Autism Speaks
Coaches Powering Forward
Field Guide
What is Coaches Powering Forward for Autism?
2016 will be the 3rd year of Coaches Powering Forward for Autism benefitting Autism Speaks. The program was started in 2014 by NCAA coaches Pat Skerry and Tom Herrion, each of whom has a son with autism. They invited other NCAA basketball coaches to wear the Autism Speaks Puzzle Piece Lapel Pin at games to raise awareness of autism and its prevalence. In 2015, over 250 men’s and women’s college basketball programs participated by having their head coach and staff wear the Autism Speaks puzzle piece to generate awareness for all those who are challenged with autism. Over 60 of them raised funds in support of the program. All participating schools were registered on our web site/landing page,
This year we will once again provide Autism Speaks lapel pins for the coaching staff to wear at games and encourage all schools to become involved with fund raising options. The weekend games are on Feb. 19-21, 2016. We hope to have more than 325 coaches, broadcasters and officials wear our iconic puzzle piece lapel pin. We set a goal of $6,800 per school for the 1:68 children on the spectrum. We want to raise $100,000 this year and set the stage for CPF to be a signature Autism Speaks fundraiser in the future!
What is the overall role of the Autism Speaks field chapters?
Our field staff plays a vital role in making the Coaches Powering Forward initiative a success by representing Autism Speaks in your area and supporting any awareness and fundraising efforts going on at your schools. Please know that any funds raised through fundraising efforts initiated/supported on a field level will be designated to your region.
How does it work?
Periodically, you will receive a list of participating schools who have signed up on our web site to be part of the Coaches Powering Forward for Autism program. This means that someone from either the Athletic Department or student body has expressed interest in partnering with Autism Speaks to support the CPF initiative and create awareness for autism. It may mean that the coach or coaching staff has agreed to wear an Autism Speaks lapel pin during the NCAA Championship weekend games or at an alternative home game. It may mean that a student representative has signed up. It does not necessarily mean that they have committed to engage in fundraising.
The field role may vary depending on your staff’s specific relationships with a participating school or a student representative that could help promote the program and initiate a fundraiser. For example:
A member of your staff -
a)May have a relationship with an ASU/Alpha Xi Delta or fraternal member from the school. We will let you know if there is a chapter at the school.
b)May have worked with a student or teacher in the past at the school who would be a good contact or have a connection with the school Marketing Department.
c)May be an alumni or you may have a volunteer or board member with a school connection.
d)May have another community connection that can assist you in furthering school outreach.
What can I do now?
You should:
- Look for the list and determine if there is a school in your area or one that has some connection for you.
- Review the options above with your staff to determine if any member of your team can reach out to a connection to initiate the conversation about our program and gauge their interest in fundraising and building awareness during the CPF awarenessweekend.
- If you see a connection, contact either r your regional Corporate Development Director to let them know and to determine if she has any additional information for you in terms of her outreach or information regarding the Basketball Departments.
- Work with your connections to 1) obtain their support 2) reach out to the school for permission and get the program on the calendar, 3) determine what fundraising initiatives are of interest to your connections and how you can help support those initiatives.
In some cases, the school will reach out to us and indicate their desire to get involved. We will inform you of these situations and provide all contact information. In these instances, we would like the field to act as the Autism Speaks Ambassador to work with the contacts and provide any needed support. For example, if they want to sell AS items for a fundraiser, you can supply items at the employee cost. If they want to have a puzzle piece campaign, you can supply the puzzle pieces. A few of our schools have expressed interest in giving Autism Speaks a percentage of the game ticket price – you may be able to have some volunteers on hand that night to thank donors and support the school.
If you don’t have the band width at the time to engage, absolutely no problem, just inform Raechell and we’ll take it from there.
Where can I get more information and resources?
Please check out the Coaches Powering Forward website at to learn more and to download talking points, logos, helpful resources and fundraising ideas…it’s all there and if we missed anything, let us know and we’ll add it! If you have additional questions, you may contact Raechell Arapovic or Stephanie Herrera for assistance.
When should I begin?
The time to start is now – school connections can take time and most need to go through levels of approval. Become familiar with the CPF web site. Look at the list of participating schools. Let us know if you have a connection with a Division I School that participates in the NCAA Basketball Championships. If you see an opportunity, contact Raechell Arapovic to obtain an update on the school status and begin outreach.
FAQs:
What if they don’t have a home game during 2/19-21? That’s ok, we can open the dates to include a home game either the week before or after.
Can women’s teams participate? Absolutely and are encouraged too. Men’s programs may not allow awareness and fundraising events but women’s usually always do.
Where do I find program materials? Everything is on AS Central: Resources/Corporate Development/Corporate Partner Materials and Updates.
Questions?
Raechell Arapovic, Stephanie Herrera or your regional Corporate Development Director are your best points of contact. Peter Morton or Kathy McKeever can assist you as well. Feel free to call any members of the CPFA team. We’re happy to help.