Section 10 – Day of Event Logistics
WALK DAY!
The larger your Walk for PKD becomes, the more elements there are to manage on
the day of the event. Registration/check-in is always hectic – whether you have 50
walkers or more than 500! There may be multiple vendors or business partners
arriving on Walk day with things like ice, water, refreshments, etc. Hopefully media
will be in attendance or VIP’s like business partners or top donors. And there are
always a million details to take care of, like hanging signs, displaying business
partner banners, handing out T-shirts, and taking care of refreshments. The more
prepared you are for these details, the smoother and more enjoyable the day will be.
The better team of informed, prepared committee members you have on board, the
less crazed you will be as coordinator! The key is to plan ahead and communicate
well!
The information found in this section will help you know what to expect, aid you in
setting priorities and assist you in planning for the details. The materials/samples at
the end of this section will be a great resource to you and help reduce the workload.
They will also help you track the details. This step is vital! The logistics of Walk day
are one thing that can get exponentially easier each year, IF you keep great records
and train volunteers well.
The key to a smooth Walk day is communicate, communicate, communicate!
 Utilize the Day of Event Binder to gather all the day-of-event details in
one easy-to-carry notebook. (You can re-use the same “shell” provided to
your walk last year or ask your walk manager for a new one.)
 Share all the details with your committee. Put as much of this in writing as
you can, so they have a quick reference on Walk day.
 Hold your final committee meeting at the Walk site and do a “run through” of
where bathrooms are, where signs are to be hung, where vendors set up, how
registration is to be set up, etc. Then you are not the only one with answers
on Walk day.
 Consider dressing committee members in bright, color-coded garb so they
can be found in the crowd. Not all volunteers, but those who have many of
the answers or know exactly where to direct the question! –Let other
volunteers know that the people in the bright green hats (for example) are the
ones who can help, not just you.
If you can put all these things into practice, and use the tools provided at the end of
this section, you will have a smooth event, a much more enjoyable experience and
leave with your hair still on your head, not in your fists!
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VOLUNTEER TEAM STRUCTURE
The structure of your volunteer team will be different on Walk day than it will be
through out the planning process. Use this sample as a guide to structure your team.
You should consider creating your own chart to help volunteers see who they should
go to for help.
The below diagram is just a guide for you to see how the structure of your volunteer
team should be on Walk day. Depending on the number of volunteers and size of
your Walk, your groups may be different than the ones listed below. A single
volunteer may fill multiple roles. Work with your planning committee to make a
Walk-day flow chart that works for you and your team.
WALK COORDINATOR
FLAIR/
WALKER
START LINE
PROGRAM
REGISTRATION
WALK
ROUTE
Walkup
Pre-reg
MEDIA &
PR
EXPERIENCE
V
V
CHILDREN’S
PROGRAM
TEAMS
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
V
Music
V
V
V
Food
V
V
V
V
RECRUITING VOLUNTEERS
Remember that most things that happen on Walk day - from set up, to clean up happen because volunteers are there to make them happen. For some activities (e.g.
route set up, placing signs, cheering at the finish line) high school kids or scouting
groups might be the way to go. For registration and anything to do with money you
will want to make sure that you have responsible adults age 18 or older.
There is a whole host of information concerning the Volunteer Liaison position and
volunteer recruitment tips and tactics in the committee development section of the
manual:
 How to recruit volunteers
 Where to find volunteers and post volunteer listings
 How to use www.volunteermatch.org – The PKD Foundation is a member
and individual Walks need not pay the fee as you are covered under our
membership!
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SETTING UP
First, you should do your best to get a good night’s sleep the night before. Make
sure you have packed all of your supplies and picked up all the stuff you need in
advance. Make sure you have copies of all of your spreadsheets, day of event maps,
emergency contact numbers for all vendors, hospital information, volunteer contact
info, site maps, and everything else you can think of packed and ready to go!
VOLUNTEER ARRIVAL TIMES
You and your volunteers should arrive a minimum of two hours before registration
opens to set up your Walk (more if you have few volunteers and lots of tables and
chairs) and to conduct a training session for your registration volunteers. All signs
and banners need to be hung. Sponsors that have a booth or exhibit should be there
and ready to go at least 30 minutes before registration opens. Radio stations or other
entertainment should be setting up at that time as well. Be sure to send someone
along the route 30 minutes prior to the start to make sure the route is clearly marked,
beginning with the start/finish line and on through the entire route. They should also
ensure all fact signs and water stops are set up. Make sure your photographer is
there 30 minutes early to capture all events including set up and especially the start
of the Walk. (This is the best photo opp.)
