Tag Archives: Fundraising

12 Days of Hope: Creative Ways to Support Breast Cancer Awareness This Holiday Season

From delicious treats and family traditions to twinkly lights and falling snow, the holidays are a great time to kick back and enjoy the small things in life. As we gather around the fireplace and cozy up to our favorite films, we must always remember that we can take small actions each day in the fight against breast cancer. We must continue to advocate, raise awareness, and garner donations to aid in treatment and advance research until we finally create the ultimate holiday present: a world without breast cancer. That being said, it’s no easy feat to blend holiday spirit with support for breast cancer awareness. To help, follow along on our Twelve Days of Hope which are full of creative ways to support the Susan G. Komen® mission this holiday season.  

Day 1 — Share a Survivor’s Story: Encourage your supporters to share an inspiring story of a breast cancer survivor on social media or in their holiday newsletters to spread hope and awareness. 

Day 2 — Organize a Holiday Walk: Host a two-mile holiday themed walk either in person or virtually and invite those around you to remind them why we walk while repping their favorite holiday apparel.  

Day 3 — Donate in Honor of a Loved One: Suggest giving the gift of a donation in someone’s name and provide customizable e-cards for that special acknowledgment. 

Day 4 — Pink Holiday Sweater Day: Have fun with a virtual “Ugly Pink Sweater” contest. Encourage participants to post pictures in their pink sweaters to help spread awareness. 

Day 5 — Raise Awareness with Holiday Cards: Share your holiday greetings and include a short note about the importance of early detection or research and include a blurb about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® to encourage donations during the season of giving.  

Day 6 — Breast Cancer Awareness Gift Wrapping Service: Organize a gift-wrapping service at your local mall, home, or a holiday market and collect donations for your services. 

Day 7 — Pink-Themed Cookie Exchange: Host a virtual or in-person pink cookie exchange. Make a contest for the best breast cookie to spread awareness and encourage donations in a fun, seasonal way. 

Day 8 — Sponsor a Thriver’s Holiday: Share stories of breast cancer survivors, encouraging supporters to send thoughtful holiday messages or care packages to someone actively going through treatment. 

Day 9 — Decorate for the Cures: Grab a gingerbread house and some pink icing to create the ultimate Komen 3-Day gingerbread house. Share photos on social media to spread awareness. 

Day 10 — Share the Pink Bubble: As we all know, the Pink Bubble goes far beyond those 60 miles. From a quick smile to a grand act of kindness, spread positivity and community in any way you can. 

Day 11 — Pink Tree of Hope: Encourage supporters to create their own pink “Tree of Hope” at home or online, decorating it with messages of hope, awareness facts, and ribbons in honor of loved ones. 

Day 12 — New Year’s Resolutions for Awareness: Inspire readers to set a resolution to promote breast cancer awareness throughout the year. Offer ideas like hosting educational events or encouraging friends and family to get screened. 

As we soak up the last bit of 2024, remember all you have accomplished and the difference that you are making in the fight against breast cancer. We can’t wait to see you next year at the 2025 3-Day®! 

How to Use Social Media to Fundraise for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day

Fundraising for breast cancer through social media is an incredibly powerful method. With millions of people connecting daily on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you can tap into these networks to raise awareness, inspire support, and meet (and hopefully exceed!) your fundraising goals. Here’s how to get started and make the most of social media’s potential.  

The Importance of Building Community Through Social Media

Beyond the technical aspects of setting up a fundraiser, social media is an invaluable tool for building a supportive and engaged community around your cause. Here’s how it helps: 

Create a Sense of Belonging 

Social media platforms allow you to connect with people who care about breast cancer awareness, whether they’re survivors, current patients, or supporters. By sharing your story, updates, and educational content, you create a sense of shared purpose that motivates people to act. When followers see others contributing, they feel a part of something bigger, which encourages more involvement. 

Offer Real-Time Updates 

Platforms like Instagram and Facebook allow for instant updates, so you can share real-time progress on your fundraising efforts. People feel more connected when they can see immediate impacts, whether it’s reaching a new milestone or hearing from someone directly impacted by the cause. 

