Sure,
it may be cool these days to complain about how all the pink you see
during Breast Cancer Awareness Month hurts your eyes, or to point out
that despite all the awareness efforts and money raised, breast cancer
is still without a cause.
However, breast cancer awareness is a bigger issue now than it ever has
been before, and it’s a cause that still needs our help.
First,
it’s important to recognize the strides that have been made in the
fight against breast cancer. In the time spanning 1990 to 2011, breast
cancer deaths declined 25%. Meanwhile, the number of nonprofit
organizations committed to fighting
breast cancer have increased drastically, from just a few in 1989 to
over 200 in 2011. These charities have also combined to raise over $550
million every year in total revenue, according to the National Center
for Charitable Statistics at the Urban Institute.
While
these figures are admirable, there’s still plenty of work to do.
Globally, women get breast cancer far more than any other form of
cancer, with 16.8 million cases diagnosed in 2012, according to the
World Health Organization. And
in the United States, breast cancer diagnoses are actually on the rise,
from 192,370 cases in 2009 to a projected increase of 232,670 in 2014,
according to the American Cancer Society.
Looking at the big picture, then, it’s clear that
breast cancer needs our support more than ever. Nonprofits can
benefit from the foundation and audience that breast cancer awareness
campaigns have built, and use these assets as stepping stones to
planning campaigns that will be meaningful and engaging
to your constituents.