If your Walk is larger and begins early in the morning, you might consider setting up
the night before, however, don’t forget to consider what you’ll do for security.
REGISTRATION SET UP
 Try to make registration a “user friendly” process by setting it up so that the
participants come up to the table, turn in their money, and pick up their T-shirts
all at one time. Take traffic flow into consideration at all points in the set-up.
 Put blank registration forms/waivers on work tables and have people fill them out
before they get into the registration line.
 Set T-shirts and other prizes up on tables behind the registration tables, in order
by size so they are easy to grab.
 Have registration volunteers work in pairs – one taking their money and the other
getting their T-shirts and other incentive prizes.
 Assign a minimum of two volunteers to calculate totals from the sealed
envelopes. No one person should ever be left alone with money, for obvious
security reasons. Ideally, a security officer would be present during registration
and money processing as well. Remember, do not open the envelopes!
 All Walks should announce the preliminary total raised on Walk day. Make sure
you have a report of any online funds to add to the amount listed on the outside
of the remittance envelopes.
 Have refreshments, balloons, the Penny Kids Dash, and other activities closer to
the stage or podium where the start line ceremony will be to build your audience.
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 Have a Volunteer Check-In area where volunteers sign in and get name tags.
Utilize the volunteer button you can order with your supplies to denote
volunteers and serve as a name tag, so you don’t have to yell “hey you!”
 Keep your face painting, refreshments, balloons, and “walking for” stickers near
registration, but far enough away to prevent “bottlenecks” in your registration
line. Spacing of activities is very important, you want to keep it close enough for
participants to feel like they are part of a big event, but you don’t want them so
close they don’t have room to move!
Stock and equip registration tables with the following supplies:
 Contribution Remittance Envelopes (to be supplied)
 Pre-registered/check-in lists
 Blank general waiver release for new registrants (RR)
 Pens and markers, stapler, paper clips, rubber bands and/or binder clips
 Calculators or adding machines
 Bank boxes for envelopes with donations
WALK ROUTE SET UP
Volunteers who set up the Walk route should consider the following:
 The fastest way to set up a route is to be mobile. Look into a golf cart on loan, or
a gator. Depending on your route, a well packed pick up truck works too.
 The route should be clean and accessible for strollers and wheelchairs. If its not,
have an alternate route or detour and mark it well.
 Set up at least one water stop along the route. At a minimum, routes should be 2
miles and walkers need a rest about every 1 to 1.5 miles. You could also consider
the addition of a longer loop of about 3-5 miles.
 Make sure to have some way to collect trash along the route and at water stops.
 As soon as the last walkers begin to walk, have your route clean up volunteers
follow along behind to pick up any signs and trash. If there is trash that may or
may not be from your walkers, have the volunteers pick it up anyway.
 Never pick up signs and supplies before a walker! You don’t want a walker to
feel rushed or like they are “keeping you.” So make sure volunteers closing down
the route give the last walker the same great experience as the first and save
clean-up until the walker has moved on.
 The best routes start and end in the same place without having to “turn around.”
A continuous loop is ideal, but a turn around is ok. For an event of this scope, a
route with a separate start and finish site is strongly discouraged!
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SIGNAGE
The placement of your signs is very important. For registration, if you have the
capability, hang all signs above or directly behind your tables. If signs are hung on
table fronts, they cannot be seen once a line forms. Good signage will really cut
down on the questions on Walk morning!
In addition to business partner banners, the following is a list of signs that you may
need for the rest your start/finish area.
 New Walker registration/information
 Walker check-in
 Business partner signs/banners
 Parking signs
 Directing to restrooms, water, etc.
 Team recognition & Visionary signs
 Pathway to a Cure – if you are still using the pinwheels
 Mission Message Signs (provided by PKD)
Signage on the route is important; it serves two purposes: 1) It let’s your walkers
know where to go and generally keeps them connected to the event while out
walking, and 2) it tells the rest of the general public walking, riding or driving by
that an event is going on. Hopefully they notice who and what it is for as well,
building stronger awareness in your community for PKD! Some route signage to
consider:
 Directional arrows or signs (available with you materials order)
 Signs with info about PKD (use the Mission Message signs for this
purpose!)
 Thank you signs to business partners (can be sold!)
