Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser Ideas: Creative Ways to Support Breast Cancer Fundraising and Awareness

When you speak of cancer, it affects many people. Worse off, most people have friends or even relatives who have been infected by the disease. I personally lost my grandmother to her battle with pancreatic cancer in 2009. Cancer is a deadly disease, and much effort and motivation toward the research of cancer and treatment of cancer programs is required. 

That would appear to be a pretty daunting movement to be a part of. You would be sitting there wondering what in the world your organization or nonprofit could possibly do to help such a world crisis — it seems impossible.

On the plus side, you might be able to help.

Establishing cancer fundraising campaigns is one of the many ways to get involved in the movement and help fund cancer treatment and research. This is when fundraising platforms like Paybee can provide the perfect platform to help set up a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness.

Cancer is just one of those tough subjects; so many of us have been touched personally, within our family, or by friends. This blog will celebrate how amazing it is that while such a problem is present, we can help. We can either save a life or participate in this exponentially growing disease with creative ideas in fundraising against cancer. Paybee will be here to help make this very important initiative a success.

How Can Cancer Fundraising Help Raise Awareness?

Cancer fundraising is a good form through which funds can be collected to help people around a person and even beyond them, who are affected by cancer. It is therefore joining the single person, the family, and the community at large to support a person who is in their battle against cancer.

After that, the money received from the fundraising activities is channeled toward the field of medical research and financial assistance to those already in the evil grips of cancer. Cancer funding grants resources that will enable medical researchers and physicians to go further in the fight against this crippling condition.

Those funds are also used to support the patient by paying for medical treatments that are not provided by insurance or other financial aid means.

It is becoming popular in cancer fundraising because people have realized that the money raised through such events will also make much difference in the programs for cancer research and care of the patients.

Creative Breast Cancer Fundraising Ideas to Support Breast Cancer Awareness and Research

Walk-a-thons

Walk-a-thons have always been a go-to fund-raising method for nonprofits. Why? Because it works. You hold the event, and participants get donation pledges from friends and family for the distance that they walk.

An event like this is one way you can build awareness with a greater audience. While you're engaging the actual participants at your event, you're also getting exposure through the individuals whom your participants ask for pledges. 

Have some of your nonprofit organization members walk along with the participants and talk with them about what it is you do with the organization, and what it means to you. 

Then, let them sell concessions and commemorative t-shirts in the stands to make extra money and help those coming through to remember your cause.

Paw-a-thon

Paw-a-thons resemble your average walk-a-thon, except they include a furry friend. 

All your pet-owning supporters will jump at the chance for their pets to get a little exercise and enjoy some time outdoors, along with getting to know fellow pet owners. Just be sure to remind them to bring along a leash.

You can sell T-shirts, hats, and collars—all printed with your mission. You can also take a sign-up fee from all those participating.

Girls' Night In

Supporter-thrown pamper evenings allow your followers to pamper their friends and family.

Manicures and pedicures, as well as all other spa-type treatments like facials and massages are great hits as well. Everyone will get a pink manicure and a pink pedicure. If there are going to be makeovers, they will be touched with pink, too.

Make it a girly get-together with a twist by popping on a rom-com. Charge an entry fee for the event, in addition to extra donations that may be solicited during the course of the night. You could have a set fee for the evening or ask people to contribute what they might normally spend for a night out.

Catwalk Shows

Host a catwalk show to create awareness for breast cancer. It is one enjoyable way of raising self-esteem among volunteers and has been said to work perfectly in raising funds.

For maximum effect, you could recruit women with personal experience of breast cancer as your models. In this case, casting volunteers for this kind of project can effectively take place through social media and an ad in a local newspaper. 

In fact, for maximum effect, the models you use should be a diverse range of women, and even those who have experienced breast cancer themselves.

Haircut Party

In a breast cancer patient, losing some or all of their hair is a common part of the treatment process. Haircut parties make this potential tough moment empowering for these fighters against breast cancer!

