Frequently Asked Questions

Registration and Participation Fundraising Website Access

Registration and Participation

1. Who can participate in the Walk? Anyone and everyone can become part of the fight against ALS by joining a local Walk to Defeat ALS^®. All Walk routes are wheelchair accessible and Walk Day activities include something for all ages! We encourage each participant to pre-register online, to avoid long lines on the day of the Walk, Saturday | September 17, 2016.

2. Is there a fee to participate? There is NO FEE to participate in the Walk to Defeat ALS^®. Walk participants contribute to local patient service programs, internationally-driven ALS research, and public policy efforts by raising donations through a variety of fundraising methods. Walk participants can raise anywhere from $100 to $100,000 dollars - the sky is the limit!

3. How do I register for the Walk? Registering for your local Walk to Defeat ALS^®is quick, easy and can be done from the comfort of your home in 3 easy steps!

The first step in joining the Walk to Defeat ALS^® is to select the Walk location you would like to join.
Next, decide: Do you want to reactivate your team from a previous year, start a new team, join a team, or walk as an individual?
Complete the appropriate Online Registration Form to become an official participant of your local Walk!

4. I just made a donation to the Walk. Does that mean I'm registered as a Walker? Nope! Registering for the Walk and donating are two separate processes. If you just wish to donate and not register as a walker, search for a Walker to support. If you wish to register as a walker, you may do that here (and you can also make a donation in the process).Remember, only registered Walkers are eligible to receive an official Walk to Defeat ALS^® t-shirt.

5. What is a Walk Team? Your Walk Team can be 2-200 people and includes anyone and everyone who wants to join in the effort to raise money in the fight against Lou Gehrig's Disease. Family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, children, and adults can create or join Walk Teams. Walk Teams and their fundraising efforts drive the success of a Walk. More team walkers means an increased opportunity for fundraising and increased awareness of ALS.

There are three primary types of Walk Teams:

Family and Friends Walk Teams: A Family Walk Team is typically created by family members and friends whose lives have been personally touched by ALS. Family Teams usually rally around a loved one who is currently living with ALS, or has passed away from the disease.
Corporate Walk Teams: A Corporate Walk Team is created when a company wants to support The ALS Association’s mission and the Walk. These teams are generally made up of coworkers and their family and friends. Corporate Teams may or may not have a personal connection to ALS but they are all dedicated to improving the lives of those touched by the disease.
Other Walk Teams: If you are not forming a Family and Friends or Corporate Walk Team, as described above, your Walk team might fall under the "Other" heading. "Other" Walk Teams include school teams, fraternity/sorority teams, church team - any type of team that would like to join the fight against ALS.

6. What is a Team Captain? A Team Captain is the lead organizer and motivator for a Walk to Defeat ALS^®Team. Team Captains are responsible for recruiting people to join their Walk Team, naming their team, setting a team fundraising goal, and continually communicating with and encouraging team members to fundraise prior to and even after Walk Day. Team Captains are The ALS Association’s primary contact and liaison to the Walk Team; he/she will receive ongoing information and updates from our office during the months leading to Walk Day. Each Walk Team must have at least one Team Captain.

7. What is a Team Walker? Do you know someone who has started a Walk to Defeat ALS ® team? Registering to be a Team Walker is an easy and fun way to get involved and help support The ALS Association! When you sign up for Walk online, join a team by selecting your team’s name from the menu and complete the registration process. Then, set up your own personal online fundraising page and use your Participant Center to help raise support and awareness online! Using your participant center, you can create and send emails to family and friends asking them to join you on Walk Day or to help you reach your team’s fundraising goal by donating online. Get creative and help defeat ALS! Each registered Walker also gets access to great Walker Tools, too, like a Facebook fundraising tool and the ALS Walk mobile app for your iPhone/iPad or Android device.

8. What is an Individual Walker? Even if you are not affiliated with a Walk Team, anyone can attend the Walk to Defeat ALS ®. All you have to do is register as an “Individual Walker” and join us on Walk Day. Up the ante by creating an online fundraising page and using your “Walk Participant Center” to help raise money and awareness online. Using your participant center, you can create and send emails to family and friends asking them to help you reach your fundraising goal by donating online. Who knows? Once you let you network know that you are walking to defeat ALS, maybe they will decide to join you! Each registered Walker also gets access to great Walker Tools, too, like a Facebook fundraising tool and the ALS Walk mobile app for your iPhone/iPad or Android device.