 Recognition signs for teams/top fundraisers
REFRESHMENTS
Free food and drinks always draw people! We LOVE to eat! In keeping with a
healthy lifestyle theme, you should consider that some of your attendees may be on
very restricted diets, so offer things that might be okay for a PKD patient. Be sure to
have water and depending on the time of day, coffee, soda, juice, etc. Make sure to
bring bagels or donuts and coffee early for volunteers who are helping with set up
and registration!
Securing these items is the work of the In-Kind committee or volunteer. One of the
most essential – and easiest – items to get is bottled water. So many companies have
logo’d water bottles now, and simply donating them to you is a great marketing
opportunity and tax write off! Sometimes food donations can add to the flair of the
event as well – a popcorn machine, a cotton candy maker, etc. are all festive as well
as a snack. Have fun with it!
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SET THE STAGE
PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM
You will need some type of amplification system at your start/finish area. Resources
for this include: a sponsoring radio station, a local music store may donate a sound
system, a DJ may volunteer their time and equipment, a local A/V store can rent or,
better yet, loan you a good sound system. Whatever you are using, be sure it will be
there for the entirety of the event. You would not want them to leave while your
participants were busy walking and then not have a way to communicate post event
announcements and thank you’s!
Plan for fun music for before and after your start line ceremony. Music enhances the
mood of anything! Choose your music wisely to set a fun and festive mood. You will
also want to make sure you have music playing as walkers come back, to celebrate
their accomplishment and keep them having fun until they get in their car! You will
also need to have a working microphone for announcements. Not all systems are
equipped with this, so be sure and ask.
ENTERTAINMENT
Many times, when you secure a radio station as a partner, they will provide music at
your event free of charge. If not, you should secure a good sound system to play
CD’s, ask a local band or group to sing, or recruit a DJ to donate their services.
Make sure whatever sound system you secure, there is a microphone and speakers
that can be used for announcements/the start line ceremony. Often, radio stations do
not have this capability, so be sure and ask in advance and plan accordingly if this is
the case. Music is the one thing that can instantly jazz up an event!
Look into clown groups, theatre organizations and local sports mascots to attend and
work the crowd. Having face painters or temporary tattoos is a great way to entertain
kids.
Do you have a Children’s Museum in your town? How about a huge day care or
FunPlex that may have fun activities to bring for kids? Can they coordinate a quick
craft project or activity for kids? Encourage them to send the volunteers and let them
hang their banner behind the table or under the tent!
All of this and more should be handled by the Festivity & Flair committee or
volunteer! Refer to the committee development section of the manual for more
information and a job description for this important position! It is the great
experience people have day-of-event that will keep them coming back year after
year. Always leave ‘em smiling!
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PENNY KIDS DASH
The Penny Kids Dash is a great way to kids involved in the Walk and fundraising.
The dash should be a short distance near the stage, if possible, and should be roped
off. Be creative - have a sign for them to run through, have cheerleaders, split the
big kids from the young ones and make them do a harder task (i.e. walk with a
kidney bean in a spool), etc. Work with your Walk Manger to create a dash that
works best for your Walk.
New in 2010 – Every child (12 and under) running the dash and participating in
fundraising, in any amount, will receive a Penny Kids Dash t-shirt.
STAGE ACTIVITIES/ANNOUNCEMENTS
Put together a “day of event agenda” with times that activities and announcements
begin. Be sure to start on time! If registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and the Walk
doesn’t start until 10:00 a.m., be sure to have all your business partner thank yous
and other announcements begin at 9:30 a.m. or 9:45 a.m. A good start line program
or ceremony is tightly scripted, starts and ends on time, tells a compelling story and
is keenly focused on the mission. It is also short – ideally no more than 10 min. from
start to end.
The start line program template will be distributed in August so you have plenty of
time to customize it and make it work for you and your local event.
If you have a stretch or warm up, do this immediately before beginning the start line
program/ceremony. You can plan on making additional important announcements
and business partner thank yous after the official start line ceremony/program has
ended and walkers are on their way, so that anyone who may have still been at
registration or starting late will have the benefit of hearing, too!
AWARDS
Awards are fun to give! When you are planning for the prizes you want to have, you
can do this many ways. Our goal is to raise money, so prizes should be awarded to
the top fundraisers – individuals and teams. You can also add awards that make it
fun and are easy to announce on Walk day; like best team T-shirt, best team banner
or sign, best team name, etc. have a plan for how to determine who gets which
prizes, so on Walk day you don’t have to scramble too much to figure it out!
You can always announce who is “in the running” for a current year prize and let
everyone know you are still tabulating when an award is based on fundraising
amounts. To recognize people and teams on Walk day, you can always announce
their totals from last year, thank them for their loyalty in returning and say how
excited you all will be to get their new totals!
