Responsibilities of a Table Captain:

• Share your passion for the PEPS mission and vision and your understanding of how support from the wider community is critical to sustain PEPS programs and services
• Reach out and invite your network(s) to join you for our Birthday Bash, May 9! 
• Enjoy the Luncheon — welcome guests and have fun hosting your table!
• Thank & follow-up with guests & invitees 

Table Captains Do NOT:

• Sell tickets. There is no cost to come to the event. 
• Directly ask for money. PEPS will do the fundraising ask!
• Sign guests up for childcare — you can let guests know about childcare, but it’s their responsibility to sign up. 

Getting started

Put together a list of people you’d like to invite. This is a fundraising event, so think about who may be interested in making a financial contribution to support the work that PEPS does.

Think of all your circles — your PEPS Group, PEPS Groups you have led, family, neighbors, co-workers, clients, colleagues,  parents of your kids' friends, members of your neighborhood parenting group or pre-school co-op/ daycare.

♦ TOOL: Use our Guest Invitation and Tracking Worksheet to brainstorm and track your guest list. 
♦ TIP: If you were in or led a PEPS Group, but have lost touch with one or more members, we can provide contact information to help you reconnect — a great way to build your table! Contact benefit@peps.org for help.

Next — start sending out invitations! Remember that most people need more than one reminder. Use our templates as a starting place, then personalize. Share your PEPS story and the reason why you choose to support PEPS financially. 

Call, text, message, email, create an event on Facebook, or use Evite or other tools — try a combination of ways to invite your friends and stay connected to those guests who commit to joining you at the event.

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How to register your guests

Table captains are responsible for registering their guests. As guests RSVP with you, please register them online. There are no tickets or costs, but pre-registration is required. This helps us plan the event and send communications with event details directly to your guests. Our first guest communication from PEPS will be sent out the week of April 10. We kindly ask that you register your guests as soon as you can, and by 4/4/23.

1. Open an incognito or InPrivate browser session, if possible.   Click here to access our online registration form [https://web.clickdimensions.com/cn/akpxr/2023CommunityBenefit].

2. Fill out each info field in the form. If you don’t know your guests' email/phone/home address, type in “don’t know”.
3. Enter your name in the field: 'If you were invited by a table captain, please enter their name here'; then click on 'I am not a robot' and 'submit'.
4. Submit a registration for EACH guest by repeating this process.
5. Keep your invitee list on your computer or fridge to track who you’ve registered and when.
6. If you need to remove a guest from your table, please email benefit@peps.org with the name of that guest.
7. Closer to the event, PEPS will check in with you to confirm your guest list.

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Timeline and Step by Step Guide

Prior to event

• Register as a Table Captain by emailing Magill, magilldl@peps.org
  
• Commit to filling a full table (10-12 guests) or half table (5-6 guests) & let PEPS know 
• Attend the Table Captain Kick-Off on Tuesday, 2/7/23, noon-1:30, for an in-person lunch at the PEPS Gathering Space, Good Shephard Center
• Bring your questions and ideas to a virtual Table Captain Check-In on Zoom:
  3/10, 10-11am | 4/4, 9-10am & 1-2pm |4/26, 9-10am
• Invite friends, co-workers, family, your PEPS Group, people who invited you to their fundraising events… 
  • Share why supporting PEPS is important to you — the PEPS Birthday Bash is a fundraising event! 
  • Be persistent and don’t take ‘no’ personally 
• Use the tools and templates PEPS provides 
  • Read the emails
  • Be in touch and ask questions or share challenges and successes!
• Register guests online (one by one) by 4/4/23 
• Follow-up regularly to encourage your guests to attend

Day-of

• Arrive at 10:45 am or earlier to get table captain package & find your table
• Enjoy the Social Hour: Browse our sponsor booths, sip a mimosa or a coffee, participate in the door prize drawing, have your picture taken with your guests
• Welcome your own guests and, if applicable, all guests seated with you 
• Support guests answering their questions 
• Enjoy lunch and our program
• Pass around Giving Cards and pens when prompted by the emcee.
  Give a personally meaningful gift yourself
  Remind guests to have their gifts matched through their/their spouse's employer
• Collect all Giving Cards into the Table Captain packet envelope.
• Hand Table Captain Envelope with all Giving Cards, checks, matching gift forms to a staff member when they come around to you. DO NOT Leave your table | DO NOT take the cards with you.
• Post pictures on social media during the event with the donation link, and encourage your network to join you in supporting PEPS

After the event

• Thank guests personally. Let them know it was meaningful to you that they attended and gave!
• Encourage gifts in lieu of attendance for those who couldn't attend.

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Templates

Sample Save The Date Email

Greetings!

I know this is early and I also know how fast spring calendars can fill up.

That’s why I wanted to send you a quick note as early as possible asking you to Save the Date for the PEPS Birthday Bash: Celebrating 40 years of community and connection! Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 11 am – 1 pm. The Luncheon will be held in the Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion and I will be hosting a table. I would love for you to join me!