Amplify Your Reach 

Social media allows your message to spread far beyond your immediate network. When someone donates or shares your post, their friends and followers see it too, creating a ripple effect. This amplification is invaluable, especially when working toward a fundraising goal. 

Foster Meaningful Engagement 

Through comments, messages, and shares, you can interact with your audience, answer questions, and deepen the relationship between your cause and your supporters. This dialogue not only helps raise funds but also builds long-term relationships that continue beyond the current campaign. 

The Technical Side: How to Set Up Fundraisers on Social Media

Social media platforms make it easier than ever to set up and manage fundraisers. Here’s a guide to using Facebook for your breast cancer fundraising efforts: 

Facebook Fundraisers 

Facebook has built-in fundraising tools that allow you to directly raise money for your chosen cause. Here’s how to set one up: 

Step 1: Log in at The3Day.org to go to your Participant Center. 

Step 2: Look for the big blue box that says “Raise Money Directly on Facebook” and click the link to edit your fundraiser content. As default, your Facebook fundraiser will have the same content as your personal 3-Day fundraising page, but you can customize it during this step. 

Step 3: Click “Save and Connect Fundraiser to Facebook.” 

Read our Facebook Fundraiser FAQ here. 

Instagram Fundraisers 

Though Instagram has a direct donation feature, this WILL NOT link to your 3-Day fundraising account. Instead, add your personal 3-Day fundraising link to your Instagram bio and share it via stories.  

Content Strategies

Content is the heart of your social media fundraising efforts. Whether it’s a compelling story, an eye-catching image, or an engaging video, what you share can inspire people to act. Authentic, well-crafted content helps build trust and foster emotional connections with your audience. Consider sharing personal experiences, facts about breast cancer, and updates on your progress to keep your supporters engaged. Use a mix of formats like posts, videos, Instagram Stories, and Reels to create dynamic content that raises awareness and encourages donations. The more authentic and creative your content, the better it will resonate with your audience and motivate them to contribute.   

Instagram Stories and Reels are quick, engaging ways to share your message and reach a wider audience. 

Stories 

Post frequent updates to show the progress of your fundraiser and add fun elements like polls, questions, or countdowns. You can even directly link your fundraising page on your stories through the features button on the top of the page.  

Reels 

Create short, inspiring videos explaining why breast cancer fundraising is important. These can feature personal testimonials, stats about breast cancer, or behind-the-scenes content of you organizing the fundraiser. 

Creative Ideas for Social Media Fundraising 

To make your social media breast cancer fundraiser stand out, it’s important to think creatively. Here are some ideas to help engage your followers and encourage donations: 

Personal Storytelling 

Nothing resonates more than personal stories. Whether you’re a survivor, a friend, or a family member, sharing your personal connection to breast cancer can deeply move others to donate. Use captions, videos, or Instagram Live sessions to tell your story and explain why fundraising for breast cancer is important to you. 

Host a Live Fundraising Event 

Leverage Facebook Live or Instagram Live to host a real-time event. This could be a virtual workout class, a cooking tutorial, or a Q&A with a breast cancer survivor or medical professional. During the event, remind viewers to donate using a link to your personal page and encourage them to share it with others. 

Create a Challenge 

Social media thrives on challenges! Create a breast cancer awareness challenge, like posting a pink-themed photo or doing 30 push-ups a day for a week and ask participants to donate or share the challenge to raise awareness. Use hashtags like #BreastCancerChallenge or #PinkChallenge to unify posts and grow momentum. 

Launch a “Tag and Donate” Campaign 

Encourage your followers to donate and tag three friends to do the same. This creates a fun, interactive chain effect that can multiply your reach and fundraising efforts. 

Incorporate Milestones  

Set fundraising milestones and offer rewards or incentives when they’re met. For example, promise to cook meals for a homeless shelter, dye your hair pink, or walk a certain number of miles if you hit a fundraising target. Sharing this on social media can motivate people to contribute just to see you reach that goal. 