You can fundraise for the event by sharing proceeds with a participating salon, have patrons of the salon donate to the cause, or just ask anyone walking in to come in and donate their hair to wigs for cancer patients. 

After all, you are in this to raise money and awareness, but you want to be sure that you pay proper attention to the needs of those brave breast cancer survivors whom you are throwing the haircut party for.

Community Barbecues

A barbecue is a great way to get the local community involved in your breast cancer fundraising. It's one that works better when the weather is warmer because a little rain can dull the fun factor.

Recruit volunteers to fire up the grill and cook burgers, hot dogs, and their vegetarian and vegan equivalents in exchange for a donation, of course! This can be made into a larger event if sponsors come on board.

Just make sure that you have permission to host the community barbecue, let's say, in the local park.

Tree Planting Event

Organizing a tree-planting event for the community could be a perfect way to give back to the planet and the community while at the same time raising money for cancer research and treatment. 

Maybe that's selling saplings, which sponsors plant in their yards, or maybe it's an event at which new trees are planted in a park or around a community building.

If gardening is your passion, you might take this fundraiser much further into selling flower bulbs or maybe even conducting gardening workshops. 

The workshop can have a learning component related to how to grow trees or other plants, and one aspect of the workshop can even be on educating the attendees on how your nonprofit's work is meaningful and impactful.

Art Exhibition

What could be a more beautiful way to promote local artists and raise money for cancer research and treatment than an art show? The first step to this process is to find a place to exhibit these local artists' works. 

A good place to start the search for the artists who will donate their work is your community college, where students are getting ready to start their careers and eager to show off what they are doing.

You might also bring in a theme and your purpose to the show by asking artists to use the color associated with the cancer type that you research—perhaps that color would be pink for breast cancer.

Sell some tickets to your art show to raise money. You might ramp it up into an event by adding food and drinks. And, always provide a place for people to put in that extra donation if they choose.

Paint-and-Sip Night

Bring in a local artist for a paint-and-sip night, an art class with added wine. It might even be a life-drawing event—provided you can find a volunteer model game enough to take it all off for charity.

Take it one step further and hang the works created on the night in a local exhibition space. Just make sure you have the permission from the model first.

Craft Show

Another option to showcase local talent would be a craft or hobby show, where people donated items like quilts, crocheted scarves and mitts, or hand-made jewelry. On top of that, finding people to purchase those items would probably be easier.

Again, you will want to find somewhere to showcase these artists. This cancer fundraising idea can be done at a local park if the weather is is on your side. 

If you happen to have a ticket event, you may not be able to sell that many tickets if the event is to be held outside. Gather funds by asking visitors for donations as well as funds through sales. Ask the artists to find a creative way of working your fight against cancer mission into each craft, if possible.

Fitness Event

This event idea has the added advantage of promoting physical health. If your community is keen on aerobics, yoga, Zumba, or hula-hooping, there will be instructors interested in dedicating an hour of their time to teaching a class to raise funds for breast cancer. Make sure you organize an appropriate venue and provide the right equipment.

Balloon Raffle

With a little creative modification, your organization's raffle can turn into an event that all ages will enjoy. Conduct a balloon raffle by slipping a raffle ticket inside each. Your organization will sell the balloons for a dollar each. When all are sold, the audience can pop them to find out who holds the winning ticket.

You'll want a prize exciting enough to draw in donors. Some ways to do this are through asking companies to give an in-kind gift worth a certain value or holding a 50/50 raffle where your organization gets half the proceeds and the raffle winner gets the other half.

A Reverse Raffle

Raffles are always a winning proposition; they are easy to understand. You buy a raffle ticket, and if your number is called, you win a prize. Now, a reverse raffle is a bit different.

Everyone buys a ticket and, as their number is drawn, they are eliminated from the contest. The person still holding a raffle ticket at the end will win half of the raffle money collected, and your nonprofit will keep the rest.

With the right event this type of fundraiser can be very profitable if done repeatedly. Your organization can also receive a great deal of publicity for this event because the raffles are run and the prizes are higher. 

