The letters and plans Relayers ask each other for most often. Plain words, in square brackets where you fill in your own.
Each template is written for any country. Change the words in [square brackets], add your own voice, and check anything about money or rules with your cancer organisation before you send it. For letters to a school, a company, or a community group, the letter builders write a first draft for you.
Dear [name], My name is [your name] and I help run Relay For Life of [town]. Relay is a community event where teams walk a track through the night to celebrate people living with cancer, remember the people we have lost, and raise money for [cancer organisation], which spends it here in [country] on research, patient support, and prevention. This year's Relay is on [date] at [place]. We expect around [number] people, including [number] cancer survivors who will walk the first lap. I am writing to ask whether [business name] would consider becoming a sponsor. Sponsors are thanked on a sign beside the track for the whole event, on our social media, and at the opening ceremony. The levels are: [Level 1: amount] – a sign beside the track [Level 2: amount] – a sign, a thank-you on social media, and a place for your banner [Level 3: amount] – all of the above and a chance to speak at the opening ceremony Donations of goods and services are just as welcome: food for the survivor dinner, printing, a tent, prizes for the raffle. Almost everyone in [town] knows someone who has had cancer. A sponsorship from [business name] tells them that their neighbours are on their side. I will call in the next week to answer any questions, or you can reach me at [phone] or [email]. Thank you for reading this. With thanks, [your name] [role], Relay For Life of [town]
Subject: Welcome to Relay For Life of [town] Hello [captain's name], Thank you for starting [team name]. You have just made our Relay bigger, and we are glad you are here. Here is what happens next: 1. Our Relay is on [date] at [place], from [start time] to [end time]. 2. Team meetings are on [day and time] at [place]. You do not have to come to every one, but the first one on [date] is the one where we explain everything. 3. Your team page is at [link]. Share it with your friends and family; most donations come from people who were simply asked. 4. Every team keeps one person on the track at all times during the event, and most teams set up a campsite beside it. Decorate it to this year's theme: [theme]. 5. Fundraising ideas that have worked for other teams are here: https://globalrelaytrack.org/answers/fundraising/ The people to ask for anything are: [name], event lead – [email or phone] [name], team support – [email or phone] Start slow. Set a goal your team can reach, then raise it. Every dollar, euro, or rand counts, and so does every lap. See you on the track, [your name] Relay For Life of [town]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [date] Relay For Life returns to [town] on [event date] [Town], [country] – After [number] years away, Relay For Life is coming back to [town]. On [event date], teams from across the community will gather at [place] from [start time] to [end time] to celebrate people living with cancer, remember those who have been lost, and raise money for [cancer organisation]. Relay For Life began in 1985 when one doctor walked a track for 24 hours, and it now takes place in 36 countries. Every Relay opens with a lap walked by cancer survivors, and after dark the track is lit by luminaria, paper bags each carrying the name of someone touched by cancer. "[One or two sentences from the event lead about why the Relay is coming back and what they hope for.]" said [name], [role]. The money raised stays in [country] and supports [two or three things the organisation does: research, patient transport, support lines]. Teams of friends, families, workplaces, schools, and clubs can register at [link]. Cancer survivors and caregivers are invited to take part in the opening lap and are asked to register at [link] so the committee can plan for them. Businesses wishing to sponsor the event can contact [name] at [email or phone]. The first team meeting takes place on [date] at [place]. Everyone is welcome. Contact: [name], [role] [phone] · [email] [social media page]
Relay For Life of [town] – Kickoff
[date], [place]
0:00 Doors open. Food, music, a table with luminaria and this year's flyer.
A sample campsite set up in the corner so new teams can see what one looks like.
0:15 Welcome (event lead, 3 minutes)
Who we are, when the Relay is, what this hour is for.
0:18 Why we Relay (a survivor or caregiver, 5 minutes)
One story. Nothing else on this slot.
0:23 What the money does (2 minutes)
Two or three things [cancer organisation] did in [country] last year.
0:25 This year's Relay (10 minutes)
Date, place, hours, theme. What is new. What a team does between now and then.
0:35 Ideas that worked (5 minutes)
Three fundraisers from last year, told by the teams that ran them.
0:40 Sign up (15 minutes)
Tables for: register a team · join a team · survivors and caregivers · sponsors · help on the day.
Every table has a sign-up sheet and one person who can answer questions.
0:55 Close (event lead)
Thank you, the date of the next meeting, and one thing to do before then.
Before the meeting:
[ ] Invitations out three weeks ahead, with an RSVP date
[ ] Food and room donated
[ ] Sign-up sheets printed
[ ] Someone to take photographs for social media
After the meeting:
[ ] Welcome email to every new captain within a day
[ ] Thank-you post with photographs
[ ] Follow up with every sponsor lead within a week
These answers were gathered in September 2026 from hundreds of replies in the two Relay community groups on Facebook, then rewritten in plain words for Relayers in any country. No one is named without their permission. If you recognise your idea here, thank you. Amounts are what people reported, in their own currency. Your national cancer organisation has the final word on what is allowed at your Relay.
Every answer on this page started as a question in a Relay group on Facebook. Ask yours there and Relayers from around the world will answer it, usually within a day.
Global Relay For Life Community ACS Relay For Life Community
Both groups are private. Press "Join" and answer the short questions. More places Relayers gather →