If you are unable to tabulate top fundraiser and top team awards that morning - and
many of you will not be able to – that is okay. Announce what you can, celebrate
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what you do know (be it current info or last year info) and promise new results soon
(delivered via follow-up email to all walkers.)
Never announce a winner unless you are sure you are right! You do not want to miss
someone or “take back” top honors if someone comes in late with the best results!
REMEMBER – We have a national fundraising incentive program for all walkers
who raise $100 or more ($100 earns a T-shirt, $200+ earns additional prizes.) It is
easy to facilitate on Walk day and is very cost effective. So, no need to recruit
additional prizes. Simply plan on those that will enhance the Walk day experience
and further promote teams and top fundraiser activities.
Let the program we already have in place work for you!!!
PHOTOGRAPHY
Be sure and find someone who will photograph your event on Walk day! Not only is
it fun to share the photos with your volunteers, participants, teams and the PKD
Foundation, photographs remind business partners of what they received in exchange
for their donation, and have documented evidence that it was a great event to support
– making it more likely for them to return from year to year.
One great benefit to give teams is a free team photo. A simple dry erase board to
hold up with the team name on it can serve as an identifier for the picture. You can
then make the pictures available electronically, for free, post event. Team captains
LOVE this benefit! If you have a fair amount of teams, secure a second photographer
for other photos as the team photographer will be busy all morning and miss many
other great photo opportunities.
Here is a list of items, in addition to the candid shots:
 Set up activities (volunteers at work)
 Volunteers in action
 Registration activities
 Each tent/booth
 Sponsor banners
 Many different views from near and far of the entire event
 Penny Kids Dash
 Start/Finish line ceremony, including warm up
 Walkers leaving as the Walk begins
 The EMCEE on stage
 Finish line activities
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 Any and all VIPs who speak (part of the opening ceremony)
 Team photos
Please send a CD of all photos to:
PKD Foundation
Attn: Walk for PKD
8330 Ward Parkway, Suite 510
Kansas City, MO 64114
We will post the photo gallery online on your Walk GEO page.
THE WALK
WARM UP
A stretch/warm up is a great way to get your Walk started. Start your warm up about
5 minutes before you begin your start line ceremony, which should be about 10
minutes long. So the whole thing should be about a 15 minutes. An aerobics
instructor or fitness person from a gym (Jazzercise or Curves are great!) or your local
hospital would be great for this. The warm up should just be some simple stretches
set to energizing music to get their blood flowing. It will also rally people to the start
line area, building a bigger audience for the ceremony.
START
The start of a Walk for PKD is the one time, all year long, all across the globe, that
thousands of people are assembled and we have an opportunity to address them! The
start line, collectively, is the most powerful moment all year long for those with
PKD! We need to make the most of this opportunity and put forth a strong,
compelling, consistent message. That is why we have written the Walk for PKD Start
Line Program to help you frame out the best program possible.
The Start Line Program we have provided is finely crafted to put forth key PKD
initiatives, it is compelling, it promotes the mission of the PKD Foundation, and it
encourages further involvement in our cause. But it is written by one person in
language that resonates for her. You must make it your own. It has room for you to
customize and localize the message, giving your Walk its own local flavor. The full
program, with all the added local speakers, is no longer than a half hour. We
recommend a start line program be no longer than 10-15 minutes in length, so edit
appropriately. And remember to plan ahead so you can start on time!
Make sure the start line is clearly marked; use banners or balloon arches/columns.
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Use a PA system so that you have amplified sound. It is important to address the
crowd and no one wants to be yelled at.
Music sets the mood, so plan for it! Some thing as simple as a small, portable CD
player plugged into a good set of speakers will do. Make sure you have good music
with a wide appeal.
FINISH
Your finish line should be a joyous occasion! Each walker should feel a sense of
accomplishment when they cross it. Make sure the finish line of your Walk is
clearly marked. Ideally, walkers will circle right back to the start line, so it is already
set up!
Have people cheering or welcoming them across the finish line. Some ideas include:
cheerleaders from a local school, people with PKD, or others. Arm them with
noisemakers and bubbles, anything to create a celebration.
The finish line is a great place to hand out the Next Steps newsletter! Another way to
add excitement is to have massage therapists, clowns, bands, local celebrities, magic
acts, etc. This is a job for the Festivities and Flair committee or volunteer. Put them
in charge and get out of their way! Having one person dedicated to this activity
ensures it doesn’t fall to the wayside.
