In order to earn the snazzy Steps for Pets bandana (for you or your pet) and tote bag (mostly for you... unless your pet uses a tote bag), participants need to meet their modest, age-specific minimum fundraising amount, listed below:
Once you hit your minimum, you'll pick up your incentive items on event day. If you aren't able to pick it up on event day, send us an email at info@bluesea.org, we'll figure it out.
Absolutely! We welcome all pets, with the caveat that your pet is comfortable in large group settings and around other animals. See more details here.
Call or email us. We're happy to help!
Please make cheques payable to Steps for Pets and write the name of the walker or team you are supporting on the memo line.
If you want to start or join a team (or walk by yourself), you can register online by clicking the Register button on the top menu, next to the logo. The registration process will take you about 5 minutes, so you can do it while the coffee's perking. Note: When setting up your username, please do not use spaces.
Yes! If you donate or pay by credit card/Paypal, our charity's legal name will appear on your statement - Blue Sea Philanthropy, a registered Canadian Foundation.
Occasionally, the name that appears on your statement may show 'Bambora' instead - this is the name of Blue Sea's credit card payment gateway supplier.
Yes - life happens! Call or email us and we can cancel your registration. But remember, you can do your walk offsite at any time, and the money you raise for your charity is still valuable. So if you are able, reschedule instead of cancelling.
If you receive cash or cheques made payable to you, please login to FundHub, click Fundraising, then Enter $$ or Cheques, and enter the donor information there. You'll then have one of two choices:
Please send a completed Pledge Form and any cheques addressed to Steps for Pets to:
Steps for Pets
c/o Blue Sea Foundation
240 Duke St. W. Suite 200
Kitchener, ON, Canada
N2H 3X6
Note: Include complete donor information to ensure your donor receives a charitable tax receipt!
Bonus: Enter this cheque pledge with donor address details into FundHub so that the funds appear on your scoreboard right away!
Simply add in five zeroes (00000) as the postal code, and the donation page should allow you to continue - if you're still having trouble, please contact our office and we would be more than happy to help!
Yes! If you have joined a team, your fundraising totals will be reflected in both your team total and the overall event total.
First of all, don't hit "reply" to that notification email - that just goes to us (and we might mildly make fun of you).
To thank your donors, login to your FundHub, click on Fundraising, then click on Thank Donors. Follow the instructions there to send them a quick thank you note.
You absolutely can! You'll need to a sign a physical waiver when you arrive, but you can definitely still participate. But since you're here - why not take 5 minutes to complete our quick n' easy online registration? You'll save time at check-in, and your event organizers will thank you!
The short answer is: yes. It helps us get a better handle on how many participants to expect on event day.
So please, create a separate registration profile for each family member. Feel free to use the same email address for all accounts, or even post all donations under one family member's name for efficiency's sake, but each person should have their own profile.
No - to keep all of our participants, including children, seniors, and animals safe, participants are not permitted to run our routes.
The waiver form means you understand the risk of walking in the event, that in the event of injury you release the event, the volunteers and the operators and charity partners of the event from any liability and, should your picture be taken on event day, you release SFP to appropriately use your likeness in any future SFP publications.
You only need a paper waiver if you have not registered online.
When a donor gives online, we provide them with an opportunity to cover the 4.25% processing fees we pay to process each credit card donation. It's totally voluntary and helps SFP reduce its operating costs for the event.
Absolutely! The purpose of Steps for Pets is to raise funds for our host charities. Walkers work hard to raise funds from friends, families and co-workers to support the charity they are walking for. The hype and excitement of event day is the celebration for all that hard work!
Email or call us and we'll take care of it for you. We'll need to know:
Team Captains are the backbone of SFP. Here's what they do:
On event day, Team Captains rally their team together, congratulate them on a job well done, and walk with those who need a pal to walk alongside.
Once you register online, you can use the online FundHub to email your friends and family a link to your personal fundraising page. There, they can give to you securely online by credit card or PayPal. Alternately, you can download a pledge form, print it out, and ask people face-to-face for support.
For more help, check out our fundraising tips.
Only the Team Captain (a.k.a. the participant who started the team) can make this change:
Online donations of $20 or more with a valid email will receive a charitable receipt. This includes cash donations that you have paid in using your own credit card.
Note: If we don't have a valid physical address, we cannot issue a tax receipt, even if an email is provided.
All kids age 12 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is walking with them and stays with them at all times (including helping them register/hand in their waiver form). The routes are family-friendly, but not intended for children walking alone.
All youth under the age of majority must have a waiver signed by their legal guardian.
Yes! This is a change that we need to make at the SFP Headquarters. Contact us and we'll either a) remove you from the team, so that you can start or join a new one, or b) move you to a different team (if you know which one you'd like to join).
Click the login link at the top of the page - you'll find a Forgot Password? link at the bottom of the box that pops up. (Or hey, you can just click here.)
A pledge form is sent to you via email automatically when you register for SFP. But if you can't find that email, additional pledge forms may be downloaded from the Tools page.
To add pledges on your FundHub page:
Then, pay off cash pledges using your own credit card (donors get their receipt based on the information you entered above). We do not accept cash donations on event day. After you have entered cash pledges, click the "Pay" button to use your credit card to validate the pledge -- then, you keep the cash.
Mail any cheques written out to Coldest Night of the Year to:
Coldest Night of the Year
c/o Blue Sea Foundation
240 Duke St. W. Suite 200
Kitchener, ON, Canada
N2H 3X6
Ask us! Visit the contact page to get in touch with our friendly customer-service team.