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Frequently Asked Questions

General Question about the Walk4Hearing

Online Transactions

Registration

Registered Walker Questions

Online Fundraising


What is Walk4Hearing?

Walk4Hearing events are fundraising 5K (3.1 miles) walks held across the United States. Since its formation in 2006, Walk4Hearing has raised over $10 million dollars for programs and services for people with hearing loss, and has grown into the largest awareness and fundraising event for the Hearing Loss Association of America® (HLAA). Collaborating with local HLAA chapters, Walk4Hearing educates the general public about hearing loss while easing the associated stigma. Striving to make hearing loss a public health issue, thousands of people of all ages, races, and backgrounds have come together to display their compassion for the cause and to make hearing loss an issue of national concern.

Status of Hearing Loss in the United States:

  • 48 million Americans have some form of hearing loss
  • 26 million Americans have noise-induced hearing loss that could have been prevented
  • 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children are born deaf or with a hearing loss
  • 60 percent of the people with hearing loss are either in the work force or in educational settings

Why Participate in a Walk?

Supporters walk in the Walk4Hearing for many reasons: to support a family member or loved one; to create awareness of their own hearing loss; and to support the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). HLAA has seen the importance of walks for other organizations around the country and know that these Walks have created awareness and education. We believe that hearing loss is something everyone should have knowledge of. The Walk is creating awareness and becoming an educational tool for HLAA, to help make hearing loss an issue of national concern.

Who Participates?

Anyone can participate; family, friends, co-workers, businesses, schools and caring professionals that want to make a real difference for people affected by hearing loss. Thousands of families in our community, and millions across the country will benefit from your support and the success of the Walk4Hearing program.

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Is there a registration fee?

No, there is no registration fee.

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How can I make a donation?

Many people donate by going to their chosen walk's page and selecting Donate. From there, they can select a Walker that they would like to donate to.

Don't know someone participating in the Walk, but want to contribute to a great cause? No problem! On each walk's donation page, there is also an option to donate directly to the event.

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When are the Walks?

Visit the Walk4Hearing locations page for list of Walk locations and dates.

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What is the main purpose for a Kickoff event or Team Captain Rally?

There are three main reasons to hold these events before a Walk. They are:

  1. To gather as many confirmed and likely potential supporters of the Walk together at one time to get them excited about the Walk and motivated to support it.
  2. To give these supporters some basic training on how to use the materials they will receive at the Kickoff to organize a team of walkers to participate in the Walk and to raise money for the Walk.
  3. To distribute the Walk materials (primarily a Walk team captain instruction folder, Walk posters and brochures) to the volunteers in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

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What is a Walk Team?

A walk team is a group of walkers of any age who walk together to raise money for a special cause.

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What types of teams are usually in a Walk?

Typically walk teams are made up of groups of walkers that are walking as representatives of a family (most commonly a family that is directly touched by the disease, disorder or illness that the walk is being held to combat), a company or business (again, oftentimes walking in support of an employee who is directly affected by the disease, disorder or illness the walk is being held to combat), an organization, church, team or group of any kind. In most cases, a walk team is organized by or for someone who is in some way directly affected by the cause that the walk is being held to combat.

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How large does a group have to be for it to be considered a Walk Team?

Generally a group of walkers is considered a team if it consists of 2 or more walkers, the walkers all consider themselves as walking together as a team, and they identify themselves in some way the day of a walk as a team.

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How do groups of walkers identify themselves as a team the day of a walk?

Two ways: The first is by having a team name and using it when they register for the Walk. A team name might be the name of a family (The Smith Family Team), an organization (The St. Johns Church Team), or a company or business (The ABC Company Team). Team names can also be more creative and unique. Samples of more creative team names are: "The Can You Hear Us Now Team" or "Angie's Angels" or "Madison's Marauders".