I will send more details in March, but if you already know that you can/will join me, send me a quick email so that I can put you on my list. And if you know anyone else I should invite, please let me know.

Sample Guest Invitation - email

Hi ___,

I have an invitation and an opportunity for you – I hope you’ll be able to join me!

Right after ___ was born I felt like we were isolated from friends without babies – and we didn’t have friends nearby with babies! PEPS was the solution – our group became a new community and an incredible support system. 

We both know the importance of community, and that non-profits like PEPS and their partners can’t expand their reach without generous donations. I felt it was important to help PEPS expand their reach which is why I am gathering a table at their spring Benefit Luncheon [https://www.peps.org/give/PEPS-benefit-event]!

Will you consider joining me at the "PEPS Birthday Bash: Celebrating 40 years of Community and Connection" on Tuesday, May 9, 11:00-1:00 at Fisher Pavilion by the Space Needle? 

This is a fun and inspiring event and I’d love to see you! PEPS is growing to support multiple stages of parenting, and this is a great opportunity to learn more – I think you’ll be excited about their work. 

There is no cost to me or to any guest, but everyone will be asked to make a donation during the program – it is the largest fundraiser for PEPS. Gifts of $400 to $2,500 and Sustainer Circle commitments ($1,500+/yr for 3 yrs) will be matched up to a total of $50,000 thanks to generous friends of PEPS. Gifts can be made in monthly installments. My personal goal is to raise $xxx at my table in support of PEPS.

Let me know if you can make it so that I can get you registered! 

PS: Check out this fun video featuring a Seattle rockstar! He loves PEPS too.  https://youtu.be/sLY4Gr1SQaY!

TIP: PEPS will send out regular emails to our community about the PEPS Birthday Bash. When you receive these emails, you can just forward them to your prospective guests with a little note 'Hey, did you see this email from PEPS about the upcoming event? I love the fact that...../ I look forward to... learning more about what PEPS is up to/..... - Join me...'

SAMPLE GUEST INVITATION - text

Template 1: May 9 is the PEPS Luncheon - let's all go together! I have a table reserved and want to to join me :) Let me know and I'll register you.

Template 2: [link to this video: https://youtu.be/sLY4Gr1SQaY] Rockstars love PEPS too. Enjoy this video and let me know if you are in!

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Sample Guest Reminder(s)

Even though PEPS will email a confirmation to all of your registered guests, we recommend that you keep in contact with your guests up until the Birthday Bash on May 9. Read, edit and use any of the suggested text.

1st day of Spring – March 20 - Reminder:

Happy spring! It’s the first day of spring and it’s finally/barely/thankfully warming and lightening up a bit. The PEPS Birthday Bash is still 7 weeks away but I wanted to send a quick reminder to make sure it’s on your calendar: Tuesday, May 9, 11:00-1:00, at Fisher Pavilion. Thank you so much for committing to join me – I can’t wait to see you and be inspired by PEPS. I love supporting this great local organization.

3 weeks out – April 18 - Reminder:

I hope and your family had a nice Spring Break – did you leave town? / other opening question, perhaps a PEPS connection…

Again, thank you for committing to join me for the PEPS Birthday Bash on May 9 - three weeks from today! See you there my friend!

1 Week Before - Email:

Hi, I can’t wait to see you next Tuesday, May 9, at the PEPS Birthday Bash! You should have received the guest confirmation from PEPS with important information for parking…/

After two years of cancelations and virtual gathering, this fundraising event for PEPS is going to be full of energy and inspiration! It is incredible what PEPS has accomplished through COVID – I think you’ll be impressed, and I hope inspired to further their work with a generous gift😊.

My personal goal is to raise $XXX at my table – I think this is a stretch, but I’d love to exceed that to serve even more families with these incredible programs. Each luncheon gift  of $400 to $2,500 and Sustainer Circle commitments ($1,500+/yr for 3 yrs) will be matched up to a total of $50,000 thanks to generous friends of PEPS. If you have a company or employer match for charitable contributions, please submit your company’s matching form! That way, a gift of say $400 can turn into a $800 or $1,200 gift!

Please don’t hesitate to call me with any questions. Thanks! 

PS: If for some reason, you cannot join me next week, please let me know! You can still make a donation to further the work of PEPS. Simply click on this link https://secure.givelively.org/donate/program-for-early-parent-support/2023-peps-birthday-bash  to make your online donation or send a check to PEPS, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103.

1 Week Before – May 2 -  Phone or text:

Hi! Just wanted to share how excited I am to see you at the PEPS Birthday Bash next Tuesday, May 9. Thank you so much for committing to join me — it means a lot to me!

1 Day Before – Monday May 8:

Hi all — Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at the PEPS Birthday Bash! I wanted to quickly share who will be at our table because you each mean so much to me and one of the exciting parts of this event is that I get to introduce you to each other!

Jenny – my incredible college friend turned small business owner… 
Amir – we worked together at…

Please come early (doors open at 11 am) to meet each other, sip some mimosas or coffee before lunch and to take some pictures. And bring your generous giving spirit 😊. 

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