating in Give A Meal Team Challenge—and I could 

use YOUR help. Please support my fundraising efforts today. 

• I’m working hard to reach my fundraising goal of XXX for Give A Meal Team 

Challenge. Donate today and help me reach my goal! 

• I’m raising funds to fight hunger! 1 in 6 people in America are food insecure. 

You can make a difference by supporting my Give A Meal Team Challenge 

fundraising! 

• With 1 in 6 people in America fighting hunger, my purpose is clear—raise 

funds to feed America’s hungry. Join me in the fight! 



• Feeding America is striving to eradicate hunger in the U.S. Support me in my 

efforts in the Give A Meal Team Challenge Today! 

• I’m raising funds for Feeding America in honor of {insert personal story}. 

Support me today! 

• My Give A Meal Team Challenge is halfway over and I’ve raised $XXX towards 

my goal. Don’t miss your chance to support my efforts! 

• Thank you to {Insert donor name} for your generous support of my fundraising 

for Feeding America. Your generous gift will help provide XX meals! 

Sample Tweets 

• I’m kicking off my fundraising efforts for @FeedingAmerica. Hunger impacts 

people in every county in America. Please support my efforts! 

• Did you know there are more than 50 million people in America facing hunger? 

I’m doing my part to help…donate today and help me reach my goal! 

• Every $1 I raise will provide 3 meals for those facing hunger. Support me as 

I strive to raise $XXX. 

• I’m excited to be participating in #HungerAction—and I could use YOUR help. 

Please contribute to my fundraising efforts. 

• I’m working hard to reach my fundraising goal of $XXX for #HungerAction. 

Donate today and help me reach my goal! 

• I’m raising funds to fight hunger! 1 in 6 people in America are food insecure. 

Please support my fundraising efforts today! 

• I’m on a mission to make a BIG impact for @FeedingAmerica! Donate today 

and help me raise big bucks to fight hunger. 

• With 1 in 6 people in America fighting hunger, my purpose is clear—raise 

funds to feed America’s hungry. Join @FeedingAmerica in the fight! 

• @Feeding America is striving to eradicate hunger in the U.S. Support me in 

my efforts in the #HungerAction Team Challenge Today! 

• I’m raising funds for @FeedingAmerica in honor of {insert personal story}. 

Support me today! 

• My #HungerAction Team Challenge is halfway over and I’ve raised $XXX 

towards my goal. Don’t miss your chance to support my efforts. 



Participant Center Team Captain Toolkit 

Top navigation tabs allow you to customize 

and send emails, check your fundraising 

progress and personalize your personal and 

team fundraising pages. 

Homepage 

Quickly import contacts! 

You can import directly 

from an excel document 

or email account. 

Use the “Email 

Team” tab to 

share important 

messages and 

updates with 

your team! 

Not sure what 

your next step 

is? This checklist 

will keep you 

on the path 

to fundraising 

success! 

Need more 

fundraising 

ideas? 

Download 

these toolkits 

to access the 

latest tips 

and tricks 

to make 

fundraising 

a breeze! 

Download this 

form and submit 

with any cash or 

check donations 

you have received. 

Remember to 

convert cash to 

checks! 

Give a Meal Team Challenge Toolkit | 1 




Email 

Click here to help you compose 

your message(s), view drafts 

and import contacts. 

Choose from one of our pre-written templates 

to make sending emails even easier! There are 

sample messages to recruit team members, 

ask for donations, follow up and thank donors! 





Personal Page 

Participants who customize their personal 

page raise more than those who don’t! 

Including your own photo and/or video is 

a great way to make your page reflect you! 

Once your page is customized, share it with 

the world! Use these social share features to 

spread the work to your social networks. 

Click on “url settings” to customize your url that 

you can share with friends and family. 





Team Page 

Click “edit” to change 

your team name. 

Once you have customized your team page, share 

it with the world! Use these social share features to 

spread the word with your social networks. 

Click on “url settings” to customize your url that you can share with friends and family. 




Matching Gifts 

Matching gifts can be a great way to double or even triple your fundraising 

dollars for the Give A Meal Team Challenge. Remember, each dollar raised 

means 3 meals to Americans struggling with hunger—so every dollar counts! 

Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match charitable 

contributions made by their employees. Your company may match your donation 

as well as donations made by your co-workers if they also apply for matching 

gifts. Some companies even match gifts made by retirees and/or spouses! 

STEP 1: Contact your Human Resources or Benefits Department to find out if 

your company has a Matching Gift Program. 

STEP 2: Learn how your company’s Matching Gift Program works. Do they 

match gifts made to health organizations? Does your company require 

a minimum donation amount? Will they match 1:1? You could turn a 

$25 donation into $50! 

STEP 3: Find out how your company wants you to submit your matching gift. 

Companies have various methods by which you can submit your 

matching gift request: online forms, automated phone systems, or a 

paper form that you submit to Feeding America when at the end of 

the program. 

STEP 4: Fill out your matching gift application and submit it to us online! 

• Write your name in the top left-hand corner and include your name, company 

and location. 

• Turn in the form at the same time you mail in or turn in your donations on 

the day your program is completed so your matching gift(s) can be easily 

tracked. 


PRINT & SEND DONATION FORM 

Please mail your tax-deductible donation with this form to: 



Attention: Philanthropy Operations Team 

35 East Wacker, Suite 2000 


Campaign Name: Give A Meal Team Challenge Nielsen FY2014 

Donor Information 

Title: _______ First Name: _________________________________ Last Name: ___________________________________ 

Address Information 

Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 

City: _______________________________________State: ___________ Zip Code: ______________________ 

Phone: _______________________ Fax: _______________________ Email: ____________________________________ 

Yes, I would like to receive online communications from Feeding America. 

Gift Amount (please check one) $1 helps provide 3 meals. 

$200 $100 $50 $25 Other Amount: ____________________ 

600 meals 300 meals 150 meals 75 meals 

Payment Options 

I have enclosed a check 

I would like to charge my contribution 

Card Type: ________________________________ Card Number: _______________________________________________ 

Card Exp (MM/YYYY): ____________________ Signature: ______________________________________________________ 

Thank you for your help 

You will receive acknowledgment for tax purposes in the mail within two to four weeks. 

©2012 Feeding America. All rights reserved. 

Feeding America is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit recognized by the IRS. 

Your donation to Feeding America benefits the Feeding America Network – the national office and local member food 

banks across the country. This donation represents a gift to our entire mission. Feeding America national office will 

distribute 65% of each donation and donor contact information to the local member food bank based upon the zip code 

entered above. Gifts are not able to be further restricted. $1 helps provide 3 meals on average throughout the Feeding 

America network of food banks. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more detailed 

information please review our privacy policy located on www.FeedingAmerica.org. 



Contact Us 

We are here to help. Please do not hesitate to contact 

Feeding America if you need: 

• Help getting started with your fundraising 

• Assistance with using the online tools 

• Anything questions about food insecurity in your local 

community. 

Send offline donation forms to: 


Attention: Philanthropy Operations Team 

35 East Wacker, Suite 2000 


Phone: 800-914-6307

Give a Meal Team Challenge Toolkit

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