Spread the HOPE ACS CAN / Relay Recruiting Survivors & Caregivers as ACS CAN Members

Why recruit SURVIVORS AND CAREGIVERS to support ACS CAN? • • •

Survivors and caregivers know more than anyone else how important it is to make cancer a national priority. Survivors and caregivers can put a face on the reality of cancer and remind lawmakers that cancer can happen to anyone. Lawmakers see a lot of statistics but when you point to a number and then to your real-life cancer story, the statistics become people. Survivors and caregivers bring focus and passion to the work of ACS CAN, empowering us to save more lives and improve quality of life for generations to come.

Packet Contents: •

ACS CAN Recruitment of survivors and caregivers – planning tips Tips to consider when planning your ACS CAN recruitment efforts.

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Hope is in Your Hands Sample Recruitment Script Use this script as is or tailor to include your brief story and adapt to your audience.

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ACS CAN Talking Points for Survivor and Caregiver Groups/Gatherings Consider incorporating one or more of these talking points into your recruitment presentation.

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Making the Fight Against Cancer a Federal Priority Flier This flier illustrates the facts behind how ACS CAN fights for public policy change to end death and suffering from cancer.

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ACS CAN Relay Material One-page Flier This flier illustrates the available materials for order from your ACS event or Grassroots staff partner. Please submit your order at least 1 week before date needed.

ACS CAN RECRUITMENT ~ PLANNING TIPS This strategy is most successful when Event Advocacy and Survivorship Chairs work together to set and carry out the plan. •

Make and implement a plan: o Identify when the recruitment ask(s) will be made and how many will be in audience(s). Consider making recruitment asks at the Relay Kickoff, Survivorship dinner, and other survivor/caregiver activities. o Determine whether or not you will set-up an ACS CAN display during the ask (s). Request needed resources from appropriate staff or volunteer. o Order needed ACS CAN materials from ACS event or Grassroots staff partner at least one week in advance. o Educate yourself on the ACS CAN Recruitment Brochure and who receives the Premium Gift. Visit acscan.org to learn more about resources and opportunities. o For each presentation, recruit a volunteer to present “the ask.” o Decide how new memberships will be collected. For instance, will volunteers be stationed around the room to pick up completed new membership forms – this is the most effective method – or will new members bring their completed membership form to a central spot. o About 1 week before event/activity confirm that the speaker is prepared and has requested all needed resources. (AV and audio, handouts, etc.) o Coordinate details related to the event/activity. o At the conclusion of the event/activity, give new membership forms and funds collected to the appropriate ACS staff partner.

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Wrap-up and thank: o Send a nice thank you to all who helped make your ACS CAN ask a success. o Consider conducting other events/activities where survivors and caregivers can be recruited as ACS CAN members.

SAMPLE SCRIPT Use this script as-is or tailor to include your brief story and adapt to your audience.

ACS CAN – HOPE IS IN YOUR HANDS As a cancer survivor (or caregiver), I’m often asked why I give so much time and energy to the fight against cancer. “Why not close that chapter of your life and move on?” I’m asked…or…“Isn’t talking about it just like reliving it over and over?” The short answer: Perhaps. But the reality is, even if I don’t talk about it, share my story or help someone else with their cancer journey, the painful fact will always remain: I had cancer. (Or for caregiver: My loved one had cancer.) And I’m not about to sit by and watch as others suffer when I can make a difference. So I’m here to ask YOU to join ME in the fight. Everyone within earshot of my voice today has the unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of cancer survivors, caregivers, children and families across the country. People you may never meet will be impacted by the decision you make today. I’m asking you to join ACS Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today. ACS CAN brings together thousands of voices to make sure our message is heard loud and clear in the halls of government. Grabbing the attention of our elected officials by writing letters, sending emails, making phone calls and sharing individual stories. When we show strength in numbers, elected officials listen and we NEED your voice today more than ever! At this very moment, scientists are on the cusp of exciting breakthroughs that will lead to new ways to detect and treat cancer. But federal funding for research is in jeopardy due to problems in Washington. Cuts in research funding would set us back significantly. We simply cannot let this happen! And that’s where YOU come into the picture. Your voice and your story inspires HOPE and HOPE is in YOUR hands. Please join me in becoming a member of ACS CAN right now. By becoming an ACS CAN member and responding to action alerts, your voice will make our message louder.

