Creative pinking for breast cancer awareness
Giving back to our community: Making strides against breast cancer
This past month, the Smith & Jones + Burst Marketing team rallied together for an important cause: The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Campaign. We helped raise money for the charity through internal events, some friendly competition and walking together in a 5k. Read on to learn how we raised more than $3,000.
Why we did it
We decided to participate in this fundraiser for a few reasons. First of all, some of our team members have had loved ones who, unfortunately, have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Second, it was a great way to give back to our community, on both a local and national level. It not only was a cause close to our hearts, but it also doubled as a team building event, allowing us to spend quality time together, have a little fun and rally for a great cause. Lastly, it was an opportunity for us to take a more active role in healthcare to complement the work we do for our clients on a daily basis.
How we did it
Our strategy for raising money was simple: set a goal, figure out different ways to reach it and have fun while doing so. We sold pink bracelets (which happened to be our #1 fundraising activity) through social media efforts and by reaching out to friends and family. They sold like wildfire; we barely had enough to keep up with the demand! We also changed the colors of our social media icons, created a webpage that allowed people to make online donations and wore branded pink shirts every Friday leading up to the walk (“Creative Pinking” was our tagline). Internally, we had some fun with the fundraising. We set rules that required team members to make a donation if they swore, used the Keurig machine, ran late for meetings, or left their papers in the printer. Most notably, we had a boys vs. girls competition to see which team could raise the most money, and the losers had to get a pie in the face. Needless to say, this competition added some fire. See pictures from the pie in the face event below, which the girls won!
What we learned
One of the most important lessons we learned from this event is that collaboration is truly the key to success. If everyone participates and puts equal effort into one common goal, anything is possible. Additionally, we learned about the benefits of adding a little friendly competition into the mix. Competition is a great motivator and encourages performance, which is exactly what we needed to reach our goal. Our fundraising efforts culminated in the Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk in Washington Park — a fitting celebration for our women’s health!