The Basics
We are members of a class from the University of Tennessee's business program. For a class project we are running a campaign in which we are partnered with the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute to raise funds to aid patients with the large costs needed to fight cancer. All donations raised through this campaign will be deposited into the Stephens Fund. This initiative raises and allocates funds to be used for transportation, prescriptions, outside bills, and medical nutrition. Our team has grown close to the patients and administration at the Cancer Institute through this partnership and we are deeply invested in providing help for patients in need. Join us as we take a stand against cancer right in our own community.
What We Need & What You Get
Our team decided to set the campaign goal at $2,500. We believe this goal is attainable given the timespan of the fundraiser and the support we can rally through connections with the University, the Cancer Institute, and community. Just under $20,000 was expended from the Stephens Fund last year and the increase of new patients indicates a need for more funding this year.
To say thank you for donating to this cause, we are providing perks for varying donation amounts. These are as follows:
- $5- Virtual High Five
- $20- Virtual Hug and UT College of Arts and Sciences bookmark
- $35- UT College of Arts and Sciences Reusable Bag
- $50- UT College of Arts and Sciences Reusable Bag and Hand-Written Thank You
- $100- Hand-Written Thank You and Hand-Made Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet
- $150- Hand-Made Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet, UT College of Arts and Sciences Bookmark, and Personal Shout-Out Recognition on Social Media/Blog
- $200- Hand-Written Thank You, Hand-Made Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet, Personal Shout-Out Recognition on Social Media/Blog
- $300+ - Hand-Made Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet, Hand-Written Thank You, Personal Shout-Out Recognition on Social Media/Blog, UT College of Arts and Sciences Reusable Bag
- All amounts- The satisfaction of knowing you are helping a cancer patient in need!
If our goal is not met at the close of this campaign, all funds raised will still be deposited into the Stephens Fund.
The Impact
The University of Tennessee Cancer Institute is the leading provider for cancer treatment in the Northeastern Tennessee region. By donating funds to this organization, you are directly impacting hundreds of people in this area, and even around the world. By helping patients at the UT Cancer Institute, hope is spread across the globe in the fight against cancer.
As students of the University of Tennessee we experience first-hand the effects of cancer in our community. From fellow classmates to family members and other individuals of this community, cancer impacts each of us in some way. Our association with the University helps us to connect with support and ensures honesty in our endeavors.
Risks & Challenges
Because we are young in our college careers, we do not yet have extensive experience in running large campaigns such as this one. However, we are in direct communication with mentors and other resources that will assist us in ensuring success throughout this process. We are excited for this unique opportunity to learn about crowdfunding while giving back to our community. While we have invested much time evaluating possible challenges and solutions to these, there will most likely be others that arise along the way. Our approach is communication. We believe that good communication amongst team members as well as with the Cancer Institute and teachers/mentors is vital in achieving maximum success.
Other Ways You Can Help
As we learned in class earlier this semester, word of mouth is by far the most effective form of promotion. We believe we have a campaign worth funding and worth talking about. This is an opportunity to directly and positively impact valuable members of our very own community. While we do our best to promote this campaign on social media, other medias, and further outlets, we ask that you join us in spreading the word. Maybe you can't swing the financial contribution; even a quick click or conversation can be just as helpful. Each plug gets us a step closer to helping cancer patients defeat this terrible disease.