As many of you know, our staff recently participated in a fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Reflecting on the experience, as wonderful as it was, it’s clear now that our campaign strategy was missing something, and I believe I know what it was: naked grandmas.
Before Allyn freaks out, let me explain: believe it or not, that concept launched one of the most successful blood cancer research fundraisers ever. Here’s how it happened:
Back in 1999, many of our own biggest concerns involved the world exploding form Y2K. But a woman in Yorkshire, U.K. named Angela Baker was recovering from a true tragedy: her husband, John, had passed away from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma at the age of 54.
(Photo Source: Chasing the Frog)
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In the face of her grief, Angela decided to take positive action, and enlisted ten friends from the Rylstone Women’s Institute to help raise funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma research. Naturally, the ladies, ages 45-65, decided to pose nude for a calendar, obscured by objects like pastries and potted plants.
(Photo Source: IMDB)
The resulting calendar was a smash hit, raising millions for cancer research and inspiring a 2003 movie adaptation starring Helen Mirren. Even Prince Charles was a fan, telling the ladies their idea was “so very British.”
“The great thing about it was, we really did just do everything on instinct and luckily for us, it all worked out okay. We had no idea about the media and entertainment world,” admitted calendar girl Tricia Stewart.
“We’ve [since] been asked to do so many naked shoots – you name it, they’ve asked – but we always stood our ground and only did the things we were all happy with.”
(Photo source: Leukemia & Lymphoma Research)
You can still visit their online store, where 100% of your purchase will go towards blood cancer research.
So when you’re planning a charity PR campaign, I’m not saying you should produce a nude calendar, but think outside the box a little – don’t be afraid to suggest an idea that’s never been done before, because that might be the key to its success!
Here’s to being fearless and making a difference,
Callie Rose
