FAQ's
Please read below for Frequently Asked Questions about this year's Jay Walkers Challenge.
Getting Set Up as a Jay Walker
WHAT ARE MY TOP PRIORITIES AS A JAY WALKER?
Jay Walkers will work together with their team to do all of the following:
- Complete 800,000 steps between September 1st and September 30th. That may sound like a lot, but for a team of 12 people, that's 2222 steps a day. 2222 steps is equivalent to one mile, and most people can walk a mile in 30-45 minutes or less.
- Raise funds for suicide prevention efforts. Each participant is encouraged to raise at least $125 -- that breaks down to a $25 registration donation plus $100 of peer-to-peer fundraising**. We'll provide you with fundraising templates for emails, scripts for phone calls or personal asks, and other tricks for achieving this goal.
- Recruit new Jay Walkers. The more Jay Walkers we have, the sooner we will achieve our vision of ending suicide.
- Start Conversations about suicide to create awareness about suicide prevention and inspire others to do the same. One of the best ways to prevent suicide is to speak more openly about it. We'll provide you guidance on how to get these conversations going. This may be the hardest Challenge Activity we ask you to do, but it is by far one of the most important!
**Peer-to-peer fundraising (often referred to as P2P or p2p) means you're raising funds by asking your friends, family, co-workers, or others to donate to the cause.
HOW DO I INVITE SOMEONE TO JOIN?
At the top, right side of your personal page, team page, and the homepage, there is a white box card with a green button that states "Invite a friend." Follow the prompts and be sure to invite more people to gain more points!
DO MY TEAM MEMBERS HAVE TO BE LOCAL?
The Jay Walkers Challenge is virtual, so your team can be made up of individuals from anywhere in the world! We encourage you to find ways to foster camaraderie among team members, whether they are nearby or far away. For local teams, consider meeting up for in-person walks during the month. For spread-out teams, consider zoom calls so team members can feel connected and share about their Jay Walkers experience.
DO I HAVE TO JOIN THE CHALLENGE AS A TEAM?
No, you don't have to join a team, you can participate as an individual. You can earn points and achievement badges as an individual participant or as a team.
We do strongly encourage you to consider joining a team or starting one. If we notice you haven't been matched, we may reach out to help you get connected.
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Getting Started with the Jay Walkers Challenge
Even though the Jay Walkers Challenge doesn't officially kick off until September 1, 2025, you can take action right away. Start earning points TODAY with Recruitment, Fundraising, and the Pre-Challenge Suicide IQ Quiz!
- Take the Quiz within 1 day of registering
- Invite 11 others to join your team within two weeks of registering
- Encourage at least 2-3 others to start teams of their own within one month of registering
Also, If you and your team are motivated to complete the fundraising portion of the Challenge before September -- please do!
See the Jay Walkers Participant Toolkit for a schedule for Challenge Activities and their release dates! There are several you can start doing RIGHT NOW! We are as excited as you to get started!
WHERE DO I FIND AND COMPLETE CHALLENGE ACTIVITIES?
You can find Complete a Challenge Activity in the main menu at the top of the page under "Get Involved" when you click "Complete a Challenge Activity" or in your participant dashboard on the left-hand navigation. Once you've found an activity you'd like to complete, click the image and follow the prompts. The more activities you complete, the more points you earn!
If a Challenge Activity has a check on it, does that mean I can't submit another? Most Challenge Activities can be completed more than once. The check mark just lets you know you've submitted at least one item in this category. So please feel free to make multiple submissions for all activities EXCEPT the Quiz. We may prompt you later to take the quiz again, but, for now, only take it once! This will help us immensely with our program evaluation.
HOW DO I LOG MY STEPS?
Beginning on September 1st: To log your steps, go to "Complete a Challenge Activity" in the dropdown menu under What's Happening at the top of the Jay Walkers Challenge page. Clicking this link will take you to a menu of Challenge Activities. Select Steps Log Blog Post.** Follow the directions within the Activity to log your steps.
How do I earn points for Steps? The Daily Steps Goal for individuals is 2222 steps. Earn 10 points for each blog post you create that records at least that many steps.
**The Challenge Activity "Steps Log Blog Post" is checked off. Can I add another entry? Yes! Add a new blog post to record every set of steps you've taken. Click on the Challenge Activity Card and in the lower right hand corner you will see a green button that says "Add Another Post." Click on it to add a new Blog Post.
What if I forget to log my steps one day (or five days in a row)? You can always retroactively log your steps. Just adjust the date on the calendar in the Steps Taken Blog Post to reflect the date of the steps you're recording.