9. What is a Virtual Walker*? Unable to attend the Walk to Defeat ALS ® this year? Live too far away to make it but still want to make a difference in the battle against ALS?! Become a “Virtual Walker!” Simply register online like you would if you were attending, but choose the Virtual Walker option. Then, create your online fundraising page and use your “Walk Participant Center” to ask your network of friends and family to support your efforts. The donations you receive make a huge impact in the fight against ALS and help spread awareness for our important cause. Virtual Walkers can be Team Captains, Team Members, or Individual Walkers. Each registered Walker also gets access to great Walker Tools, too, like a Facebook fundraising tool and the ALS Walk mobile app for your iPhone/iPad or Android device. * Special Note: Becoming a Virtual Walker is a great option for those who want to fundraise, but do not live close to their preferred Walk location or cannot attend Walk Day.

10. Can I register my whole team at once online? Each Walker must sign a waiver of liability during the registration process, so we ask that each person over the age of 18 registers him or herself online. If you are the Team Captain, you can provide potential Team Members with a link to your Team Page and encourage them to join via the Join Team link.

11. Can I register members of my family at once online? During the registration process, many of our Walks allow you to register additional members of your household in one registration process. Because each Walker must sign a waiver of liability, this feature is only intended for the use of registering minors by a legal parent or guardian.

Fundraising

1. What is the best way to raise money toward my Walk goal? There isn't just one right way to raise money - everyone is different, but one of the most effective (and easiest) ways to raise money for the Walk to Defeat ALS^® is to launch an email campaign or letter-writing campaign. Walkers who reach out in this method typically raise 5 to 10 times more money than participants using other methods of collecting donations. In Participant Center, we have a bunch of great, pre-written email templates for you to choose from and customize.

2. Where/when should Walk donations be submitted? As you begin collecting Walk donations, we encourage you to send all contributions to The ALS Association USA Chapter office prior to the Walk.

Here are some options for submitting donations:

Encourage online donations! Online donations are made directly to your personal Walk web page and are instantly attributed to your goal. If you're a part of a team, your collected donations will automatically add to the Walk Team fundraising goal. No additional steps are necessary.
Bring all your donations to the Registration Area on Walk Day. As a participant of the Walk to Defeat ALS^®, you will receive several Walk Collection Envelopes that enable you to hold and track donations you receive in person. Simply collect contributions from friends and family members, record their names, contact information, and donation amounts on the Walk Collection Envelope and submit the envelope of donations on Walk Day.
You can mail your donations to our office at any time. Remember, do not mail cash!
The ALS Association Chicago Office
1234 Best City Street
Rooftop Deck
Chicago, IL 60611,

3. Do you have any tools to help me raise money? Absolutely. In fact, we have a whole page of great Walker Tools ranging from printable pledge sheets and thermometers to great online tools, like a Facebook fundraising tool and the ALS Association mobile app for your iPhone/iPad or Android device. These tools are available to registered Walkers only.

4. Someone who donated to my Walk page wants an official Walk to Defeat ALS^® shirt. How can they get it? Walk t-shirts are for registered participants only, so share with your donor how they can register to join your team! Additionally. each Walk has different requirements for fundraising minimums, so please check our Participant Announcements page for those details. Team Captains are encouraged to share these requirements with team members whose donors who want a shirt, so they can be added to the team as Fundraising Walkers and earn a shirt!

5. What if someone prefers to make a donation by check, rather than online? We accept many forms of payment for the Walk to Defeat ALS. Each Walker's personal page has a link to a printable mail-in donation form, complete with our chapter address! If you are mailing in a donation without the printable form, please reference the Walker's name and our Walk location, the Antarctica Walk and mail to:
The ALS Association : Chicago Office
1234 Best City Street
Rooftop Deck
Chicago, IL 60611,

Website Access and Questions

11. I forgot my username and/or password. Your username and password are case sensitive. Request an e-mail with your username and password.

12. How do I change my username and/or password? First, log in to the site using your username and password. Once logged in you will see a link at the top of the page called "Update My Profile". Once in your profile, you will be able to update your contact information, e-mail address, preferences, username and password. All changes will be made to your account immediately. There is no need to sign in again.

13. I'm having problems accessing Participant Center in Internet Explorer/Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox. We are so sorry that you're experiencing difficulties. The first thing to try is clearing your cache and cookies. If that doesn't work, maybe try using a different browser temporarily. In our experience, Firefox is the most reliable browser for navigating our website.

14. Is my personal information secure? Blackbaud, the company that powers The ALS Association’s online walk system, makes every effort to protect your personal contact and credit card information. They use industry-standard SSL encryption techniques to make sure your credit card information, passwords, and personal information travel securely over the Internet. Blackbaud has also installed an encryption engine on our database server so your data is securely stored within our offices as well.

15. How are credit card transactions handled? Credit card information is not stored in our database. During the donation process, we send an individual’s credit card information to an online processing terminal using a secure connection. The information passed back is an approval or denial for the credit card donation.

16. Other questions? If your question was not answered above, please contact us.