Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

How do I register?
Can I register for more than one walk?
I tried to register as a member of a team but I did not see my team listed.
Why did I get an email saying I am registered?
Can I register a friend or family member?
How do I register a team member as a co-team leader?
What should I do if I can’t find a walker?
Is my username and password the same as last year?

Managing Your Account

What is my Great Strides account?
What additional account features do team leaders have?
How do I log in to my account?
My team leader registered me. How do I log in to my account?
What if I forgot my username or password?
If I am a team leader from last year and want to register for a different walk site than the one I participated in last year, can I access my previous team’s information?
How do I thank my donors?

Fundraising Help 

Where is the Fundraising Tool Kit located?
How do I keep track of and follow up with donors?
How do I send out emails?
What is my fundraising letter?
How do I make a donation?
Why are my donors listed in red on my account page?

Other Tools & Resources 

How do I find a list of walk locations?
What is my Great Strides homepage?
Where can I see my goal information, my team goal information, and who has donated to me?
How do I receive text alerts to my mobile phone?
How do I use the Great Strides mobile-ready website?
How does the Facebook Great Strides app work?
What are the responsibilities of a co-team leader?
What is a national team?
I do not see a walk listed in my hometown. How do we bring Great Strides to my community? 

Go to the Great Strides homepage. To register for a Great Strides walk in your neighborhood, you’ll need to find a site near you. Under “Register Now!” type in your state or chapter. Click the “FIND A WALK” button to search for a walk site in your state.

“Step 1: Join a Walk!”

To register for an available walk, click the “Register” button listed after the walk site’s city, location, date and time. If you are interested in a walk site listed under “Other Walks,” click the “Contact Us” button to find out more information from the local chapter. You may search again by completing the “Refine Your Search” and clicking the “FIND A WALK” button located at the bottom of the page.

“Step 2: Select Your Registration Type”

Here, you have to make a choice. Select “I am a team leader creating a team” if you are starting a new team. If you are a returning team leader, select “I am a team leader renewing a team” and choose your 2012 team name from the list. If you are walking with a team, click “I am an individual signing up as a member of a team” and select your team from the list. If you are walking as an individual walker, select “I am an individual walker who is not a member of a team.” Then, click “Continue.”

“Step 3: Create Your Profile”

Fill in your contact information and answer the questions to create your profile.

“Step 4: Complete Your Registration”
Remember to put in your personal fundraising goal. Click “Complete Registration.” You will receive an email confirming your registration.

Can I register for more than one walk?

Yes. You can register for more than one walk. Just follow the registration steps, starting with “Find a Walk.” When you log in to your Great Strides account, you will see a listing of the walks that you are registered for. Click on the walk site link to view your progress.

I tried to register as a member of a team but I did not see my team listed.

Your team leader may not have registered yet. Contact your team leader to see if he or she has registered, or if the team name has changed.

Why did I get an email saying I am registered?

Your team leader has the ability to register team members for Great Strides. Use the link sent in your confirmation email to connect to the Great Strides website.

Enter the username and password that were sent to you in your confirmation email. Log in to your account to create your own personal Great Strides homepage, and update your information. If you wish, you can modify your username and password to make it easier for you to remember. Visit the site often to see how well you and your team members are doing.

Can I register a friend or family member?

You can only register other walkers if you are a team leader or a co-team leader of a registered team. People you register will receive an email confirmation of their registration with a link to the Great Strides website. Here, they can log in, update their profile, set up their personal homepage, set their fundraising goals, and read the event waiver. Make sure that you follow up with the people you register and ask them to set up their Great Strides homepage and send out fundraising letters.

How do I register a team member as a co-team leader?

Registered team leaders have the ability to add co-team leaders to their teams. On the “Register Walkers” or “Add Walkers to Your Team” page, click the “Check here if co-team leader” box under the walker’s name.

From the “Manage My Team” page, choose a team member. Under “Actions,” select “Update.” Once on the “Update Walker Information” page, check the “Check here if co-team leader” box to register a co-team leader. You may select more than one co-team leader.

What should I do if I can’t find a walker?

If you have tried to find a walker on the Great Strides website and failed to find the person, please contact the person and ask them to send you a link to their homepage, or confirm how they are registered (e.g., Charles or Charlie, Dave or David).

Is my username and password the same as last year?

Yes. Your username and password are the same as last year.

What is my Great Strides account?

Each walker and team leader gets his or her own personal Great Strides account. After you log in, you will be directed to your account page. Here, you can create your own personal Great Strides Web page. You can write a personal message, upload or select a favorite photo, set your fundraising goal and make a personal donation. When your guests visit your homepage, they can view who has donated and see how their donations have helped you reach your goal.

What additional account features do team leaders have?