I am Hope. You are Hope. We are Hope. And together we send a continuous echoing message to all our lawmakers. Let’s amplify our message and make it even louder! Let’s send a deafening message to our lawmakers: MAKE THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER A TOP PRIORITY! Will you help finish the fight by becoming an ACS CAN member? Forms are on your table and someone will come around to pick up completed forms and membership money. One thing to note, ACS CAN is providing this key chain for those who join for $20 through Relay For Life. If you are interested, just let us know when we pick up your form.

(Show shoe key chain) (NOTE: Either pause here for new members to complete the membership form or direct new members to where to bring their form after the presentation.)

Thank you for joining ACS CAN and thank you for being HOPE…Hope for tomorrow…Hope for the future….and HOPE for cancer survivors everywhere. Remember, HOPE is in YOUR hands.

Additional ACS CAN Talking Points for Survivor and Caregiver Groups/Gatherings Incorporate one or more of these talking points into your recruitment presentation.

Hope is in Your Hands As a survivor, a caregiver or a surviving caregiver, you have the unique power to make a difference by joining ACS CAN and speaking up for yourself, your loved ones, and cancer survivors all across this country. ACS CAN brings together thousands of voices to make sure our message is heard loud and clear in the halls of government. When we show strength in numbers, elected officials listen. We need your voice. Research at a Critical Time Scientists are on the cusp of some exciting breakthroughs that will lead to new ways to detect and treat cancer – ways that are more effective and cause fewer side effects and your personal stories as survivors and caregivers testify to that. At the same time, federal funding for research is in jeopardy due to problems in Washington. Cuts in research funding would set us back significantly and stall our progress. ACS CAN is working to make sure members of Congress understand the importance of continuing funding for cancer research. We need your voice. A New Initiative: Palliative Care and Quality of Life As a survivor and/or caregiver, you know more than anyone what evidence now shows - that by taking care of the whole person, we have better odds at beating the disease. This means providing treatment for pain, as well as tending to other physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. It’s about focusing on quality of life from the beginning of treatment. It’s about removing causes of stress and allowing the body to heal. ACS CAN is pushing new legislation to make sure doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals have the training and tools they need to provide effective care for the whole person and to ensure quality of life during cancer treatment. We need your voice. ACS CAN needs your help By becoming an ACS CAN member and responding to action alerts, your unique survivor and/or caregiver story will make our message louder than just statistics. By contributing to ACS CAN, you enable ACS CAN to amplify our message and make it even louder still, ensuring that lawmakers understand they must make the fight against cancer a top priority.

Spread the HOPE One Step at a Time

FY 2013 ACS CAN/Relay Campaign

Event Banner: These banners can be used at your Relay For Life events to collect messages of Hope. Volunteers should add their messages inside the “s cky notes” and once filled can be delivered to legislators or used as a back drop at a media event. Relay Advocacy Guidebooks: Guidebooks to help Relay Advocacy chairs implement the Pe on: These pe ons can be collected before, during or a#er ACS CAN priority ac vi es through Relay are your Relay For Life events. Encourage your volunteers to write a available for each event. personal message in the space provided and include their contact informa on so it can be delivered to their member of congress. S cky Notes: The s cky notes should be used at events that want to create their own HOPE walls. Volunteers should be asked to put their message on the note and place it on the wall so that the purple notes spell out HOPE and the white ones fill in the space around the le(ers. This ac vity can be a fun way to engage volunteers during the event AND pictures should be taken so they can be used when delivering pe ons to members of congress. Lapel S ckers: These s ckers should be used when volunteers take an advocacy ac on during the Relay For Life events. They come in rolls of 100 and remind Relay par cipants that we can Spread the Hope One Step at a Time with ACS CAN!

Track Signs: These signs will help promote the ACS CAN ac vi es at Relay For Life events.

Premium Membership Item: Keeping with the theme taking steps to Spread the HOPE, ACS CAN is providing this key chain premium for those who join for $20 through Relay For Life. This is a hard dollar item. ACS CAN Recruitment Brochure: This updated brochure is intended to recruit ACS CAN members through Relay For Life. This is a hard dollar item.