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Huntsman Cancer Foundation

Fundraiser, Sigma Chi Derby Days, Cancer research, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Ongoing

ProblemHuntsman Cancer Institute runs on philanthropy as much as grants, and student fundraising only works if people actually show up and ask.
My roleFundraiser. I run per dollar pledged and work the prep for the chapter’s big fundraising week.
ResultAbout $1,000 raised personally each year. Chapter totals of roughly $20,000 then a record $36,805, back-to-back records for Duke.
LinksHuntsman Cancer Foundation
RoleFundraiser, Sigma Chi Derby Days
ContextCancer research, Huntsman Cancer Institute
DatesOngoing
FieldCancer Research
SkillsFundraising, Endurance Training, Event Prep

Huntsman Cancer Foundation funds research and patient care at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City, and it is Sigma Chi’s national philanthropy partner. Chapters across the country raise money for it, and at Duke the main push is Derby Days, a fundraising week each year.

My part is simple. I run per dollar pledged, so people sponsor the miles and I put them in, and I take on a pile of other asks during the week. The real work is the weeks before it: lining up donors, setting up the pledges, and making sure the chapter hits its number. I raise about a thousand dollars a year myself. The chapter raised roughly $20,000 two years ago and a record $36,805 last year, both record years for Duke.