Team leaders can register their team members and update their team members’ contact information. Team leaders can select as many co-team leaders as he or she needs to help manage the team. Team leaders need to follow up with the people they register and ask them to set up their Great Strides homepages and send out fundraising letters. Returning walkers can use last year’s username and password.

How do I log in to my account?

From the Great Strides homepage, go to the “Account Login” box located to the right. Fill in your username and password, and click “Login.”

My team leader registered me. How do I log in to my account?

Use the log in and password sent to you in your confirmation email. If you lost your information, go to the Great Strides homepage. In the “Account Login” box click the link “Forgot your username or password? Click here.” Enter your email address in the space provided and click the “Submit” button. Your username and password will be emailed to you.

What if I forgot my username or password?

Go to the Great Strides homepage. In the “Account Login” box, click on the link “Forgot your username or password? Click here.” You will need to enter your email address in the space provided and click the “Submit” button. Your username and password will be emailed to you. If you have a new email address, you will not be able to access your account. You will have to create a new account and register as a new person.

If I am a team leader from last year and want to register for a different walk site than the one I participated in last year, can I access my previous team’s information?

No. Team leaders joining a different walk site from the one they participated with last year will not have access to their team members’ information. Walker information is connected to the walk site and cannot be transferred to a new walk site.

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How do I thank my donors?

You can send donors a Thank You Postcard by clicking the Thank Donors link in the left hand navigation. Once you click the link, you will see a list of all of your donors. Click the “Email” button next to the name of the donor you’d like to thank. Then, choose the image you’d like. You can use the suggested message or type in your own message. After you click send you will see the date in the “Thank You Date” column.

Where is the Fundraising Tool Kit located?

The link to the Fundraising Tool Kit appears on the navigation bar, or menu, located on the left side of the screen. The tool kit only appears when you are registered online and logged in to your account.

How do I keep track of and follow up with donors?

Track who you need to thank and who you need to remind about your campaign directly from your Great Strides account. After you invite your friends to visit your Great Strides homepage to make a donation, check the View Donations page to see who has not yet donated and send them a reminder.   Donors will receive an automatic “thank you” message after making a contribution online, but you also may send them a personalized “thank you” message. You will receive an email notification whenever someone makes a donation to support your efforts. Click  “Thank Donors” located on the left hand navigation bar to send a thank you card with a personal message by clicking on the “E-MAIL” tab next to the donor’s name. After an email is sent, the date will be stored in this table.

How do I send out emails?

You can fundraise online by sending emails to your potential sponsors. You can use your own email software. Make sure you include your personal URL in your message. Your URL is found on the page where you edit your Great Strides homepage. Use your URL to link your friends directly to your Great Strides homepage.

You also can send messages by clicking the “Invite Donors” link. Here, you can enter your potential sponsors’ first and last names and their email addresses. Add a personal message, select or upload a photo, then click “Send Email.”

Remember: Some corporations use filtering software that may not recognize your message. If your emails are returned, your donors will be listed in red on your account page. Click on “Email” to edit the address and send a new message.

What is my fundraising letter?

Your fundraising letter is the message that you create to send to potential supporters. Creating your fundraising letter is similar to creating your Great Strides homepage. Your letter contains a personal message, photo, and a link to your Great Strides homepage. Your message automatically defaults to the text of your previous email; this makes it easy for you to edit your message for different invitees.

How do I make a donation?

To make a donation to yourself, click on “My Account Page.” On your Account Page, click on the “Make a Donation” button.

Another way to make a donation to a walker is to start at the “Make A Donation” link on the left navigation bar. Click “Search for Walker.” Enter the first and last name of the walker and then click “Find Walker.” Click on the “View Walker” link beside the walker’s name in the search results. This will take you to the walker's homepage. On the walker’s homepage click on the “Click To Donate” button to make a donation to that specific walker.

To make a donation to a team, you need to make a donation to a specific team member. Follow the steps listed above.

To make a donation to a chapter’s Great Strides fundraising effort, click the link in the left navigation bar that says “Make A Donation.” Select the chapter that you wish to send your donation. Complete the “Donation Information” and click “Submit.”

To make a general donation to the CF Foundation, go to www.cff.org/donate. Complete the form and click “Submit Donation” to make a general donation not related to Great Strides.

Why are my donors listed in red on my account page?

People listed in red did not receive your invitation to support Great Strides because they have an invalid email address or their company’s email system blocked your message. You can click on “Email” to edit the address and send a new message.

How do I find a list of walk locations?

Go to the Great Strides website at http://www.cff.org/great_strides. To find a Great Strides walk in your neighborhood,  type in your state or chapter under “Register Now!” Click the “FIND A WALK” button to view a list of walks in your area.

