Hello everyone! In this blog post, we will highlight a strategic tool that often serves as a catalyst for change in advocacy efforts: hosting panels. Panels are events where various speakers will directly engage with an audience, answering questions, sharing experiences, and providing important information and insights. Whether you’re focusing on fundraising, awareness, or education, panels offer a platform to engage diverse perspectives and spark action. 

Benefits of Panels

Investing time and effort into organizing panels can create real-world influence. Here’s why panels matter:

• Creating a Collective Voice: Hosting a panel brings together voices from across sectors. In the context of advocating for cancer research funding, for example, a panel discussion can amplify various perspectives, forming a unified message that highlights the urgency of increased investment in research.
• Fostering Debate and Collaboration: Panels encourage meaningful discussions. For advocacy, this means that a panel on cancer-related issues could bring forth new insights on research gaps, emerging treatments, or how to better support cancer survivors. The live exchange of ideas helps foster collaboration and new approaches to advocacy.
• Reaching Broader Audiences: Panels, particularly virtual ones, allow you to engage larger and more diverse audiences. They’re an effective tool for reaching beyond your usual network to engage policymakers, community leaders, and supporters, maximizing your advocacy’s reach and impact.
• Personalizing the Issue: A panel that includes cancer survivors or caregivers personalizes the statistics and makes the case for cancer research funding more compelling. These personal stories can leave a lasting emotional impact on the audience.
• Driving Action: The most successful panels drive real action. Panels focused on advocacy can highlight specific actions attendees can take, whether that’s contacting their representatives to advocate for funding or joining an advocacy campaign.

Panels Initiate Change

Hosting panels is a way to create change. For organizations like the American Cancer Society, panels are instrumental in promoting cancer research funding, raising awareness, and sparking action among the public. Every panel is an opportunity to galvanize support for the cause and drive progress.

Let’s continue using the power of panels to elevate our advocacy efforts and push for the changes that can save lives. Together, we can ensure that our voices are heard and that real-world impact is achieved through collaborative dialogue and actionable steps.

Let’s unite in the fight for cancer research funding by using the transformative power of panels!

~Neil Chandran NCYET Advocacy Subcommittee Member