Using Your Community Radio for Breast Cancer Awareness

October is breast cancer month, and globally a time to raise awareness and provide support to those affected by the disease. Community radio stations remain a powerful and effective medium to broadcast support for worthy causes. In this article, we explain how you can leverage radio for your breast cancer awareness efforts this October. 

Continue reading for ways that your local community radio station can get involved.  

Fundraising Efforts 

As a community radio station, you can use your platform to fundraise for a local cancer organization of your choice. Platforms such as givealittle.com, make it easier to coordinate fundraising efforts. You can further promote the fundraising campaign through your social media platforms to garner more support for the cause. Selling off items you do not wear online and encouraging your listeners to shave their heads off in support of breast cancer and share their videos in this new norm of Covid, in exchange for donations are all different ways to fundraise. No penny is worth too small, and every dollar counts.  
 

Volunteering 

Breast cancer centers rely on funding, and the help of volunteers to help with their ongoing programs. As a radio station, you can support breast cancer causes in your local community by encouraging your listeners to donate their time by volunteering in breast cancer organizations or support groups. You can get a list of breast cancer groups in your local area that require some extra help and share their information on your radio station and social platforms. 

Promote Local Businesses in Support of Breast Cancer 

If you look around in your community, there are several local businesses that are running different initiatives for breast cancer. Your radio station can be useful through reaching out to these businesses and offering to promote and putting a spotlight on their breast cancer awareness initiatives for free. One common example is the buy pink products initiatives – where a percentage of each pink product sold goes to a charity organization. 

Pink Merchandise for Your Radio Station 

Radio station merchandise is an effective way of not only promoting your radio station, but also bringing awareness around worthy causes such as breast cancer. If your station has a little extra to spare in your marketing budget, why not put it towards some pink branded merchandise to support the cause. You can distribute the merchandise for free in your community or you can sell the merchandise. Click here to view an example of a pink shop being run by NBCF. Some popular merchandise options include t-shirts, caps, mugs, head scarfs, cosmetic products and more. 
 

Just Donate 

Sometimes, keeping it simple is best! As a radio station, you can instead opt to just donate. You can choose to donate to a local breast cancer organization that resonates with your radio station. You can further raise awareness around breast cancer on your radio station and the programs offered by the organization you have donated to. You can also choose to directly fund research initiatives to help research efforts in finding a cure, prevention methods, and more effective treatment options. An example of such an organization is the American Cancer Society. 

Share Early Detection & Cancer Screening Facts 

There is a vast amount of resources available around breast cancer on platforms such as, https://www.breastcancer.org, but radio gives more visibility as it puts the information in front of audiences. Use your radio station to share facts around cancer screening through introducing a series of radio public-service announcements to raise awareness of how early detection saves lives. Many clinics offer free mammograms in October, or if there are any free screening centers in your area this October, promote these as a call to action.  

Organize a Walk or Run 

You can organize a walk, or a run sponsored by the radio station and rally the community to join you in the walk. You can also get businesses to support by sponsoring the walks through donations. Funds can also be raised through a combination of entry fees and personal sponsorships. To learn how to organize a walk, click here. 

 
Help a Cancer Patient 

Breast cancer treatment can take a toll on the body; hence cancer patients need support. Your radio station can rally the community to support cancer patients through providing meals, walking their pets, driving them to chemo sessions, household duties, grocery shopping and more. 

 
Featuring Breast Cancer Survivor Stories 

You can also bring awareness around breast cancer through inviting someone who has walked the journey to share their experiences. Firsthand experiences tend to have a greater impact and can also provide hope to those walking the journey. During breast cancer month, you can invite breast cancer survivors to come and share their stories of hope and to also encourage early screening and testing.  

If your radio station wants to make a difference this October, take action by participating in breast cancer awareness initiatives this October. If you do not own a radio station, sign up for our free trial here.