“Out of the Boat” a Program for Team Development off Water
Tuesday evening, November 3rd marked the occasion of the first U.S. breast cancer paddling community zoom presentation known as “Out of the Boat”, with the first topic of discussion being team fundraising strategies. The program was successfully attended by 51 breast cancer team representatives from all four regions of the United States. Annette Johnson, IBCPC Board member and Western/Pacific states regional representative and Elizabeth Anderson, IBCPC Midwestern states regional representative coordinated the gathering of eight presenters describing and illustrating how our breast cancer paddling teams successfully handle fundraising.
Presenters in the hour-long session came from all four regions of the U.S. and it quickly became clear that the information shared was applicable to all parts of our country as successful fundraising strategies can benefit all teams. Ideas for raising funds ranged from net $3500 for online popcorn sales to $80,000 for annual upscale dinner galas. The use of QR Codes was described in a variety of creative methods and ways to motivate team members to participate were discussed. The strategies mentioned were team tested and very creative, even including a Sip and Support strategy that yielded team-branded beer and wine.
The zoom discussion was recorded and methods are now in progress to have the session made shareable. Additionally, an online fundraising binder is being created for easy reference. “Out of the Boat” presentations are planned to become regular features for our U.S. breast cancer teams on Zoom, addressing topics such as team recruitment, retention, and off-season training. We were delighted to be able to meet face to face and share strategies to help all our teams grow and develop.
Betty Solley, IBCPC U.S. National Coordinator
IBCPC U.S. Regional Representatives:
-Linda Dyer, Eastern Region
-JoAnn Moore, Southern Region
-Annette Johnson, Western-Pacific Region
-Elizabeth Anderson, Midwestern Region