Thank Your Donors Publicly 
Post regular updates thanking and tagging your donors. Everyone appreciates a thank you, and the public recognition will inspire the friends and followers who have not given you a donation yet to give, so they can get that recognition, too! 
 

Social media fundraising is an effective way to support breast cancer awareness and raise funds for research and patient care. By understanding the technical aspects of setting up fundraisers, fostering a sense of community, and using creative ideas to engage your audience, you can leverage the power of social media to make a meaningful impact in the fight against breast cancer. 

Get started today and inspire others to join the cause by sharing your story, connecting with your network, and spreading hope and support. 

Congratulations to our 2024 San Diego 3-Day Top Fundraisers!

The 2024 Susan G. Komen San Diego 3-Day had 1,850 walkers and 340 crew members who raised $6.4 million in the fight against breast cancer. To wrap up Day 1, our top fundraisers were recognized Friday evening at the Bank of America Celebration of Champions. This year, Bank of America has donated $33,000 to the top fundraisers to jump start their 2025 fundraising efforts. Join us in congratulating these teams and individuals for their incredible achievements and contributions! 

We kicked off the celebration by recognizing our crew, who raised a combined total of $121,000 at the 2024 San Diego 3-Day! Our Top Individual Crew Fundraiser, Anna S., raised nearly $11,000 this year at her third event, with her lifetime total surpassing $18,500. She was rewarded with a $500 donation toward her 2025 Susan G. Komen 3-Day® fundraising thanks to our National Presenting Sponsor, Bank of America!  

The San Diego 3-Day Youth Corps showed us that it’s never too early to make a difference, surpassing an outstanding $21,000 in the fight against breast cancer. Our Top Three Youth Corps Fundraisers demonstrated their commitment to spreading awareness and raising funds to end this disease once and for all. Talia and Leora Z. tied for first place raising over $1,500 each for their second event and will both receive a Komen 3-Day branded Hydro Flask as a token of our appreciation and to spread awareness wherever they bring it. First-timers Violet and Frankie D. were also recognized for raising over $1,400 and $1,300, respectively. We are constantly blown away by Youth Corps’ commitment to the breast cancer cause. 

Next up, the incredible Sweep & Shuttle crew was recognized for the more than $21,700 raised by all 42 members captained by Janet K., Mary M., and Bridget H., making them the Top Crew Fundraising Team.  

With our crew recognized, we continued by celebrating our Rookie of the Year, Robert S., who entered the Pink Bubble with gusto, raising more than $17,700 for his first 3-Day®! Bank of America gave him a head start on his 2025 fundraising with a $500 donation! We can’t wait to welcome Robert back to the 3-Day next year when he’ll no longer be a newbie! The crowd applauded for his contributions and tenacity to raise such a tremendous amount of money at his first event. What a way to kick off his Pink Bubble experience! 

We then recognized our Top Individual Fundraiser, Rachel B. who raised more than $52,200, contributing to her lifetime total of nearly $369,000 raised in the past 19 years. This year, Rachel’s team of eight, Bouncin’ Buckeyes, was also awarded our Small But Mighty Team Award for raising an incredible $78,500. We’d like to extend our congratulations to the Top 2-Day Walker, Jung C., for raising $7,700 and our top 1-Day Walker, Debra R., for raising $4,000 at the San Diego 3-Day.  

We went on to celebrate Hands Up For Hooters, our Top Fundraising Team, who raised more than $121,000 amongst their 84 team members, also making them the largest team! Captained by Sally D., in their 15 years as a team, Hands Up For Hooters has raised an unbelievable $1.4 million at the 3-Day and has no plans of stopping until we end breast cancer forever.  

Whatever your fundraising goals were for the 2024 San Diego 3-Day, the effort you put in and the funds you raised are essential to ending this disease. On behalf of Bank of America and Susan G. Komen®, thank you for all that you do to help fight breast cancer!