I Am Your Champion is a game that will challenge your existing ideas regarding charitable fundraising. I sincerely believe that if you complete all five rounds of this game, you will look at working with charities, and your ability to assist your favorite charities, in a whole new light.

We will play the game in five rounds. Each round will begin at 10:00 AM, starting today and going through Friday. Each round will consist of three Tasks you must complete to proceed to the next round, as well as additional Drills that are optional, but will have an effect I will describe in a moment. And you can join the game at any time – if you’re reading this Friday morning, you can still complete all five rounds (but you might need to hustle).

Any player who completes all five rounds will receive a special pass from me. Only people who finish this version of the game will get this pass. In addition to being a unique and interesting item in and of itself, this pass will entitle the bearer to certain benefits to be disclosed after the game has been completed. Each one will be unique, and if you complete some of those Drills I mentioned earlier, your pass will reflect that.

I’ll be using the hashtag #iayc to post my own updates related to I Am Your Champion – feel free to do the same.

Ready to begin?

Prelude

In I Am Your Champion you are taking on the role of a Champion for the charitable cause of your choice. You pick something that has meaning to you, and for this week you’re going to rally to that cause. You’ll be rewarded along the way, and if you see this to the end, you’ll be rewarded doubly.

Round One

In the first round, your tasks are pretty simple:

Task One : Choose Your Cause – This is a Thinking task, and a very personal thing. You need to decide what cause you’re going to rally around – whose Champion will you be? It can be a big, well known organization (EFF, ASPCA, Red Cross, etc), or a small local affair we won’t recognize (a local food bank, inner city program, or even a family in a rough patch). The important thing is, it’s a work of charity.

Task Two : Decide To Play – This task is an Act of decision making. Commit to playing the game in whatever form feels right to you. Maybe it’s entirely internal, maybe you actually say to yourself “Ok. I’m in.” The expression of the act isn’t important, what matters is the act of confirming to yourself that you’re playing – that you are, for this week, a Champion for your cause.

Task Three : Announce Yourself – To make your first move as a Champion, announce yourself. Tell someone you’re playing I Am Your Champion. Then explain to them what that means, and tell them what your cause is. If you comment below, it will be easier for us all to keep track of each other, but you don’t have to comment here to play the game. You can post it on Facebook, Twitter, your own blog, or you can just tell people like your parents, coworkers, classmates, fellow barflies, or strangers on the street. Champions charge into the fray. They don’t hide at the back. You’re about to do something great, for a good cause. You can be proud of that. And you may get some of your friends involved along the way.

Choose Your Cause, Decide To Play, Announce Yourself. Complete these three tasks, and you will have completed Round One.

Drills

1 – Join the conversation on Twitter

2 – Write a dedicated blog post announcing yourself as a Champion.

3 – Directly invite 5 people to become Champions.

Any questions? Want to Announce Yourself? Sound off below!