Other organizations that have held similar events have released the names and the amount of money the winner received with the local press to pique their community's interest.

Before holding this type of fundraiser, make sure to check if it is legal and affordable in your city or state, including local laws and raffle restrictions.

Make sure you tell the audience that the winner must be present to take the win; that way, you keep a crowd for the entire game. Another way is to do a poll with the final 10 players, asking if they want to stop the game and split the winnings or go to just one winner. This will get the crowd more excited and involved.

Bake Sale

Bake sales always have a nice following, especially if it's for a good cause. Ask some of your more eager followers to break out the mixing bowl and bake a few cakes and cookies that you can sell to raise money for your cause. Even supporters who do not like to bake probably have a friend or two who does.

You could even look at some of the more savory options, for people who do not have the biggest sweet tooth. At any rate, it wouldn't hurt to prepare one or two gluten-free and vegan options for the many dietary needs that abound.

You can add pink as one of the color themes with the icing on the design that symbolizes breast cancer.

Local offices would be a safe venue, and most stores would also be open to hosting your bake sale on their grounds. You just have to ask, and the results might surprise you in raising money for breast cancer! 

The next step is to promote your bake sale to the wider community. Remember to advertise it on your organization's website and through your donor communications so people know where they can show up and buy a treat or two. Request permission to hang posters in local stores, businesses, cafés and restaurants in your community.

Pink Pumpkins Contest

This fundraiser is particularly appropriate for October, which is, of course, breast cancer awareness month. Run a competition where members of the public turn their orange pumpkins pink.

They are then invited to bring their pink pumpkin down and enter it into the competition. There are rewards on offer for the most imaginative entries. Those that can't attend the venue can take a picture and bring their entry in or send it in by email.

Jumble Sale

Upcycling has made second-hand treasures more popular than ever. Encourage people to donate unwanted things—market your event as a way for people to declutter homes. Place donation buckets around the place and sell leftovers on digital marketplaces so that nothing goes to waste.

Quiz Night

Everybody loves a quiz night. Make it even better by holding your quiz night at a community hall and provide the drinks and snacks yourself. Not only does this mean you can keep all the money made from the refreshments, but you can introduce a special pink-themed round to your quiz in order to really drive home the point of your cause.

Bingo Night

Host bingo night for the community. This is a fundraising for cancer idea that is easy to prepare and is also age-inclusive. You should just plan for a venue to have the event. A good way to cut the cost is by having the event at your home or community center.

You also should arrange for prizes so that people can take an interest in joining your bingo night. You could, for instance, charge an entry fee on a bingo night, and then still sell more food and drinks to the same participants.

Hold a Silent Auction

A silent auction may be held with the help of a cancer research and awareness nonprofit. A lot of work in terms of setting up is needed for a silent auction, but it is one of the greatest fundraising opportunities. 

If you want to run a silent auction, we recommend that you be organized and prepare everything in advance. You need about 6 to 9 months to select the venue, acquire the items to be auctioned, send out the invitations, and so much more.

Hold a Nutrition Class

Learning to eat healthily is a life skill. Share some healthy eating tips or recipes with your community to raise some funds for your cause. Charge an entrance fee, and leave a spot where participants can make additional contributions if they would like to do so.

Based on the fact that the event is expected to draw a large audience, consider organizing several cooking classes, which would help raise more funds for cancer treatment.

Floating Flowers Ceremony

Pay tribute to a loved one by participating in the Floating Flowers Ceremony cancer fundraising idea. One of the best perhaps for individuals to be able to raise money for cancer treatment, a floating flowers ceremony allows you to honor those who have lost their battle with cancer while supporting those who are still fighting.

The floating of flowers or petals on a river during the ceremony is done to symbolize letting go but with thoughts of love for those who pass through life. It's then up to you whether you want to charge supporters for a bouquet or just keep a general donation box for people who would like to support your cause.