If you are registered for a walk and you log in to your account, you are directed to your account page. To view other walk locations you need to go to the Great Strides homepage at http://www.cff.org/great_strides. Under “Register to Walk” type in your state or host chapter. Click the “FIND A WALK” button to view the list of walk sites.

What is my Great Strides homepage?

This is the actual page your donors will see when they access your link that you either emailed to them or that they found when searching “Find a Walker” from the Great Strides homepage. “My Great Strides homepage” has your personal message, a photo of your choice, your personal fundraising progress bar, donors’ messages and well wishes, and the link to make a donation to your fundraising efforts. Log in to your account and select “Edit homepage” to create or edit your homepage. On the edit page you will see your personal URL, http://cff.org/Great_Strides/YourName, which is a link directly to your Great Strides homepage. Use your URL to link your friends directly to your Great Strides homepage.

Where can I see my goal information, my team goal information, and who has donated to me?

When you first log on to the Great Strides website you will be directed to your account page. Here, you can view your personal goal and money raised-to-date.

To view your online donations, click “View Donations” or “Details” and you will connect to your donation page; this will allow you to see who has made a donation.

On your account page, below your personal information, is your team’s information and progress bar. Click the “Details” link to view more information about your team’s “Money raised to date.” If you are a team leader or co-team leader, click the link “View Walkers” to see team members’ goals, amount raised and other information.

How do I receive text alerts to my mobile phone?

When you register for Great Strides, you’ll be prompted to decide whether to receive Mobile Web Text Alerts to your mobile phone. If you’ve already registered for Great Strides, you can begin receiving text alerts by following these instructions:

Log in to your Great Strides account.

Click “Edit Contact Info” in the left-hand navigation menu.

Scroll down to “Mobile Text Alerts” and opt in, then click “Submit.”
Standard carrier text message rates apply. Text alerts include a monthly Great Strides update and notifications for each online donation you receive.

How do I use the Great Strides mobile-ready website?

Registered Great Strides walkers can raise funds while on the go, using their mobile phones. Go to www.cff.org/greatstrides from any smartphone’s web browser to view the mobile-ready site.

Participants can perform the following tasts on the regular Great Strides site from their smartphones:

• Log in to their personal account to check their fundraising progress.
• Donate to support a walker.
• Search for a walker or team to support.
• Learn about Great Strides.
• Contact the CF Foundation with any questions.

Walkers and team leaders can also direct their friends, family and other potential supporters to the site to make a quick and easy donation. The Great Strides mobile donation page is secure — it has the same safety features as the regular Great Strides website.

It is not currently possible to register for a walk using the Great Strides mobile site.

How does the Facebook Great Strides app work?

Great Strides participants can easily spread the word and raise money on Facebook using the Great Strides application. To get started, log in to your Great Strides account and click “Fundraise with Facebook” to download the application.

To use the app, you must be a registered Facebook user who is signed up for a Great Strides walk.

Through the app, you can:

• Invite donors. Post an update that automatically links to your Great Strides page and allows friends to donate.
• Monitor your fundraising progress. Your application page features a fundraising progress bar that shows how much you’ve raised and lets you easily check your real-time fundraising status on Facebook. Only you will be able to see your Fundraising
• Progress Indicator with your goal and total raised.
• Show your support with a Great Strides profile picture. The application lets you change your profile picture to the Great Strides logo — a convenient way to remind all your Facebook friends that you’re participating in Great Strides.
• Share your story. Use the Share Your Story feature to tell your Facebook friends why you walk.

The Great Strides Facebook app is just one of the tools you can use to raise funds. Use it in addition to your letter writing campaign so you can reach everyone you know, even Facebook friends whose email you do not have.

The Foundation and the company that we worked with to create the app do not have access to your Facebook friend list. The app only uses an individual’s list of contacts so it may publish updates to news feeds.

What are the responsibilities of a co-team leader?

Team leaders can select and register as many co-team leaders as needed to help manage their team. Co-team leaders have the same ability as team leaders to register team members, edit the team goal, email team members, and edit team members’ contact information.

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What is a national team?

A National Team is a fundraising team that participates in Great Strides walks in a minimum of three different markets A team is made up of family, friends, colleagues, classmates and neighbors nationwide who share a passion for curing cystic fibrosis.  One team leader in each walk site helps to raise money and recruit walkers to reach the team's national fundraising goal — and help bring the Foundation closer to a cure!

If you are interested in learning more about forming a national team, please contact your local CF Foundation office or complete one of information forms on the National Corporate or National Family page.

I do not see a walk listed in my hometown. How do we bring Great Strides to my community?

New walk sites are added every year thanks to the interest and support of local volunteers. If you are interested in hosting a Great Strides walk in your community, please contact your local chapter and tell them you are interested in expanding Great Strides to your neighborhood.

Updated 10/31/2012