How To Host A Cancer Fundraiser

There are many things that may motivate you to hold a fundraiser for a cancer cause. Perhaps a loved one, a community or family member, is fighting cancer and you see a need for financial help. Maybe you are motivated by the loss of someone you love to cancer, to raise money for cancer research. Whatever your motivation, the goal is admirable and we want to help you hold the most successful cancer fundraiser possible. That is why we offer a 15% discount for products purchased for fundraising. We also offer cancer jewelry kits that can help you keep more profits to donate to your cause.

The process of planning a successful cancer fundraiser can seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. The following steps can set you up for success as you plan your cancer fundraising campaign. Click here to learn about our discount for cancer awareness products used in fundraising.

Identify Your Goal

Be clear about your objectives. Who will you donate the money to? What amount do you hope to raise? What will they use the money for? Have you identified a worthy research facility to whom you will donate the proceeds from your cancer fundraiser? Will you combine your fundraiser with an awareness event? Once you’ve identified your goals clearly, write them down and be specific. Success is much more likely to be achieved if you have specific goals in mind and can share them clearly with other people. If you are combining your fundraiser with an awareness event, this is the time to identify your awareness campaign focus, as well. Will you focus on Breast Cancer Awareness, Survivor Support, or prevention and early detection? It’s possible to include several types of cancer awareness, provided you are clear about your objectives and plan to have information and/or experts available for each type.

Set A Date

There are a couple of ways to look at the date for your fundraiser, depending on whether you are combining it with a specific awareness event, or simply raising money over time. If you are raising money over time, set a date when the fundraiser will end and you will make the donation to the recipient. If you are planning the fundraiser in conjunction with an awareness event, you’ll need to look ahead to plan the event date. This may seem elementary, but weather patterns, commute schedules, school holidays, competing events and a number of other factors can make a big difference in determining the best date and time of day for your event. If you are planning an cancer awareness event and fundraiser for your office or school, you’ll want to consult primary decision makers before setting a date.

Choose A Location

Where will you reach the most potential donors? If you are selling a cancer awareness product as a method for fundraising, you can talk to local shop owners, or restaraunts, about featuring your product, along with a poster or flyer explaining your cause, at their checkout register where people can pick up the cancer awareness item and make a donation as they make their purchases.

For fundraisers combined with awareness events, the simplest location is generally the best location. To determine the best location, consider who you are trying to reach. If you are planning an event for work, it is usually easiest to hold the event at work, in the parking lot, break room or common area, so that people aren’t required to travel to a separate location in order to participate. School cancer awareness campaigns can be held in the gym, or during a sporting event, wherever you are most likely to reach the most people for the cause. If you are planning a community cancer awareness campaign event, a central location with high traffic flow is usually the most desirable. If your cancer awareness campaign involves fundraising, a location with high traffic flow is a must.

Build A Volunteer Base

Whether it’s just a couple of close friends, or a team of community members, this is one time that two heads really are better than one, and many hands make light work. Trying to pull off a successful cancer awareness campaign, or a cancer fundraiser, on your own can be overwhelming. Reach out to those around you to build a team of volunteers who are as excited about the cause as you are. Recruit people who have a passion for your fundraising cause. These might include cancer survivors or their family members, community members who work with cancer patients, such as radiology centers, cancer treatment centers, and local health care professionals. As you recruit your volunteers, ask each of them to bring a friend, until you have the number of people you feel will make your cancer awareness fundraiser the most successful.

Involve The Community

Reach out to the businesses in your community in seeking support for your cancer fundraising efforts. Depending on your goals, your requests to businesses will vary. You may be asking for auction donations to raise money for a local family. Or perhaps you are handing out “goody bags” full of cancer awareness and prevention information and you’d like your local businesses to throw in some promotional items, or cancer awareness merchandise, with messages that support your theme. Don’t be shy about asking the businesses to make cash donations to your cancer fundraiser. Especially if you are raising money that will benefit someone in the local community. You could offer to highlight those businesses on your fundraising flyers, or in local news promotions.

Follow Through On Your Goal

If your goal was to raise money to help a local family, be sure to report back to those involved about the success of your campaign, and make arrangements to have the funds delivered. If your plan was to educate and prevent, calculate the number of visitors and amount of information disseminated. Perhaps your cancer awareness campaign goal was to encourage others to get involved in the fight against cancer by volunteering their time or money to a worthy organization. Did you have the information and forms available so people could make that happen, and how many took advantage of it?

Thank Your Volunteers

Don’t forget to thank the volunteers and members of the community who helped make your cancer awareness campaign a success. This includes members of your planning team, community members who helped out, and any corporate sponsors who stood out in their support. It may be appropriate to offer a small gift, or cancer awareness item, as thanks for their help. An appreciated volunteer this year is more likely to be an enthusiastic supporter in the years to come.

Evaluate For Next Year

The best time to evaluate the success of your cancer awareness campaign is immediately after it’s over. It is tempting to put the evaluation off for several weeks. After all, you’ve worked hard and deserve a break. But you will be surprised at the details you’ll forget in a short amount of time. If at all possible, set aside some time not more than a week after your cancer awareness campaign to evaluate and make determinations for next year. You’ll thank yourself later.