Registration

People who are interested in attending the weekend retreat can phone our number and leave a message or they can send an email.  Just make sure a way of contacting the registrar is obvious on the poster. The registrar (someone you have identified) will phone them back to complete the registration process which includes screening and sending/emailing the attendees a package.

Registration is important because it is the first contact that potential participants have with the program and it allows you to screen patients for their eligibility and financial concerns.  You can also answer questions about the program so you’ll need someone knowledgeable making the return phone calls. 

Screening: We suggest that only those with a cancer diagnosis be allowed to attend - they may bring one relative/friend (not more).  It’s best that participants commit to the whole weekend and those who are going to miss more than a couple of hours not come to the weekend.  It is not appropriate for a person who is very disruptive / unable to remain quiet to attend the weekend. (We have never excluded a person though.)

1. The registration form captures some basic information on each attendee.  And prompts the registrar to ask all the important questions.
2. Create a master registration list with addresses, phone numbers, whether they’ve paid or sent in their deposit etc.  Make it clear that if they cancel, they must advise you in advance. Keep a waiting list if there is more demand than space.  This list will help you contact people if someone must cancel. On the Sunday of the weekend retreat, you can ask the participants if they want to share their contact information with others. You can send the contact information to those who signed up.
3. Send each attendee an introductory package in the mail or email – a welcome letter and a schedule for the weekend. You can include a list of local restaurants, hotel, a local map and whatever else you think may be helpful.
4. In the case you are using an external website to advertise the event, you can create a link to our pages to explain the registration process.  We don’t advertise the location of the event anywhere on the website (potential participants must be approved by the registrar) because we wouldn’t want to turn away people who just show up on the Friday evening of the weekend retreat. Click here for registration information for website.

If you offer financial bursaries:
In terms of offering a bursary to those with financial needs, we limit the total of all bursaries to a specific amount, for example $500 which is allocated on a first-come first-serve basis until the total is spent. (We have found it is rare for even one person to use this program.)  The plan is that after the person in need of money pays, you reimburse the amount paid via cheque to them on the Sunday afternoon of the retreat. (They have to attend the whole weekend to get their money back).