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Post by catyblack on Oct 9, 2014 21:40:11 GMT -5
F*Cancer is a non-profit that was founded by 26 year-old Yael Cohen. It started with a simple idea when she found out that her mom had cancer, she was sad, frustrated and angry so she made a t-shirt that read, “F*ck Cancer.” Her mom wore the shirt around and eventually a simple t-shirt turned into a non-profit with a clear focus and direction. The campaign focuses on education and early detection and is targeted to a younger demographic. Their goal is to shift the focus of cancer from pink (a nod at the popularity of Susan G. Komen) and to turn it to something useful, forceful and direct. Yael realized that there were a number of non-profits that focused on doing cancer research but there were few that focused on early detection. When interviewed for Mashable Yael said, “Why do you have to be PC? Why is it a delicate thing? You are fighting the fight of your life. You go through the most terrible, disgusting, hilarious things that can happen to your body-why do we have to pretend that they’re not? I think that there are parts of cancer that are really funny, and anybody who doesn’t see that has lost it all. When you’ve lost your cancer humor, you’ve lost it all.” F*Cancer currently has celebrities in two to support their non-profit. They use CrowdRise as a fundraising platform and when a celebrity supports them they get their own goal and team within the organization. I’ve included a link to Jonah Hill’s page on CrowRise. Having a celebrity set a personal fundraising goal can be really helpful and personal. It’s a direct way to connect to their fans. Prizeo is another platform that F*Cancer can be found on. Prizeo focuses on rewarding donors with things like a night out with a celebrity. On the Prizeo site that is linked below a night out with Ed Sheeran was the prize. Forbes featured the organization and praised them for providing tools for Generation Y, including things like How to talk to your parents about cancer. One thing that stood out to me about F*Cancer was the amount of platforms that they are featured on. There are multiple platforms for donations on their website and other personal fundraising pages. They do a good job of creating a personal connection with their audience. They provide resources that are geared towards young people with a tone that sets them apart from other organizations. They fit within good practices and the social media guidelines we have gone over in the course because they really work to develop a relationship with their readers and supporters before asking for money. www.forbes.com/sites/evapereira/2012/03/16/f-cancer-its-all-about-early-detection/www.crowdrise.com/jonahmfc/fundraiser/jonahhillmashable.com/2013/09/19/yael-cohen-f-cancer/www.youtube.com/watch?%3Cbr%20%3E%3C/a%3Efeature=player_embedded&v=MK5FHIo-zxc
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Post by Colby Miller on Oct 9, 2014 21:57:14 GMT -5
I made my post on the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. What stuck out to me was the importance of celebrity endorsements. Without people like Matt Lauer and Lebron James, I don't know if the Challenge would have blown up to the epic proportions it did. In your post you talked about how Jonah Hill was involved with the organization. Having celebrities seems to be a common theme among succesful social media campaigns.
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Post by samfed on Oct 10, 2014 16:29:12 GMT -5
The name F*Cancer really stood out and that is already a smart fundraising tool for an organization - have a catchy name. This will be easier to sell on objects for advertisement as well. Like, if I had a shirt that said F*Cancer, I'd find it pretty hilarious and I'm glad you wrote about how Yael wanted to keep humor about cancer alive. If you can't laugh at yourself, then you can't laugh at all.
I also agree with the celebrity endorsing. I wrote about Save the Children and Youtube star Pewdiepie raised over $300,000. It's simple, people like what celebrities support.
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Post by walkerle4 on Oct 10, 2014 21:46:19 GMT -5
I was really intrigued to see what F*Cancer was about when I saw the title. Great post! For this discussion I did Susan G Komen; I understand exactly what you are saying about the popularity and not as much detail to early detection. Early detection is so vital to saving lives and getting the proper care. I love the idea behind the tshirt- it keeps the conversation lighter but the message is still very sturdy. I think funny tshirts are always a hit with the public to fundraise, especially when there is a more important message behind it.
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Post by mishaalabbasi on Oct 11, 2014 16:11:52 GMT -5
One of my favourite things about F*Cancer is the way the non-profit sort of put itself together. It just shows that great ideas can come from anywhere. And the smallest actions (like Yael creating a t-shirt that her mum wore around) can lead to the creation of something so substantial. Their use of CrowdRise and active celebrity support is also an innovative way to work on fundraising for the organization. A lot of organizations have celebrity support in a more passive manner - but with Jonah Hill and his own "personalized goal", and his following being so diverse, the millennial target audience is reached in a different way.
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Post by Dianna Duddy on Oct 12, 2014 12:08:09 GMT -5
I love this idea! I was first introduced by the campaign while driving along and noticing a soccer mom van in front of me with a bumper sticker that read F*ck Cancer. I immediately did some research and noticed it was an actual campaign to gain awareness of Cancer. I love the crass in you face way to gain awareness. It states it is to gain younger demographic which i feel works perfectly! Who cant agree to F*ck Cancer? There has been many different campaigns that have been an success like wearing pink, created by Susan G. Komen. This is campaign is a lighthearted, hilarious way to gain awareness and I really think its a great success!
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Post by briannaburroughs on Oct 12, 2014 12:09:56 GMT -5
I think the name of the organization F*Cancer itself grabs a lot of attention. The fact that this started from someone who took their anger out through designing a t-shirt that represented their hatred towards cancer is great. I really loved how they gear this organization into something a little different - early detection. I think early detection is something that needs to be focused on and is very important when dealing with any kind of illness. I like how this organization is targeted to a younger demographic and I think the name really allows that. This generation is more loose with the concept of profanity with restriction of course. The way that F*Cancer connects with their audience in various ways such as Prizeo and using CrowdRise is very successful. I think this small t-shirt idea turned into something with great substance; with careful social media interaction and connection variability with celebrities and more, I think it can grow even bigger.