The second way a group of walkers can be clearly recognized as a team is by wearing the same clothing or a "uniform" of some sort the day of a walk. The most common "uniform" worn by teams of walkers is the "Team T-shirt". A team t-shirt is usually a brightly colored shirt that has the team’s name on it and a special logo or design of some sort. Team T-shirts make a team stand out in the crowd the day of a walk and give the walkers wearing them a sense of unity and togetherness. In addition to team T-shirts, some teams wear the same hats or all carry signs, placards or banners that have their team, company or organization's name on them.

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Are all the walkers on a walk team expected to raise money for the walk?

It is not mandatory that every walker on a team raise money for the Walk, but it is hoped that they will if they can.

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How much does the average walker participating in a walkathon raise?

The average walker in a walk raises approximately $100. However, it is not uncommon for highly motivated walkers who are directly touched by hearing loss to raise $1,000 or more.

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What is Hearing Loss Association of America?

Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is the nation’s foremost membership and advocacy organization for people with hearing loss. HLAA was founded in 1979 by Howard E. "Rocky" Stone, a retired CIA officer. Shortly after celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2005, the name was changed from Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc (SHHH) to Hearing Loss Association of America.

For more information on the Hearing Loss Association of America, please visit www.hearingloss.org.

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What is Hearing Loss Association of America's mission statement?

HLAA’s mission statement is to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss by providing information, education, advocacy and support.

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Online Transactions

Is my information secure?

Hearing Loss Association of America has made every effort to protect your personal information. We use industry-standard SSL encryption techniques to make sure your credit card information, passwords and personal information travel securely over the Internet. There is also an encryption engine on our database server so your data is securely stored.

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How is my credit card information handled?

Credit card information is not stored in our database. During the donation process, we send your credit card information to an online processing terminal using a secure connection. The information passed back is an approval or denial for the credit card donation.

Can I make a donation by check?

Yes, you can make a donation by check, but online transactions must be made by credit card. Please make the check payable to Walk4Hearing. We do not accept cash. Checks and pledge sheet will be collected on the day of the Walk. A pledge sheet should be available for download on each walk location's homepage. If you are not going to be participating in the Walk but will be supporting a walker, then mail a check to an individual or team you wish to support and they will take it to the Walk. Donation made are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

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Registration

Which registration option should I choose to participate in a Walk4Hearing event?

This depends on how you would like to participate. If you are interested in starting a team, choose the "Register to Start a Team" option. However, if you would prefer to walk by yourself as an individual, select "Register as an Individual" instead. For those looking to join an existing team, select "Register to Join a Team" but you will need to know the name of the existing team you want to join. If you don't know or remember the team's name, you will have the ability to search for it during registration but you can also find it by going to the "Find Walker/Team" page. The registration form will ask for the team name to ensure you are added to the right group. Another option would be to find another person on that team and click the "Join My Team" button on their personal page.

  • Register to Start a Team: Select this option if you and other relatives, friends and co-workers will be walking together and will work towards one common fundraising goal. When you start a team, you will automatically be assigned as the captain. This will allow you to view your progress plus your team's progress and edit the team's page, goal and name. This means each individual who joins your team will have their own personal page. Each team member can have their own fundraising goal they want to achieve. For instance, the team goal is $1,000 so each team member might have a personal goal of $200. Team members should reach out to their contacts for support by emailing them to visit their personal page and make a donation. The donation will appear on the Honor Roll for the team member who received the donation and it will also be reflected in the team's fundraising goal on the team's page.

  • Register to Join a Team: Select this option if you know of an existing team you wish to join. You will be listed as a team member and will have your own personal page where your contacts can make donations to the Walk on your behalf.

  • Register as an Individual: Select this option if you will be walking and will be fundraising on your own. You will have your own personal page where your contacts can make donations to the Walk on your behalf.

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How do I register online?

  1. Go to www.walk4hearing.org and select the “Register” button at the top of the page. This will bring you to the "Find a Walk" page where you can select the Walk that you would like to participate in.
  2. Once on the specific Walk page, select how you wish to register (Register to Start a Team, Register to Join a Team, or Register as an Individual).
  3. During the registration process you will be asked if you are a “Returning Walker” or “New Walker”.
  4. If you have previously participated in a Walk event before, then you are a “Returning Walker” and you can use the username and password from last year and click the Login button. If you have never participated in a Walk before, please select “New Walker”.
  5. Go through the registration process and you will notice that your contact information is already filled in if you selected “Returning Walker”, and you will not be asked to select a username and password since you will continue to use the same ones. If you are a “New Walker” please complete the contact information form.
  6. Complete your registration.
  7. On the “Thank You” page, click on the “Access My Walk Center” link.
  8. This will log you into your “Walk Center”, which will have fundraising tools and features.
  9. If applicable, last year's address book and donation information should be available. In addition, don't forget to create or update your personal page with new content and dates.

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What if I don't want to provide my credit card information for my donation?

As detailed above, Hearing Loss Association of America takes online privacy very seriously and uses the highest security standards for online processing of credit card information. However, if you are uncomfortable using your credit card to make a donation, then you are welcome to mail a check payable to Walk4Hearing to an individual you wish to pledge.

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How do I register other family members or friends with only one email address?

OPTION 1: There is now an option to register a family member before completing your own registration. But there is certain information to keep in mind:

  • Your home address will be associated to family member's profile (system assumes that a parent is registering someone like a child that lives at the same address)
  • Username and password will automatically be generated for the family member. **But you must provide an email address, whether it is the same as yours or their own
  • BUT, the family member can always change the above when they login to “My Walk Center” and click on the “Profile” link at the top of the page
  • Below are the steps to follow for this option:
    1. At the end of your registration on the summary page, click the Register Family Member button. If you want to register more than one family member, you will be given the opportunity to do so after registering your first family member.
    2. The registration form will have your address information prefilled, but you can change this if you want.
    3. Enter the family member’s email address in the Email field. This will be their username to log into the Walk Center to do fundraising activities.
    4. If they do not have an email address, use your email address. If you use your email address, they will automatically be assigned a random username that will be emailed to you.
    5. If you use your email address for family registration(s), it is recommended that you de-select the email updates checkbox (Yes, I would like to receive e-mail updates regarding Walk4Hearing and HLAA) so that you don’t receive multiple copies of Walk4Hearing emails.
    6. To log into the family member’s Walk Center, a password needs to be set. The registration email confirmation will contain a link to set the password.
    7. You can also click the Forgot Password? link on the login page. Upon submitting the form, an email is sent containing a link to set the password.

OPTION 2: If you don't want to have your address associated to them and want to have the option of selecting the username and password, then follow the steps below. Remember this means you will need to go through the whole registration process for each person.

  • If you want to register other family members or friends with the same email address, you can register each person with a unique User Name but enter the same password and email address for each member. To easily keep track of each user name, you can use a base word and add 01, 02, 03, and so on (for example, smith01, smith02, and smith03) to the base word; or, you could use your names (for example, PatSmith, TerrySmith, and FranSmith).

  • It may be a good idea to form a team with yourself as the Team Captain. You can create your Team Web page with your family photo and story.

  • On the Contact Information page (during registration), you can simply enter the First and Last Name of each family member and the same email address (if other name and address fields are not marked required), enter the unique User Name for the family member, and then enter the same password you used for yourself.

  • On the Billing Information page, you can change the name and information to match your Billing Information. (Currently, the registration is free, so you will not have a Billing Information page.)

  • Please keep in mind that a record is created for each user name registered with the same email address. Meaning that the email address might receive multiple copies of notifications sent out to all registered user names. One way to avoid these multiple copies is to uncheck "Yes, I would like to receive e-mail from Hearing Loss Association of America" for everyone else by going to their “Profile” link in My Walk Center or click the “unsubscribe” link on a message received with their name. But make sure you keep it checked for yourself so you don't miss out on any important notices regarding the Walk.

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What do I do if I can't see the registration options?

Some MAC users and AOL users may not be able to see the complete screens. Those users may need use the Firefox browser, which can be downloaded for free at www.mozilla.com

General questions

How do I use my Username and Password?