Where Can I See My Total Number of Steps Logged? You will see each of your blog post submissions when you scroll through your personal page. Total numbers of steps logged will be tracked separately from the Jay Walkers Challenge page. Please read the bi-weekly Jay Walkers newsletter for steps reports and Steps Leaderboards! For personal and team tracking purposes, please feel free to keep a journal of your totals.
CAN I ACCESS THE JAY WALKERS CHALLENGE PAGE ON MY PHONE?
Yes! Once you have registered you can navigate to your personal Challenge page by hovering over your name at the top right side of your screen until a drop down menu appears. Click on "Manage My Page" and then click on Dashboard from the left-hand navigation. This will take you directly to your personal page. (it should look like the image below). On the left hand menu you will see a blue box with the heading "Did you know that the Jay Walkers Challenge works great on your phone?" At the very bottom of that paragraph click the message "Click here to go mobile." The system will then ask you to put in your mobile number.
Once you've submitted your mobile number, the system will send you a link that you can use to access the Jay Walkers Challenge page from your phone going forward!
CAN I VIEW MY ACTIVITY HISTORY AND PROGRESS?
Yes, you can view your activity history and progress on your dashboard**. Hover over your name at the top, right side of your screen until a drop down menu appears. Click on "Manage My Page" and then click on Dashboard from the left-hand navigation (see image above).
** The right side of your dashboard will show your and your team's progress for all activities EXCEPT Steps. Steps will be tracked separately and progress will be reported in semi-weekly emails. Please see the instructions above under the heading "HOW DO I LOG MY STEPS?" for details on how to log your steps and where you'll see updates on your and your team's progress.
HOW DO I EARN POINTS?
Jay Walkers will earn between 10 and 250 points for recruitment, fundraising, and Challenge Activities. Complete activities to see your point count grow!
ARE THERE PRIZES FOR COMPLETING THE CHALLENGE? WHAT CAN I WIN?
Prizes for Jay Walkers are in the works. Stay Tuned!
In the meantime, you'll gain the satisfaction of knowing that for every step logged and challenge completed, you have played an important part in changing the way those around you think and talk about suicide!
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Fundraising for the Jay Walkers Challenge
WHERE DO THE FUNDS RAISED GO?
Funds raised from team fundraisers during The Jay Walkers Challenge will support evidence-based initiatives that prevent suicide. Registration donations will support general operating expenses at Jay Walkers.
WILL I GET A CHARITABLE TAX RECEIPT FOR MY DONATION?
All donations made through our online fundraising page with all of the required information (full name and complete address) will automatically receive a charitable tax receipt by email. If you have a question about your tax receipt reach out to the Jay Walkers Team at jaywalkerschallenge@gmail.com
CAN I COLLECT CASH OR CHECKS?
As a challenge participant and fundraiser, you have the option of accepting cash and/or checks from your friends. You can enter them right into our online platform so they are counted towards your goal. Once logged in from your dashboard, go to "Raise at least $125" on the left navigation menu and click on "Enter cash/checks." Please be sure to send any funds you received to The Endowment for Community Leadership at 4010 Millcreek Dr, Annandale, VA 22003. You also you have the option of making a credit card payment to cover your offline donations through our online peer-to-peer platform in your participant dashboard.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT WITHOUT JOINING THE CHALLENGE?
We are very grateful for any support, whether you participate in the challenge or not. Thank you! Our supporters help us take steps to end suicide.
You can still make a donation by hovering over "Donate" at the top of your screen until a drop down menu appears and clicking "Make a Donation." You can make a donation towards a participant's or team's fundraising goal by clicking "Donate to a Participant/Team" and then using the search feature to find their name. Once you have, click on the "Donate" button underneath their name and follow the prompts.
DO I HAVE TO FUNDRAISE? WHAT ARE THE FUNDRAISING GOALS FOR INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS?
Fundraising is not required but highly encouraged. Every dollar raised helps support our mission and will make a difference in suicide prevention. Our fundraising goals are intentionally set to be achievable, and we provide tips and tools for hitting your target!
Your recommended registration donation of $25 will support general operation expenses at Jay Walkers.
Next, we encourage you to raise an additional $100 per person (or an additional $1200 per team of 12) that will be earmarked for evidence-based suicide prevention initiatives.
One important note: You may notice that your fundraising page indicates a goal of $125 even though we say your personal fundraising goal is $100. That's because the fundraising page on the One Cause P2P platform does not differentiate between the two types of donations you may submit. It can only show the total amount received per person. Please see the chart below for more details.
If you have questions about your donation tracking records, please reach out to jaywalkerschallenge@gmail.com to set up a call.
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Still Have Questions?
HAVE A QUESTION NOT LISTED ABOVE OR NEED TECHNICAL SUPPORT?
Your Team Leader is a great source of support! You can also contact jaywalkerschallenge@gmail.com with any questions you may still have!