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Olivia Whitham vcu student
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Post by Olivia Whitham vcu student on Oct 12, 2014 12:31:37 GMT -5
The name says it all. How could anyone that knows anyone else that has suffered from cancer not be frustrated. The name of the organization clearly attracts attention and energizes people to want to help out. One problem confronting F*Cancer would be differentiating itself from a number of very large non-profits that have been working on cancer awareness, cancer research, and cancer detection for a long time (e.g., American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen (focused on breast cancer), National Cervical Cancer Coalition, Fight Colorectal Cancer, etc.) . The focus of F*Cancer on “early detection” may be enough to allow F*Cancer to grow in a crowded space of cancer focused non-profits. Yael’ s statement in Forbes magazine is that she wanted to “flip the switch on how we think about cancer – from something we wait to get and pray for a cure, to something we’r eactively looking for and finding when its most curable.” www.forbes.com/sites/evapereira/2012/03/16/f-cancer-its-all-about-early-detection/ I also think celebrity endorsements are important, but they can be risky. While Jonah Hill may be a good endorsement now, two years ago when the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl, running back Ray Rice might have been a good celebrity---but after footage showing him punch his fiancé in the face this summer was uncovered by TMZ, Ray Rice would be death today. Also, where is “LiveStrong” now that Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France wins? In the end, the mission of the non-profit must be strong and compelling, otherwise it will be a flash in the pan.
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Post by bauerssn on Oct 12, 2014 12:50:45 GMT -5
Hey Caty! I have never heard of f*ck cancer before, but I love their name! Because lets be honest, cancer truly does suck and their name isn’t afraid to say it. It definitely is targeted to a younger demographic, which is a great thing due to the fact that most non profits have donors that are older. I also think that its great that they are using popular celebrities for their specific audience. It’s a great tactic. I also agree with what you said about their ability to have a personal connection with their audience. This is extremely important with every non-profit and business in today’s world
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Post by mirzayanbh on Oct 12, 2014 13:06:25 GMT -5
Great post, Caty! This is an interesting choice of an organization to choose to cover for discussion posts. Although I'm familiar with F* Cancer, I never knew it had such an incredible story behind it. To think that it started with something as simple as a T-shirt is incredible. Do you think perhaps the trendiness of the campaign had something to do with its success – or is F* Cancer a genuinely, organically successful nonprofit? The celebrity endorsements are such a good way to create buzz around a cause for nonprofits. One last thought: being featured on so many platforms has the potential to create confusion, do you think this organization is on too many platforms, or just the right amount?
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Post by schraderma on Oct 12, 2014 13:43:33 GMT -5
I like the post, Caty! The name "F* Cancer caught me immediately and I was very interested in seeing what they do. The story behind the organization is great, with an even better name. I think that the name had a big deal in how successful they were/are. The use of celebrities are good too, so many fans check their celebrity pages and it has to bring more attention to F* Cancer. I would definitely buy a shirt. I like the use of platforms too, I don't think it's too many, while also having options. It's an important part of cancer that should be focused on more. My mother was lucky enough to catch her cancer before it spread and was saved emotionally and physically, I want that for everyone, we all deserve it.
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Post by Elisabeth Moore on Oct 12, 2014 13:57:54 GMT -5
I was instantly drawn to your post "F*Cancer"- so I read your discussion. I agree with you, after learning about this organization, when you said "One thing that stood out to me about F*Cancer was the amount of platforms that they are featured on. There are multiple platforms for donations on their website and other personal fundraising pages. They do a good job of creating a personal connection with their audience. They provide resources that are geared towards young people with a tone that sets them apart from other organizations.
They fit within good practices and the social media guidelines we have gone over in the course because they really work to develop a relationship with their readers and supporters before asking for money. " I find that when a company has multiple platforms that people are able to donate money from- they raise more awareness and gain a lot more money for their organization.
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Post by wilkinsma2 on Oct 12, 2014 14:47:04 GMT -5
This seems like a great organization that says how it really is which is F*ck Cancer! I love how it turned from one girl just wearing a shirt out of frustration into something much bigger. The fact that celebrities are involved does really help this organization. It is good that they are personable with people because who wants to give their money away to people who do not care? Most organizations do build relationships with the public and consider it a crucial part of fundraising. This organization is great and seems to be doing well with their strategies.
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Post by Omnia Elgoodah on Oct 12, 2014 14:57:45 GMT -5
I loved reading your post! I first heard about "F*** cancer" a few years back and it definently caught my attention. The name itself is ear grabbing but the story behind it is heart wrenching. I love hearing about people making a personal stance on an issue that may seem taboo. It is a great feeling seeing celebrities and the community around us using this brand and saying in a positive direction. This is what makes this campaign so successful on social media and in every day life because it takes a word that is taboo like "f***" and turns it around into something meaningful. Some may not agree with the language but they can't deny the meaning behind it.
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Post by landytd on Oct 12, 2014 15:10:57 GMT -5
I've heard about this organization but never knew the background story before reading your post. Awesome putting some of the interview in there, it is a great straightforward organization. The directness of F*Cancer is also great for fundraising because of the personal and celebrity options for campaigns. I think that when celebrities step in it is beneficial to any organization who is running a fundraising campaign due to the amount of awareness and reach that is added. When she said, "cancer humor" I think that speaks to how F*Cancer separates itself from other organizations while still helping in a similar monetary manner. When a cause can be split into different 'types' or 'brands' of fundraising it helps to gather more donors all around.
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