Walk the Walk: CBCF Team Fundraises BIG for the 2015 CIBC Run for the Cure

The old adage ‘give where you live’ couldn’t be more appropriate for the strength of fundraising power generated by my admirable and passionate colleagues here at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. To date, our staff/friends and family team has raised more than $23,000 for the 2015 Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure and the dollars are still coming from offline donations! 

I cannot express how grateful and humbled I am by the interest, engagement and fun competitive spirit demonstrated by my team members who represent all departments of our 26 member strong team, here in the office in Vancouver. September and October represent the largest revenue generating months by the Foundation and our staff are working most intensely from August to November for the lead up and follow up to these busy activity months, especially in October – Breast Cancer Action Month. Yet with all this work activity, everyone was hard at work fundraising for our signature event.

As the CIBC Run for the Cure Development Manager, my primary role is to develop and execute an overall fundraising and stewardship plan to support our existing participants and donors in nine Run sites across the province and grow revenue by prospecting new teams and individuals. This plan is implemented not only by members of the Run team, but most importantly by dedicated and committed volunteer fundraising Run Directors and coordinators across the province who provide a local connection to their participants. We could not implement the stewardship we do without our amazing and hard working volunteers who check in regularly, but respectfully, by phone, email and sometimes in person with top fundraising team captains and individuals.

Abigail Thom (Left) and me at the
CIBC Run for the Cure in Kelowna

A sincere thank you to our top fundraisers across the province for the outstanding fundraising they demonstrated individually and collectively. We gratefully acknowledge the top individuals and teams fundraiser for the 2015 event. Our top fundraisers consistently account for approximately 65% of the funds raised in this province. Without the hard work of these top fundraisers, we could not fund the research and education programs we do. Thank you for your active and engaged participation. 

The stewardship the volunteers and I provided to individuals and teams is the same support I applied to the CBCF staff this year.  You know what? – it not only worked, but it exceeded my expectations. We set a team goal of raising $10,000 so we have easily doubled this! How did we do it? How did we knock our fundraising out of the park?

I truly believe it is based on the strength of the “ask” and the connections that every single staff person has to the breast cancer cause. Everyone’s high level of dedication and their passion for their roles here at CBCF transcended to their immediate networks of family, friends, industry peers, neighbours, etc. People give to people. Our CBCF team members reached out far and wide to their individual networks and they shared their personal reasons for why they raise money for the CIBC Run for the Cure.  They shared connections to the cause, be it they had a friend or family member affected by the disease or if they were inspired by a CBCF Local Hero.

I feel blessed to be involved in fund development work that is so meaningful to me and to have the privilege to interact and engage daily with so many inspiring women who are either going through treatment, are living with breast cancer, or are dedicated to the cause in memory of someone dear. But on top of that, I work amongst a team of intelligent, hard-working, empathetic, energetic and creative women who not only talk the talk, but walk the walk every single day. Thank you to everyone on the team for illustrating the power of collective team fundraising and inspiring me even more in what I do.

Lisa Capitanio
CIBC Run for the Cure Development Manager
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation