FAQ

PLEASE NOTE: Advance registration (online, fax, mail, or by visiting the United Way office) closes at 4:30 pm on June 12th, 2009.

Online*: Go to the Rat Race registration page. It will guide you through the registration process. You will receive a confirmation e-mail once your registration has been successfully processed. You can then login as often as you wish to check your fundraising totals, invite friends and family to sponsor you or to join a team, and input offline pledges on the Manage Cash/Cheques page. Please make sure to have a minimum of $50 in pledges. Print your total offline pledges (cash/cheques) from the results form or print an offline pledge form, and submit the donations and form to United Way. Please make sure that your pledge form is legible and filled out correctly. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

*Online registration is only available by credit card (Visa, MC)

Fax*: Fax your completed pledge form to 416-777-0962 by June 12.

*Faxed registration is only available by credit card (Visa, MC)

In person: You can register in person at United Way Toronto, 26 Wellington Street East, 2nd Floor, Toronto, ON M5W 1W9, from May 12 – June 12, 9:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday. Payment can be made using cash, cheque or credit card. Please make sure to have a minimum of $50 in pledges and that your pledge form is legible and filled out correctly.

When you register and submit a minimum of $50 in pledges, you will receive an official Scotiabank Rat Race t-shirt and runner's bib. Please pick these up at the check-in on race day at Scotia Plaza, Concourse Level near Investor Services from 10:00am to 7:30pm.

All participants must collect and submit a minimum of $50 in pledges on or before the race in order to participate. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

Yes. Enter your login information using last year's user ID and password. If you have forgotten your password, click on “Forgot Password” and your password will be e-mailed to you. Once you have successfully logged in, you will be taken to the “Welcome Back” screen. From here you can go back to your previous registration information and make changes if necessary. You can then re-register for this year's Rat Race.

We encourage participants to register themselves, however; as long as you have all of the accurate and required information for the participant, you can register them for the Rat Race. Please be sure to let them know so that there will not be duplicate registrations. Also, remember to link your teammates to you team. Each person must submit a minimum of $50 in pledges to participate. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

You can change your contact information online by logging in and clicking the “Edit My Profile” link in the top right-hand corner of the dashboard.

Select “Login” on the side menu and enter your user ID and password. This will take you to your personal fundraising page.

If you would like to cancel your registration, please contact us at unitedwayevents@uwgt.org to let us know. Unfortunately, we are not able to refund any donations that have been received by United Way Toronto prior to the time of your cancellation. Please let your potential sponsors know that you have cancelled.

Click “Forgot Password” on the Registration page. Type in your user ID and click submit. Your login information will be sent to your personal e-mail address. If you can't remember your user ID please contact unitedwayevents@uwgt.org

Pending status means that you have registered online, but you have not raised the minimum of $50 in pledges. Pending refers to online registrations only. In order to be pre-registered, you must raise the minimum $50 either online by fax or in person before June 12, 2009. Outstanding balances must be submitted at registration on Race Day in order to participate.

• Click on “Register Now!”
• Select the “Create a Team” option
• Complete the “Team Name”, “Team Description” and “Team Goal” fields
• Fill in your personal information and your account information
• Once your registration is confirmed, you should see a “Congratulations!” message and details of your personal and team information
• You will receive a confirmation e-mail in your e-mail inbox; it will provide you with a quick link to your team info page
• Now you can invite others to join your team
• Each member of the team must create an individual profile

Note: Please keep a record of your user name and password so you can login again to check on your team status and fundraising achievements.

You can ask your family and friends to join your team by sending an e-mail from our online registration system. This will provide your teammates with more information about the Rat Race and provide a link to the team registration page. You can also send a personalized message (not mandatory).

Copy the e-mail addresses of your potential teammates into the box on the “Invite Others” page and press “Send Email”.

If you have a lot of contacts, or if there are strict firewalls at your place of work, you may want to send your e-mails from your personal e-mail account. Before you do this, send yourself a “Join a Team” e-mail through the online system as per the instructions outlined in the above text. Once you receive this e-mail you can forward it onto contacts from your Outlook or your personal e-mail account. This e-mail will include your 'Join My Team' link. E-mail recipients will be able to click on this link and join your team.

• Each participant must register indvidially first and then join a team
• From the Rat Race home page, click on “Register Now!”
• If you have already registered, please login using your e-mail and password
• Select the “Join a Team” tab
• Select the name of the team you would like to join
• Once your registration is confirmed, you should see a “Congratulations!” message and details of your personal and team information.

Only the team captain has the ability to change team settings. The team captain can login and go to the team page to check the team status, send messages to the team members, see who has joined and how the fundraising is progressing.

As long as there are two or more people, you can set up a team. There is no maximum number of people per team. Each individual team member must set up his/her own profile page in order to fundraise online.

If you have signed up for the incorrect team, or would like to switch teams, please contact us at unitedwayevents@uwgt.org . We will be happy to make the required changes. Do not re-register yourself.

If your team has registered and fundraised online, team captains can get a total of all the online pledges. You can add your offline pledges to your personal fundraising page but these pledges must be submitted to United Way separately, accompanied by a printed results form or completed pledge form. Receipts for offline donations over $20 will be issued once United Way receives the money and a complete Rat Race pledge form or results form.

You cannot sponsor an entire team. You can only sponsor individuals on that team. You can do one of two things; split the donation among the team members or donate to the team captain on behalf of the team. Each individual on the team must raise a minimum of $50 to be registered for the Race.

We strongly recommend using our online donation system. Our website is secure and your donors will have their e-receipts e-mailed to them immediately. Fundraising updates will appear on the participant's page instantly.

If you prefer the traditional method, you can also submit cash, cheques and credit card donations directly to the participant. Be sure that all of your contact information is filled out correctly and legibly on the pledge form or results form so that a tax receipt can be issued.

Donations can be made securely, and tax receipts are issued to your sponsors instantly. Here's how it works:

1. Click on “Sponsor”. This will take you to the search page.

2. Search for the Rat Race participant you wish to sponsor. Enter all or part of the person's name you are searching for and click “Search”.

3. From the search list, click the participant's name. This will take you to their personal fundraising page. From here you can begin the donation process.

4. On the donation form, enter your contact information, complete your credit card information and click the “Donate Now” button.

5. Your donation will be processed and you will receive an e-mail acknowledging your donation as well as an electronic tax receipt. Please retain your tax receipt for your tax records.

Do not mail cash donations. If you would like to make a cash donation, please submit cash or cheques directly to the participant. Make sure your contact information is filled out legibly and correctly on the pledge form or results form so that you get a tax receipt.

The participant will submit the cash donation with the completed pledge form or results form:

• in person to our offices;
• in person on race day (If you have already fully pre-registered, we recommend that you do not drop off additional cash pledges on Race Day. To avoid lengthy line-ups, mail or drop your additional pledge money off at United Way offices after Race Day.)

Do not mail cash.

Yes. If you are writing a cheque to cover the amount you would like to pledge, please make it payable to “United Way Toronto” and mail it directly to our offices. Be sure to indicate the name of the person you are sponsoring when sending in your donation. Receipts will be issued for all donations of $20 and more.

Mailing Address:
United Way Toronto
Processing Dept.
26 Wellington Street E, 2nd Floor
Toronto, ON
M5E 1W9

An electronic tax receipt will be issued immediately through e-mail for all successful online donations. Please make sure that you have provided us with a valid e-mail address. For offline donations (cash/cheques) a receipt will be issued by mail. Only donations of $20 and more will be tax receipted.

E-mail us at unitedwayevents@uwgt.org and we will issue another one if necessary.

Registering online allows you to manage your fundraising efforts through our user-friendly online system. The site allows you to personalize your website, join a team and send e-mails to your friends and family asking them to sponsor your run. Your page will update automatically so you can track your fundraising.

Offline donations of cash or cheques can be entered:

• online in the Manage Cash & Cheque page and printed via the results form; or
• offline using a paper pledge form

All offline donations must be submitted to United Way Toronto along with a completed pledge form or printed results form.

*Please note: If you do use the online tool to track all of your fundraising, only funds collected by credit card (Visa, Mastercard) will count towards your goal until your cash funds are submitted to United Way.

Example: You have raised $40 online, and $10 offline, you must submit the offline/cash funds to United Way on or before Race Day to be pre-registered.

Pending status means that you have registered for the event, but you have not raised a minimum of $50 in pledges online. In order to be pre-registered, you must ensure that you have raised a minimum of $50 online before June 16, 2009. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

To log into your fundraising page, click the “Login” link in the side menu. You will be asked for your User ID and Password that you created when you registered. If you have forgotten your login info, click the “Forgot Password” link and follow the instructions. Your login information will then be sent to your personal e-mail address. If you can't remember your User ID please contact unitedwayevents@uwgt.org .

You can ask your family and friends to sponsor you by sending an e-mail from our online registration system. This will provide your sponsors with more information about your participation in the Rat Race. You can send a personalized message by copying the e-mail address into the box on the “Solicit Sponsors” page, type in your personal message (not mandatory) and press “Send Email”.

If you have a lot of contacts, or if there are strict firewalls at your place of work, you may want to send your e-mails from your personal e-mail account. Before you do this, send yourself a fundraising e-mail through the online system as per the instructions outlined in the above. Once you receive this e-mail you can forward it on to contacts from your Outlook or your personal e-mail account. This e-mail will include your personal fundraising address link. E-mail recipients will be able to click on this link and make a donation directly to you.

Your donors will automatically receive a thank-you from United Way confirming their donation. You can also send a personalized thank-you. Just follow the instructions on the “Sponsor Page”.

Once you have collected a minimum of $50 in credit card donations with Visa or Mastercard, your status will change from "pending" to "verified". Offline donations (cheques/cash) will not change your status.

Funds collected by cash or cheque are not verified until they are received by United Way Toronto – even if these amounts are added to your online fundraising page. Any offline (unverified) donations indicated on your personal page is strictly for your own goal monitoring. United Way does not use this information until the pledges are submitted to the United Way office. You must print the results form or print a paper pledge form and submit that with your offline pledges.

*Please note: If you do use the online tool to track all of your fundraising, only funds collected using the online system will count towards your goal until your cash funds are submitted to United Way.

Example: You have raised $40 online, and $10 offline — you must submit the cash funds to United Way on or before Race Day to be pre-registered.

Download a pledge form here

We recommend using our online donation system. Our website is secure and your donors will have their tax receipts e-mailed to them instantly! Your personal page will identify new donations immediately. You can enter offline donations in the Manage Cash & Cheque page and then print the results form to submit to United Way, along with the donations. The Manage Cash & Cheques page is for your reference only. United Way does not have access to this information. Any cash/cheque donations must be submitted to United Way accompanied by the printed results form or a completed pledge form.

If you prefer the traditional method, you can also collect cash, cheques and credit card donations using a paper pledge form. Be sure that all information is legibly and correctly filled in for each donor to ensure that each donation over $20 will recive their tax receipt by mail.

The results form is a summary of all your offline donations that you entered into the fundraising system and is an easy way to submit them to United Way.

Login to your fundraising page on the online fundraising system and simply click on the Manage Cash/Cheques button and enter all your offline fundraising. The results form will automatically populate to include all verified (paid by VISA/MasterCard) and unverified (cash/cheques). For tax receipt purposes, please include the sponsor’s complete mailing address for donations of $20 or more. Please print the results form and submit it along with the donations:

• in person to our offices;
• by mail (do not mail cash) to United Way Toronto, Processing Department, 26 Wellington St. E., 2nd floor, Toronto, M5E 1W9; or
• in person on race day (If you have already fully pre-registered, we recommend that you do not drop off additional cash pledges on Race Day. To avoid lengthy line-ups, mail or drop your additional pledge money off at United Way offices after Race Day.)

If you receive cheques/cash from your friends and family (offline donations), you can enter them:

• online in the Manage Cash & Cheque page and then print the results form; or
• offline using a paper pledge form.

This ensures that your sponsors who donate $20 or more will receive a tax receipt.

All offline donations must be submitted to United Way Toronto along with a completed pledge form or results form :

• in person to our offices;
• by mail (do not mail cash) to United Way Toronto, Processing Department, 26 Wellington St. E., 2nd floor, Toronto, M5E 1W9; or
• in person on race day (If you have already fully pre-registered, we recommend that you do not drop off additional cash pledges on Race Day. To avoid lengthy line-ups, mail or drop your additional pledge money off at United Way offices after Race Day.)

When mailing donations or submitting them on Race Day, please issue one cheque to cover all donations. Cheques should be made payable to "United Way Toronto".

*TIP: To avoid registration line-ups on Race Day, submit your minimum $50 in pledges online, by fax or by mail before the June 16th deadline. You can then pick up your Race Kit at Scotia Plaza Concourse Level, near Investor Services from 10:00am–7:30pm on Race Day. Post-race pledges can be submitted to United Way until July 10, 2009. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

If you have already fully pre-registered, we recommend that you do not drop off additional cash pledges (with a completed pledge form or results form) on Race Day. To avoid lengthy line-ups, drop your additional pledge money off at United Way offices after Race Day.

Yes, each participant must collect and submit a minimum of $50 in pledges by Race Day to participate. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

If you receive cheques/cash from your friends and family (offline donations), you can enter them:

• online in the Manage Cash & Cheque page and then print the results form; or
• offline using a paper pledge form.

This ensures that your sponsors who donate $20 or more will receive a tax receipt.

All offline donations must be submitted to United Way Toronto along with a completed pledge form or results form :

• in person to our offices;
• by mail (do not mail cash) to United Way Toronto, 26 Wellington St. E., 2nd floor, Toronto, M5E 1W9; or
• in person on race day (If you have already fully pre-registered, we recommend that you do not drop off additional cash pledges on Race Day. To avoid lengthy line-ups, mail or drop your additional pledge money off at United Way offices after Race Day.)

When mailing donations or submitting them on Race Day, please issue one cheque to cover all donations. Cheques should be made payable to "United Way Toronto".

*Remember: Offline pledges will not change your status from "Pending" to "Registered". Verified Pledges means that United Way has received the funds. This can only happen with online credit card donations. This offline donation-tracking tool is for your reference only and will not change your actual fundraising status. United Way cannot not use this information as it is not verified.

Cheques should be made payable to "United Way Toronto" and given directly to the participant taking part in the Race. The runner will enter the sponsor's information into the results form or the pledge form and submit them with the cheque to United Way Toronto:

• in person to our offices;
• by mail (do not mail cash) to United Way Toronto, Processing Department, 26 Wellington St. E., 2nd floor, Toronto, M5E 1W9; or
• in person on race day (If you have already fully pre-registered, we recommend that you do not drop off additional cash pledges on Race Day. To avoid lengthy line-ups, mail or drop your additional pledge money off at United Way offices after Race Day.)

Please include full name and mailing address for all you sponsors who donate $20 or more so that a tax receipt can be issued.

To qualify for our fabulous incentive prizes, you must raise and submit a minimum of $250 in pledges no later than 4:30 pm, Friday, July 10, 2009. Incentive prizes must be picked up in person, anytime between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm at United Way Toronto, 26 Wellington St. E., 2nd Fl., from August 10th – 21st, 2009 only. Incentives are awarded for raising $250, $500, $750, $1000, $2500 and $5000+. One top fundraising prize will be awarded to the individual who raises the most money. Prizes are non-cumulative and United Way reserves the right to substitute prizes for equal or greater value. Check out our prize incentive page for details.

Incentive prizes must be picked up in person, anytime between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm at United Way Toronto, 26 Wellington St. E., 2nd Fl., from August 10th – 21st, 2009 only.

Yes, someone other than yourself can pick up your prize but correct identification must be shown and a prize release form must be signed upon pick up. Incentive prizes must be picked up in person, anytime between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm at United Way Toronto, 26 Wellington St. E., 2nd Fl., from August 10th – 21st, 2009 only.

You can also assign someone from your team to pick up prizes for all participants who qualify. Email us at unitedwayevents@uwgt.org at least 24 hours in advance. We would be pleased to put your prize package together for you.

Please Note: United Way cannot mail or courier prizes.

United Way Toronto will not issue incentive prizes after August 21st, 2009.

The Scotiabank Rat Race for United Way is held at Scotia Plaza, 40 King Street West in downtown Toronto. The event itself is accessed from both the Adelaide Street West and King Street entrances. There is ample paid parking in the area.

Click here for map.

The 2009 Scotiabank Rat Race route will only be open for 1 hour. Race marhsalls will move behind the runners opening up the route for traffic. Participants moving slower than this pace will be asked by Police to move onto the sidewalk and proceed to the finish line obeying regular pedestrian road rules.

No. To ensure the safety of all runners, in-line skates, bikes and strollers are prohibited.

Yes, there is a complimentary coat check located at Scotia Plaza on the Concourse Level. *Please note: United Way Toronto is not responsible for lost or stolen articles. We strongly recommend that you bring as few items as possible.

Registration takes place on Race Day from 10:00am - 7:30pm at Scotia Plaza, Concourse Level, near Investor Services. To register, a minimum of $50 in pledges and any additional funds that you have collected is required. If you plan to register on Race Day, we strongly recommend you arrive early.

By pre-registering and submitting your $50 minimum in pledges before June 16, 2009, you can avoid the registration line up on Race Day and go directly to pick up your Race Kit. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

Your Race Kit can be picked up on Race Day at Scotia Plaza, Concourse Level, near Investor Services from 10:00am–7:30pm.

You must raise and submit a minimum of $250 by July 10, 2009 to be eligible for a gift card. See our prize page for more details. Incentive prizes must be picked up in person, anytime between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm at United Way Toronto, 26 Wellington St. E., 2nd Fl., from August 10th – 21st, 2009 only.

Pre-registered participants have registered and paid the $50 minimum in pledges online, by fax, in person or by mail before June 16, 2009. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

Event day registration refers to participants who have not raised a minimum of $50 in pledges online or in person and have not submitted the funds to United Way on or before June 16, 2009. Individuals who do not raise the funds by the June 16 cut-off must register on Race Day at Scotia Plaza, Concourse Level by Investor Services anytime between 10:00am-7:30pm.

Yes, but we strongly recommend that to avoid lengthy line-ups, participants who have pre-registered wait until after Race Day to hand in the remainder of their pledges. Supplemental pledges can be dropped off or sent into United Way Toronto offices before July 10, 2009. Don't stop at $50! Check out our prize incentive page for details.

A runner's bib is provided for each runner to indicate that you are registered and for timing purposes. Participants will be timed electronically as they start the race and pass the finish line. All participant times will be posted on the www.unitedwaytoronto.com website after the race. There are also medals for fastest female and male immediately following the race.

We recommend using our online registration tool to register for the Scotiabank Rat Race. You can solicit donations securely, and your sponsors will be sent electronic tax receipts immediately after sponsoring you. Your personal fundraising page will identify and track your donations instantly! You can log into the website any time to check your fundraising status.

Pending status means that you have registered for the event, but you have not raised a minimum of $50 in pledges online. In order to be pre-registered, you must raise a minimum of $50 online before June 16, 2009.

Starting at 7:00 pm on race day, the following streets will be closed: Adelaide Street West, from Bay Street to University Avenue; University Avenue North Bound full road northbound lanes to Charles Street. University Avenue will reopen shortly after the final racer passes. (See the race route map or notice of closure (pdf).)