We have a series Customer Case Studies, in which we take your stories and share your challenges and successes as a learning tool for other RunSignUp users. This Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk Case Study focuses on the recruitment and self-service management of Corporate Teams
An Introduction to the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk:
Designed to promote health, wellness, and fitness among metro Atlanta companies and their employees, the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk is a unique workplace-supported fitness program that culminates in a Thursday evening 5K in Downtown Atlanta. Produced by Jeff Galloway, the 2013 5K event had over 16,000 participants of all levels of fitness from more than 400 Atlanta companies.
An Introduction to Corporate Teams
The key feature that defines Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk is their extensive use of Corporate Teams. Corporate Teams are separate from standard social or competitive Groups/Teams. The key elements of Corporate Teams:
- Teams are captained by administrators, often from a company, who set up and manage their team.
- Companies can choose to pay some or all of the fees for their team.
- Corporate Teams are generally initiated by companies; however, they can be any group that wants to organize as a team – for example, a family, a neighborhood, or a church group.
Preparing to Seek Out Corporate Teams
The Kaiser Permanente Run/Walk first came to RunSignUp in 2013 in search of a system designed to handle the specific needs of Corporate Teams. Much of the Corporate Team functionality was built around their years of experience dealing with Corporate Teams. Michele Langevin from Jeff Galloway has worked extensively with RunSignUp on enhancing the Corporate Team capabilities.
Initial Corporate Team Setup:
– You have the option to allow your Corporate Teams to:
* Pay by credit card at team setup
* Pay by credit card later
* Pay by cash or check later (or all of the above)
If your race is offering any free entries to specific Corporate Teams, you can set that by creating a Team Type for that Company. The KP Run/Walk chooses to pay the full processing fee for teams.
– Because their Corporate Team use is so extensive, the KP Run/Walk allows any user to create a new corporate team, thus minimizing the hurdles for Captains to set up teams.
Kaiser Permanente closes Team creation and joining 2 days prior to Race Day.
Recruiting Corporate Team Captains
Corporate Team Captains can be anyone who is willing to take responsibility for the recruitment and management of a team. Michele has seen success finding Team Captains who are:
- Active Runners or Walkers in a company
- HR Employees looking to grow or support their company’s Wellness Program
- Dieticians working with Wellness Programs for a company
This event uses several tools to recruit and motivate Corporate Team Captains:
- Recruitment at HR and Wellness meetings; local running events
- Professional, high gloss brochures to help Team Captains get Company buy-in though explanation of the goals and benefits of participation
- Team Captain Info Meetings to bring together potential Team Captains and build enthusiasm for increasing involvement. These meetings are both a chance for the KP Run/Walk to promote event participation and an opportunity for training to ensure that the Team Captains are self-sufficient.
“If you can get them to a fun meeting and speak to potential captains face to face, most will usually commit to the program.”
“Corporate Team Captains are our VIPs – they are the most important part of the event.”
The Role of Team Captains: RunSignUp Setup
Double Up: Kaiser Permanente includes Secondary Captains for all teams; Secondary Captain information is required for their Corporate Team Setup on RunSignUp. Requiring a Secondary Captain ensures that more than one person learns the system and the requirements of being a Team Captain, and helps to ensure consistency year-to-year by increasing the chance of bringing back at least one captain.
Give Team Captains the Tools: 
RunSignUp has a Corporate Team Manual in their How-To Section to help your Captains navigate their team set-up. This reduces the amount of support needed from the Race. Train your Captains to be self-sufficient!
The RunSignUp Steps for Team Captains to create their Corporate Team include:
- Select a Team Type (most will select the default “Team” option; other team types are specific to a specific company or organization).
- Event Cost: Set the amount or percentage of the race fee that the Team will cover for each member. If a Team is covering some or all of the race fee, it is recommended that the Team Captain assign a code to the team that all members will need to input to register. That code can be sent to all eligible employees.
- If the team is paying some or all of the costs for team members, Captains assign a registration date or maximum number that the team is willing to pay for. If the team has a maximum that they are willing to spend, this is how they protect that maximum. If a team is not paying the cost for team members, employees can still be a part of a team, but will pay their own fee at registration.
- Determine if family members and/or friends of employees are eligible to join the team.
