Teams Best Practices
30% of participants join teams when they are available
What kind of teams are out there?
On RunSignup, Social, Competitive, and Relay teams are all categorized and setup as Group/Teams. The main difference is in how you use them to promote your event:
- Social teams encourage participants to bring family and friends, and can be a motivator for runners more focused on the fun of the event
- Competitive teams are a recruiting tool for runners who take their results seriously and want to compete with their training partners
- Relay teams widen your pool of potential participants by incorporating shorter distances
*There are also Fundraising teams, which are separate and focused on fundraising.
Reward all teams
Give runners a variety of ways to "compete" other than just speed. This gives them a reason to reach out an try to recruit their community. Types of rewards:
- Automated discounts/refunds for anyone on a team that hits a specific size
- Prize for the biggest team
- Prize for the best team costume, shirt, name, etc.
Team Success 1 - Scott Coffee Run (Swag Reward for Team Size):
“We came up with the concept of the ‘Caffeine Challenge’ a couple of years ago and it has been a hit! Any team that has over 20 members receives a free pair of socks. We work with the local running store that sponsors that cost. Team members only get the socks if they pick up in the store before the race (so the store gets more traffic). This year our largest team in a 1,000 person race was over 100! Their viral word of mouth has really helped our race.”
- Bob Bickel, Scott Coffee Run (and RunSignup Founder/CEO)
Team Success 2 - Championship Racing (Automated refunds and discounts):
“If you want to be on a team, once you hit that 5-member mark, the original four members will get their $5 discount, and then anybody else that registers receives that $5 discount. That’s a huge hit, and the way the system handles it is beautiful. I don’t have to do anything - you set it up once, and it works automatically. It’s been highly successful because it encourages people to bring their friend, bring their family. We have people that sign up ten people just because they want them on their team.”
- Trish Portuese, Championship Racing
Team Success 3 - Vermont City Marathon (Relay Teams expand the pool of participants):
“We make the race day experience special because we build it as a community event. Since the start of the race in 1989, we’ve had relay teams of 3-5 people, and that allows a lot of people who aren’t serious distance runners to participate in the marathon.”
- Chuck Spear, Vermont City Marathon