Every time you visit the Walk4Hearing website, click on the "Login to My Walk Center" button at the top of the page.
Then select the Walk you are registered for. Last, enter your username and password into spaces provided. Logging In provides you access to My Walk Center, your Personal Walk4Hearing Web Page, your team's information and online tools to encourage your friends and family to support you.

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What if I've forgotten my Username and Password?

Your Username and Password are case sensitive. To retrieve your Username and/or password, visit our User Login page. There you can have your Username and Password sent to you by email. Make sure to use the same email address you used when registering. If you still have problems, please contact us for help.

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How do I change my Username, Password, e-mail and other personal information?

First, Login to My Walk Center using your current Username and Password. Once logged in you will see a link at the top of the page called "Profile." A pop-up window will appear and you will see your current profile. Click the link “Edit Your Profile” to change your contact information, username and email address or click the link “Change/Reset Password” to change your password. Once you have made your changes, make sure to click on the Save button at the bottom of the page. All changes will be made to your account immediately. There is no need to Login again. Just close the pop-up window when done making changes.

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When you select "Use My First and Last Name and Make My Personal Page Public" then the name you supplied during registration will:

  • Display to site visitors viewing fundraising pages (for example, Team pages)
  • Scrolling lists of the fundraising statistics (for example, Top Walkers scrolling Honor Roll)
  • Display on your fundraising Personal page
  • Display in the results after someone searches for you (or on a name similar to yours) to make an online donation to support you

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How do I unsubscribe from e-mail?

Towards the bottom of each email message there will be an “unsubscribe” link. Click this link and follow the instructions given to unsubscribe.

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Online Fundraising

What is a Personal Web Page?

A Personal Web Page is an online promotional tool for your use when asking your friends and family to join your team or sponsor you by making a donation. Once you sign up for the Walk, by default, you will have a personal page created for you. You have the option of personalizing this page by going to My Walk Center. You will be able to customize images and text. For detailed instructions, download My Walk Center Help document in PDF format.

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By default I have a personal page, do I have to change it?

Once you sign up for the Walk, by default, you will have a personal page created for you. A compelling personal page attracts and engages supporters. While you can spread the word using customized email solicitations, your personal page can be your own creative expression of your commitment to the cause. Utilize the elements of text, photo to their fullest advantage.

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Can I create a personalized URL to my Personal Page?

You can create a personalized URL to your Personal Page to make it easier to remember and share with other people. This is a link you can add to messages you may send from your personal email, outside of “My Walk Center.”

Steps for creating your personal URL:

  1. Login to "My Walk Center", click on the tab called "Personal Page" at the top of the screen.

  2. Click on the link called “URL Settings”. A personalized Web address field will appear. Type the text you want to use (such as your name or nickname). You may only use letters and numbers as well as the period (.), dash (-), and underscore (_) characters from your keyboard. To avoid problems, do not leave any spaces between your entry.

  3. Click the Save button. The Successfully saved changes to the account message displays at the top of the page and the Current URL displays with your personalized Web address.

  4. Your URL will look something like: http://www.walk4hearing.org/goto/yourname
NOTE: If you are captain of a team, you will also have the option of creating a URL for the team page.

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How do I change my personal fundraising goal?

Login to My Walk Center using your Username and Password, then on My Walk Center home page you will see "Your Fundraising Progress". There is a link by your goal amount called “Change”, click this link. A small blue box will appear, enter your new goal and submit the changes.

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How do I change my team name or team goal?

Only the team captain has the ability to change the team name or team goal.

To change the Team name, please follow these steps:

  1. The team captain will need to Login to My Walk Center, then click on "Team Page" on the top of the page.
  2. On the right hand side, you will see your current team name and there will be a link called "Edit". Click this link.
  3. A textbox will appear and type the team name you want. Then click "Update".
  4. On the “Team Page”, the team captain will also be able to edit the team story here.
To change the Team Goal, please follow these steps:
  1. The team captain will need to Login to My Walk Center, then click on "Progress" on the top of the page.
  2. Once in the Progress section, on the right hand side there will be a link called “Team”. Click this link.
  3. You will then see a section called “Team Fundraising Progress”. There is a link by your goal amount called “Change”, click this link.
  4. A small blue box will appear, enter your new goal and submit the changes.