- Team Captains and Secondary Captains input their contact information, as well as basic information about the type of company they are Captaining for, and how the company plans to collect race numbers & get to the start on Race Day.
- Teams are created with no initial payment required.
- Once the basics of the Team are established, the Captain can access team information through their Profile on RunSignUp, under “My Corporate Teams.” From there, they can:
* Edit Team Options
* View members
* Setup Custom Questions specifically for their team (for example, to determine who
will bring food or who would like to carpool)
* Visit the Captains Store, where they can purchase items for their team.
KP uses the Captains Store to allow teams to purchase tents for their
team to use at the pre – and post-race picnic.
It’s More Than Just a 5K
Kaiser Permanente recruits Team Captains and companies by promising participants more than just a 5K. Jeff Galloway brings multiple training and fitness options to the table to provide preparation for all fitness levels and increase excitement in the months leading up to the event. Training tools & programs include:
- Training Schedules: Jeff Galloway posts training schedules on their site for beginning & experienced runners & walkers
- Boot Camp: The Races uses the Store option on RunSignUp to “sell” up to 500 free Boot Camp registrations. They set the cost at $0 and the Quantity Available at 500. Boot Camp consists of 6 weeks of Saturday morning Fitness.
- Invitation to join group run/walk training sessions 3 days a week from Phidippides Running Stores for 8 weeks leading up to the 5K (available to everyone).
- 4 weeks of access to an Online Training with broad options including walking, resistance training, and yoga.
Be Open to EVERYBODY
The KP Run/Walk goes beyond allowing walkers for their event: they welcome and embrace them. Walkers comprise around 60% of all participants in the event.
KP uses a custom question to establish if each participant considers themselves to be a runner or walker to keep track of each group. For efficient crowd movement, they follow traditional Race Etiquette and line up all walkers to start after the runners.
“It’s really a chance to influence people’s lives. It’s not just a race, it’s getting people out there for a 5K, and encouraging them to bring along their friends and family and get everyone moving.”
Reports for Race Sponsors
“One of the great things about RunSignUp are the reports that are offered; the Sponsors love that.”
Sponsors are a key part of the financing of the KP Corporate Run/Walk; in exchange for their sponsorship, they are likely to want an understanding of the audience they are reaching. Michele can pull data and graphical reports showing the gender and age segmentation of participants, where participants are coming from, and the total numbers of participants that are involved. For a high level sponsor, a race may also want to include a custom question addressing a specific area of consideration for that sponsor; for example, an Energy Drink Sponsor may want to know the flavor preference of participants.
Invoicing and Payment for Kaiser Permanente Corporate Teams
“I used to do it myself in excel and QuickBooks, but now RunSignUp does it automatically…it saves me a lot to time for the invoicing part.”
About half of the companies with a Corporate Team pay some or all of the cost. If applicable to that specific team, RunSignUp automatically creates invoices for Corporate Teams that have indicated that they will cover some or all of the costs. Invoices for Corporate Teams can be generated by going to Participants – Corporate Team – Generate Invoices. Once invoices are generated, Team Captains can view their invoices and/or pay their invoices online. Team Captains also have the ability to generate and/or merge their own invoices. Michele can also view only Unpaid Invoices to see which teams have outstanding Invoices as the Event Date approaches.
Teams in the Kaiser Permanente Run/Walk also have the ability to submit payment by check or cash. Payments that are received offline can be recorded by Michele by going to Participants – Corporate Teams – View Corporate Teams, and clicking into the team that needs an offline payment recorded.
Team captains are able to view invoices and payments, and can submit online payments directly from their Captains View.
Applying Kaiser Permanente’s Experience to Your Race
Going into their 32nd year, the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk continues to work on growing their event, getting more local companies involved, and enabling Team Captains to self-manage their teams.
Most Race Directors will never have Corporate Teams as a primary focus. However, they can still benefit from encouraging some level of Corporate Team involvement. With the current emphasis on Corporate Wellness programs at companies, Corporate Teams on a smaller scale can be applicable for races of any size. Approach local companies about their Corporate Wellness programs, and how your Race or Run can be a part of their plan!
If you have a success story about your race, store or club, big or small, email us
…we’d love to explore a Case Study on your topic!