Local Business Involvement in Fundraising 

Restaurant Partnerships

Most restaurants will be open to partnering with a nonprofit organization. You can either work with a major chain or franchise or talk to the owners of a local restaurant or café. 

Try to time your partnership to coincide with breast cancer awareness month for maximum publicity. In general, a restaurant partnership is very simple in operation. 

The restaurants will hold a night in your honor where a percentage of all sales made on that particular night is donated to your cause.

The restaurant is doing the donating, and you work to publicize the evening and make sure all the tables are full from the first one in the door to the last.

Karaoke Night

Karaoke nights are a really classic fundraiser, even more so for breast cancer awareness.

Partner with a local café, bar or restaurant on a fun karaoke night to raise some money for your cause. You may even be able to solicit donated equipment and advertise the night way in advance.

You could fundraise with a cover charge for the evening, with friends or your community encouraged to vote with their dollars for their favorite "acts". You can also negotiate an agreement with the venue to split the profits or establish special food and beverage package deals. Turn your cause into the feature for the night, with maybe a breast cancer survivor or two talking, and asking for donations.

Band Night

You could build upon the karaoke night idea and have a Band Night by inviting a range of local bands. They can then help in promoting the event to their fans and help spread the word.

If you can't recruit too many bands, expand the invitation to the public. Your supporters can team up together to form bands.

You can even take it a step further by getting a local celebrity on board to judge the bands.

Donation Boxes

Collaborating with businesses to place donation boxes beside their cash register would be a good idea. 

So, when a customer receives change, they can put some in the donation box for the cause to collect funds for breast cancer.

Partner with businesses that get a lot of walk-in customers who are likely to pay in cash and not through cards.

Bra Swap Event

Every woman must have experienced the frustration of buying a beautiful bra, apparently in the right size, only to get home and find it did not fit. But instead of returning it, it just goes in her underwear drawer, unworn, until it is eventually thrown out.

A Bra Swap raises awareness and funds, as well as allowing women to bring in bras that they no longer need but that are perfectly fine to be used by someone else, no matter if they've been worn once or twice, and therefore saves the planet from added waste and keeps bras from the bin.

Local businesses such as lingerie stores or boutiques could partner with your nonprofit organization to collect and donate bras for the breast cancer fundraising event or provide space for the event to take place. 

A Bra Swap event raises the importance of well-fitted bras and women's health, along with raising funds for your cause since you can charge a fee for admission.

Pink Party

Plan a Pink Party and help increase breast cancer awareness and raise funds. The pink ribbon remains a symbol used for years now to create awareness about breast cancer. If your organization is working to raise funds related to breast cancer, you can take advantage of this. 

Hosting a "Pink Party" is much like hosting any other kind of fundraising evening or gathering, but everything is pink. Make all the decorations pink, have the guests arrive wearing pink, and definitely serve some food in the realm of pink as well! 

For the "Pink Party," local businesses could contribute by sponsoring the event, providing pink-themed decorations or food, or donating items for auction or sale. You raise money for breast cancer awareness by soliciting a donation all night, by an entrance fee, or by both ways! Just a piece of advice— recruit lots of attendees!

These are just an amazing choice to raise awareness and funds for research and/or breast cancer treatment because they foreground breast cancer pink. Get all of your friends together for a night of pink-themed fundraising.

Sell Crafts

Maybe you are a craft enthusiast; if so, why not try selling handmade products as a way to raise money to support cancer treatment?

Just by knitting scarves, binding handmade journals, or even painting, you can convert your hobby into a way of collecting money for cancer treatment. Go a step further and decorate these projects with the cancer ribbon for the cause you wish to raise money for.

You can sell your products online or around your community. Contact the gift shop at your local hospital and other retailers about carrying your products.

When fundraising with handmade items, the most important thing is to spread the word. Put up your products on social media sites, email all your friends and family, and ask local media to publicize your story.

Arrange a Holiday Gift Wrapping Service

Christmas holidays are the busiest days of the year as well as the most opportune time to raise money through a wrapping service. Your community will absolutely love that they do not have to add one more thing to their to-do list. Besides, knowing that it's for a good purpose, they are going to be likely to ask for your service.

