STEP UP TO SEPSIS
It all starts with a step…
Sepsis currently claims 5 lives an hour in the UK, that’s 120 people every day, 48,000 annually – and the charity’s on a mission to change that!
Step Up To Sepsis is more than just a fundraising challenge; it’s a chance to make a difference. Encourage your colleagues to get into teams and clock up as many steps as possible. You could even get competitive and offer a prize to the team who raises the most, or who has the highest step count!
By taking part, you’ll be raising vital funds that will enable our work to continue, while also raising awareness of this life-threatening condition. Together, we can save thousands of lives.
who can take part
Step Up To Sepsis is open to everyone! Whether you’re a corporate partner looking for a fun team-building activity or to inspire some healthy competition among a professional network; a school wanting to educate students about sepsis; a healthcare partner, or a community group passionate about making a difference – there’s a place for everyone in this challenge.
Ready to take the first step?
Here’s how it works:
- Assemble a stepping squad: Gather as many participants as possible and choose a captain for each team. We suggest groups of 5, to reflect the number of people who die each hour but you can adapt this depending on the size of your organisation. Decide how long you’ll do the challenge for – from 5 days to 5 weeks, it’s up to you!
- Set up your fundraising page: Click here to create a JustGiving page to capture your team’s donations! Here are some helpful tips for setting up a Team Page.
- Spread the word: Start telling colleagues, friends and family about your plans. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to hold a ‘Sepsis Savvy’ webinar to help raise awareness of this condition among colleagues. To schedule a free educational session, email savvy@sepsistrust.org.
- Start stepping: Throughout the challenge period, track your steps using your smartphone or a pedometer and encourage your team members to stay active and motivated.
- Fundraise: Don’t forget to encourage friends, family and colleagues – in fact anyone you know – to donate to your challenge’s page using social media. Use the hashtag #StepUpToSepsis to raise awareness and inspire others to join the cause! (You might, if you’re putting together a corporate team, try to encourage your organisation to match anything raised?)
Shout about your achievements
Once your challenge is over let us know how many steps your team completed, including whoever did the most, and share any photos you took along the way so we can also promote your achievements on our social media channels: marcomms@sepsistrust.org
Leading by example: Mott MacDonald
Mott MacDonald led a successful Step Up To Sepsis competition last year, raising over £5,000 which was incredible. We’re encouraging all UKST partner organisations to follow their lead and set up a steps-based competition of their own. It’s entirely up to you, when you run the challenge, but it might be a good idea to time it in September – which is sepsis awareness month (World Sepsis Day is on Friday 13th September).
Top tips for a successful challenge
Here are some handy tips and advice for organising your Step Up To Sepsis Challenge:
- SET UP – Make sure to leave yourself enough time to organise your challenge – sometimes this takes longer than you think!
- SUBMITTING STEP TOTALS – if you decide to do a month long Step Up To Sepsis challenge, a temporary company email address or a shared Google Doc might be useful so colleagues can submit their steps or fundraising totals each week.
- COMMUNICATION – create a weekly leaderboard to post on your staff intranet to keep the momentum going!
- MONITORING STEPS – you may decide to encourage all participants to use the same app or tool to measure their steps – there are lots to choose from.
- INCLUSIVITY – to make it an inclusive activity, please modify or adapt the challenge to suit all capabilities within your organisation.
- CONTACT: Please email events@sepsistrust.org if you have any questions.
FAQs
How much should I aim to raise?
We suggest that everyone taking part aims to raise £105, as that is the cost of supporting one person through their recovery journey. You can learn more about how we spend every £1 we receive here.
How do donated funds help?
Your funds are vital in saving lives and will enable us to continue delivering our much-needed services. Click here to read all about the ways that we’ve helped support families through sepsis recovery or bereavement.
Can I get UKST merchandise to wear while doing my steps?
If you’d like to do your steps while wearing UKST merchandise, head to our online shop where you can purchase items such as t-shirts. If you’re a corporate partner who wants to discuss bulk ordering merchandise for staff, please email events@sepsistrust.org
What if I can’t do a steps challenge?
That’s OK! We understand that some of our supporters can’t take on a steps-based challenge, which is why we encourage you to adapt it to suit your needs/those in your team.