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How can I see who has donated to me?

Once you have registered, you will have your personal web page where your friends and family can donate by clicking the Donate button. Their name and donation amount will be listed in the Honor Roll scrolling list on your personal web page. Also, you can login to My Walk Center using your Username and Password, then click on "Progress" and you will be able to view your donor list and the amounts donated under the "Donation History" section.

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How can I see who is on my team?

Login to My Walk Center using your Username and Password, then on the My Walk Center homepage there will be a link on the right hand side called “View Team Roster”. Click this link and you will be able to view your team roster.

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Can I make my personal page private?

Yes, but please do not do so. The whole purpose of the Walk is to get the attention and the donations from your friends, family and co-workers. Donations to you can still be made anonymously, but you want to let the whole world know of your participation in the Walk.

By default, a personal page is Public, meaning your name will appear in the walker search list, and anyone accessing the site will be able to support you. Setting your personal page to Private via My Walk Center means your name will not appear in the walker search list and only people you personally invite will be able to support you.

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What is my Contacts list in my Walk Center?

Your Contacts list is automatically generated in your Walk Center with the name and email address of people you have contacted by emails via the Walk Center Email area as well as anyone who has made a donation to support your fundraising efforts.

You can add more of your friends and family to this Contacts list by importing other online contact lists or address books in email services that you use, like Google gmail, Yahoo! mail, Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, AOL, and Apple. Note that we provide a direct import from the Google gmail and Yahoo! mail services. If you use another mail services, then you will need to upload a .csv file exported from the other email service. In addition, you can also manually enter contacts.

IMPORTANT: Neither our organization or Convio (who powers our web site) will send unsolicited, or spam, email to these contacts or sell the information to a third party. This information is strictly for your use.

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How do I import contacts with a CSV file?

Although you can always manually type in a contact, you can upload a file of contacts to make it much easier to enter multiple contacts at one time. You can do this by creating your own file in the comma separated value (.csv or CSV) format or exporting your contacts list or online address book from another email service that you use.

  • The file can contain several columns of information about the contacts (like their nickname, street address, and so on), but only the First Name, Last Name, and Email address are imported into your Walk Center.
  • To create a file, you can use a word processing editor that lets you save a document as a csv file (sometimes called a comma-delimited file), such as Microsoft Excel.
  • If you have contacts or an online address book in another email service, you can use their tool to export the file in this proper format and save it on your personal computer. You should name the file with something easy to remember and in your computer so you can access it easily.

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What do I do with cash and checks that I receive from people sponsoring me in the Walk?

Any donations made via cash and checks are called "offline" donations. We do not accept cash so if you receive small cash donations, then we recommend you compile them and write one personal check for them. Otherwise, if they are large cash donations, then we recommend you ask the donor to write a check so they are able to get the recognition and use it as a tax-deduction as allowed by law.
  1. Login to "My Walk Center"
  2. On the right hand side there will be a button called "Enter New Gift". Click this button.
  3. Please enter in the donor's first and last name and his/her e-mail address.
  4. To enter in the donor's street address and recognition name, please click the link "Additional Gift Entry Fields". More fields will appear to enter in the donor's information.
  5. Then enter the donation amount and then select the payment method.
  6. Click "Save" or "Save And Add Another" if you have more cash or check donations to enter.
Please note it is important to provide as much information as you have on the donor and the donation amount. Also, if the donor's name all ready exists in your contacts list, then you should enter their name exactly as it is in your contacts list, otherwise the system will think it is a new person and add a new entry in your contacts list for the same person.

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I entered an offline donation, but the scrolling list and the thermometer have not changed.

There is a 15 minute delay between when a change is made and when it becomes visible on your page. You will need to refresh your page or come back later to see the updates.

 

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