I suppose it was a perfect storm of sorts that drove me to grow my first Mo for Movember three years ago. Cancer has affected my family and that gave me the initial impetus to get involved but fatherhood really made me aware of the importance of my health and the health of the people around me. To be honest, the fact that I could simply grow a Mo to fundraise was also attractive as it didn’t involve spending my weekends training to swim the Channel or climb Everest! My wife and sons are extremely supportive despite and will occasionally appear in public with me during the month!
People are inherently generous so my advice is don’t be shy when asking for donations and give people the opportunity to donate wherever possible, it’s a great cause and people know that the programmes that Movember funds are making a real difference to the lives of those effected by prostate cancer. Each year I spread the net as far and as wide as possible, while there are a core group of people that donate to me every year, each time I grow the Mo I get donations from friends and colleagues that I haven’t seen in ages, which is very uplifting.
The company I work for, Renaissance Reinsurance, also offers a very generous corporate matching scheme which beefs up my fundraising. Corporate charitable donations generally receive favourable tax treatment so many companies have similar schemes. I’d advise all Mo Bros and Sistas to see if their company or employer would be willing to match or make a donation to their Mo Space, it doesn’t hurt to ask!
Get the word out to get funds in. Good luck.
Gavin
Check out Gavin's Mo Space