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WHAT IF YOU EXPERIENCE…
INCLEMENT WEATHER
There is always the possibility (although we don’t like to think about it) of rain on
event day. In case of inclement weather you need to have a contingency plan,
because as the registration brochure states we “Walk rain or shine!” If there are
weather conditions looming around your event be sure to announce to the local
media that you will still be walking.
This does not, however, apply to flooding, lightening, tornadoes, hurricanes or other
severe weather! If there is severe weather, please do not jeopardize your safety or
the safety of your walkers.
Want to “weather proof” your event? The more we encourage on-line
registration and fundraising, the better. This way, if your event is canceled due
to severe weather we already have the donations in the bank!
MEDICAL OR OTHER EMERGENCIES
Assign one volunteer (or more, depending on your Walk size) to be in charge of first
aid. Ideally, this is a licensed and trained medical volunteer (nurse, EMT, doctor,
paramedic). If one is not available find a responsible party and equip them with a
first aid kit. If you have a medical volunteer see if they can bring the kit with them.
If not, you can get first aid kits donated by the Red Cross, a local pharmacy or
hospital.
Make sure you have the directions to a local hospital and dialysis center available for
your volunteer, and handy to all key committee members. Make sure the person(s)
in charge has a cell phone at their disposal in case of emergency.
If you have an emergency at your site fill out the Incident/ Injury Report and
send it in to the PKD Foundation immediately after your Walk. Three-part
Incident/Injury forms are available, and you will receive a handful from the
Foundation. If you have an emergency on Walk day, first call 911 and handle the
immediate needs. Have eye-witnesses record, in writing, their details of the incident.
See your red Walk for PKD Emergency Procedures card for specific
instructions on how to handle emergencies. This will be sent to you with
your final box of day-of-event supplies.
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EQUIPMENT YOU WILL NEED
While it is understandable that there will be expenses associated with holding a Walk
for PKD, you and your committee should get as many of these items donated as
possible to keep those costs down.
Please review the Budget/Accounting section to see how to handle reimbursements
for expenses.
Suggested Supplies for Walk day:
 Zip ties and/or rope to hang banners
 Box cutters/utility knives to cut them down
 Sign or fence post stakes
 Permanent markers
 Duct Tape and clear sign-hanging tape
 Yard Sign stakes
 Extra sign materials – blank paper, markers, etc.
 Helium and ribbon for balloons
 Tub/bucket/trough to ice down water or other beverages
 Stapler, paper clips, rubber bands
 Blank envelopes for marking walker donations (just in case you run out
of those we provide!)
 Check in lists
 Contribution Remittance Envelopes
 Pens and markers
 Calculators or adding machines
 Bank boxes for envelopes with donations
 Sidewalk chalk – great for flair and directions on pavement/sidewalks
 Tool box with the basics, just in case!
 PA System and music for start line ceremony
Special Equipment you may need for Walk day:
 Tables (registration, information, food, beverages, sales, etc.)
 Power and water hookups (may need generators)
 Tents, if covered/indoor facility is not available
 Trash cans (if location does not provide them get boxes/plastic bags)
 Cash boxes
 Camera, for team photos and general photos
 Chairs, for volunteers
 Bathrooms (rent portable if site does not have public accessibility and
please consider making it wheelchair accessible)
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AFTER THE WALK
CLEAN UP
Make sure you have enlisted a set of volunteers for post walk clean up – ideally a
new, fresh crew. Make arrangements with your location to use their dumpsters or
trashcans. If this is not available you will need to make arrangements to haul your
Walk garbage to a local landfill or other facility.
Inevitably, you will have some food leftover. Many local shelters will accept these
leftovers. Investigate this prior to your event and have the information on hand the
day of the Walk. You can make arrangements to have it delivered or picked up.
We want to make sure we always leave a place as good as or better than we found it!
We want everyone left with a great impression and fond feelings toward the PKD
Foundation!
WHEN YOU GET HOME
Be sure and take a moment to congratulate yourself and your volunteers on a job
well done! And don’t be surprised if you don’t want to even think about another
Walk! But, it isn’t over ‘til it’s over!
After you have had a moment to breath, you’ll have some wrap-up to do.
 Organize the money and registration forms and turn everything in as quickly
as you can – Ideally no later than then next day, using the label provided!
 Thank all key volunteers, donors and business partners
 Make plans to return all borrowed/rented supplies
 Complete your records – good file integrity and detailed information makes
next year’s Walk all the more easier – For you and any others involved!
 Thank all top fundraisers, team captains and other key participants (phone
call or note)
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