Collaborate with a local departmental store or establish your outlet in a commercial area. Add to your service list bows, tags, and ribbons, and make extra money doing that.

Innovative Online Fundraising Methods 

Google Ads

What's the first thing most people do after they search for a term on Google? They'll take a look at the first few results that Google returns. This is why Google Ads are one of the most powerful tools you can use to put your Breast Cancer fundraiser in front of prospects!

Google Ads allows one to pay for particular keywords so that when someone searches using that word or phrase, the site comes up first. Nonprofits can use Google Ads for free because Google has an Ad Grant program that offers an allotment of $10,000 in ad credits to use on keywords.

Your organization can make use of Google's grant to promote awareness of the Breast Cancer fundraiser your organization is hosting by diverting traffic to:

Donation Pages

Optimize for target keywords that are relevant to your dedicated donation page or form for the fundraiser to encourage searchers to take an action by donating immediately.

Information

Sensitizing the public on the reasons for the donations by advertising educational information on breast cancer.

Service Pages

Advertise the mission and work of your organization by creating ads for the Project, Services, and About pages.

However, Google does have a little bit of qualification on who they consider for the program and what you can do to hold that grant to keep renewing monthly. Apply by getting some help from a Google Grants agency that sets up ads to get you results for your Breast Cancer fundraiser. And a Google Grants professional can help with initial setup and continue optimizing the account so your ads perform best.

eCards

You will get more support for your Breast Cancer fundraiser if you will do more than just simply make information available to potential donors. The key is to engage your audience—that's where eCards come in!

eCards are essentially digital greeting cards that are usually sent through eMail, so sending them is a nice way to interact with your donors. Your organization can easily raise more money for your Breast Cancer fundraiser by creating charity eCards in a few quick steps:

Step One: Design your eCards

Design customized eCards in line with your nonprofit's brand. You can even be part of the breast cancer awareness movement by making everything pink.

Step Two: Embed the eCards into your website 

eCards should be available to your supporters in return for a donation that benefits Breast Cancer and is given to your fundraiser. Add them to a page dedicated to your campaign, the page should let donors know what the donations will be used for after purchasing an eCard.

Step Three: Accept Donations

Watch your donations roll in as your supporters send eCards to each other in honor of their donation towards your fundraiser. They may send something like this to their friends or family after they donate! 

For example, a supporter may donate in tribute to a family member fighting breast cancer and then send the eCard to the family member, lending them words of encouragement. The beauty of eCards is that you can make new ones for almost every occasion! 

Create a lot more eCards you can use with your Breast Cancer fundraiser, or after the campaign has finished, for new fundraising ideas or additional recognition. eCards are sent to the donors of your fundraiser, saying thank you for contributing to your cause!

Crowdfunding Campaign

Crowdfunding websites such as Paybee offer great opportunities to raise money against breast cancer. Most importantly, one's supporters can get rewards for making donations, and get creative with donor perks.

Once you've set up your page, you can go about doing your work without having to spend hours on fundraising. Within just a few clicks, donors from all corners of the world can donate to your crowdfunding campaign.

This would be a popular fundraising option for those diagnosed with breast cancer who are facing hard times paying their treatment bills. It could also work quite effectively for institutions working to assist breast cancer research and recovery, especially during October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

You can also use crowdfunding, where your donors can raise funds for you. They can become your cause ambassadors and put your word out into their own circles of friends and family. 

Most crowdfunding donations come in during the first week. So think of interesting and creative ways to keep your campaign in front of new audiences and keep the momentum going in week two. Personal stories around breast cancer will likely tug at the heartstrings of donors.

Peer-to-peer Campaign

Peer-to-peer campaigns are normally put in place for fundraising relative to specific, short-term funding requests for some programs. The most successful campaigns are characterized by an element of urgency. A peer-to-peer awareness campaign is a bit different.

This is the form of a campaign that mainly targets spreading the word on what your organization does. Donations are just a benefit from this. It is one more way to pump up your donors and volunteers to be enthusiastic about the campaign. 

Before the campaign kicks off, reach out to your donors and volunteers who you know are very thrilled about the activity. You may ask them to draft a letter to their community on why they care about cancer research and treatment. 

By giving a template for supporters to use, you can help donors with any concerns about starting. Also, information and pictures of your organization's programs in how they fit your donors' stories.

It is an all-year breast cancer fundraiser as there is no short-term goal. It turns out to be an excellent opportunity to spread the message and promote your organization to a new potential donor base.

Phone Calls and Texts

Interact with people one on one, either by phone or text. People are much more likely to support your fundraising project when you've reached out to them personally.

If you're a nonprofit organization, you probably would want to recruit volunteers who will do the heavy lifting while you can focus on using other marketing outlets and refining your campaign.

Social Media

Perfect for rallying even more support behind your cause. This tool gives you the power to share your campaign to your followers instantaneously; those users are then able to do the same with their networks.

Share your Breast Cancer Page fundraiser to inspire people to donate. Post updates frequently after your official launch to keep up with people who will continue to give.

Social Media Livestream

Are you holding an event that most of your donors can't make in person? You can do it live from anywhere or any event with the use of social media and live streaming. 

Social media live streams can stream live from any place or event. Such an online option gives your donors a different perspective on your nonprofit and, in turn, probably increases donations and other actions that might be beneficial to your organization.

Host a Facebook Livestream event and promote it with all of your social media accounts, your email campaigns, and even direct mail. You want to be able to get as many people as possible to come and share this event with their community. 

Activate a live stream event as a fundraiser with a local sponsor. Ask a local business to share the event on social media and throw down a large donation in return for free advertisement with their donor base. 

Turn that donation into a match-gift campaign and double the sponsorship amount. Add a fundraising thermometer to this campaign to show the importance of reaching your goal within the allotted time.

Matching Gifts

Corporate matching gifts offer a way to double the opportunity for your donor's gift. Today, many corporations offer employees a matching gift opportunity. Unfortunately, too many people have no idea about this offer.

Create an online and direct mail campaign that encourages people to ask their employers about matching gifts. You might also want to put a link to Double the Donation on your donation page, so that people can check with their company for this possibility.

Virtual Auctions

Partner with your local businesses to gather items for your virtual auction. Virtual auctions take away the element of a venue, food, and drinks, which will, in turn, totally focus on the donor experience and building awareness for your nonprofit.

Use fundraising software that is specifically designed for virtual and hybrid events. For example, use Paybee to engage your participants with:

• Chat
• Auction agenda
• Live leaderboards
• Donation notifications
• Mobile auction bidding
• Polls
• Virtual tables
• In-depth reporting
• Bulk uploads of auction items

Frequently Asked Questions About Breast Cancer Fundraising and Awareness

What is the theme for October 2024's Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

This year Breast Cancer Awareness Month will ask people to take charge of their health and well-being with the message: "No one should face breast cancer alone." This further emphasizes community and support in the process of fundraising for the cause of breast cancer.

How can employees observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month at their workplace?

Encourage your team to wear pink ribbons, volunteer together, add pink to the office, shop for pink items, and bring awareness to breast cancer.

How do you promote Breast Cancer Awareness?

Offer opportunities for breast cancer education, breast cancer prevention, and early breast cancer detection through events like guest lectures, health fairs, and competitions. Partner with local and national cancer support organizations to create awareness and share information about cancer screening and treatment.

Make Your Donations Be Hassle-Free With Paybee

Are you ready to take the concept of your breast cancer fundraising ideas out of your dreams and make it a reality? Let's work together and make it happen.

Paybee is the foundation product to take your supporter engagement and donations for any in-person, hybrid, or virtual event to the next level, providing an extensive toolkit with all the functionalities to bring high-impact and professional live event experiences.

Click here to book a FREE demo and to learn how our nonprofit event software can help power your fundraisers.