Summer Camp 2022 – Part 2
Grow Your ACS On Campus Chapter
Welcome to ACS Summer Camp! Over the next several weeks all 4 parts of summer camp will be posted here on the ACS On Campus website. Summer Camp is a great way to refresh and get inspired by new ideas to prepare for the upcoming school year. These parts will remain on the website so you can always refer back to the amazing resources we have linked!
This week’s Summer Camp blog will be focused on growing your ACS On Campus chapter in number and presence on campus.
Summer Camp – Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4
First, stay involved with all things ACS On Campus
If you volunteer for the American Cancer Society or attend ACS events (like ACS On Campus, Relay For Life, etc.) – you are a part of the ACS On Campus network! It’s important to stay “in the loop” with all things ACS like national challenges or new resources to use on your campus. The best place is start is on our official website, acsoncampus.cancer.org. On this website, you’ll find resources, blog posts about cancer awareness, and examples of activities to host with you ACS On Campus chapter throughout the year – so bookmark this website!
Make sure to follow our social media pages by clicking the icons below!
ACS On Campus Basics
ACS On Campus chapters follow the four pillars: Patient Support, Advocacy, Fundraising, and Discovery/Research.
You can read more about each pillar here. A strong ACS On Campus chapter has a leadership team to guide them throughout the year. The leadership team’s size may vary depending on the size of your campus (example – a college chapter with 100 members, may have 20 members on their leadership team). Here are some of the recommended leadership positions for all ACS On Campus chapters:
President and/or Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer – handles your chapter’s budget and incoming donations
1 Lead for each ACS On Campus pillar:
Patient Support
Advocacy
Discovery/Research (Cancer Education)
Fundraising
To see more about the structure of an ACS On Campus chapter, see our Guidebooks here.
Growing Your Chapter’s Presence On Campus
Growing your campus presence is the best way to increase your engagement on campus. More people knowing about your ACS On Campus chapter means more donors and more lives touched! There are many ways to increase your presence on campus.
One way to get more people interested in your chapter is to increase your physical presence. If people walking around campus see flyers and information about ACS, they will know you exist and come to your events or meetings.
Appeal to individual interests:
Target Pre-Med students by organizing Hope Lodge volunteering opportunities and by connecting with local doctors.
Target politically-minded students through ACS CAN. Host town halls with lawmakers or market the ability of ACS CAN volunteers to meet lawmakers through advocacy. Connecting with lawmakers or collecting signatures on a petition are also ways of getting any politically-minded students interested.
Partner with other organizations on campus to connect with their members. Everyone is touched by cancer, so there is always room to connect. Theater groups can host a fundraiser show, intramural sports teams can hold a tournament, and anyone can participate in a fundraiser.
HIGH SCHOOLS CHAPTERS: Ask your school’s sport coaches to host a cancer awareness game for the upcoming season! Work with your ACS Staff Partner to get them flyers & materials to recognize survivors and show their support in the fight against cancer while playing the sport they love.
Finally, if you are hosting a major event look for ways to increase turnout. Hold the event in a large, public place and make it visible. Bring student groups to perform so their friends come as well. The more people who come to your event for other reasons, the more people you are reaching!
Don’t know where to start in planning for the upcoming school year? Check out Year Round Ideas – we list out four ideas each month based on the four ACS On Campus pillars. If you have a question on how to execute on of the ideas, ask your ACS Staff Partner or one of the NYCET members!
Share the Perks of Being an ACS On Campus Member
There’s many reasons to get involved with your ACS On Campus chapter:
Volunteer hours towards graduation cords or awards
ACSOC Presidents – make sure to keep track of volunteer hours throughout the year for all members and send to ACS Staff
Leadership and professional skills
Passion projects to benefit your community
Event planning experience
Marketing & communications skills
And prizes throughout the year!
Boost Your Fundraising
Once you create a “Society Account” on your ACS On Campus website to begin fundraising, make sure to personalize it and share your connection to cancer. Individuals who personalize their page raise 6x more than the average participant!
Email is another great way to share your fundraising page. The ACS website makes it easy to send emails straight from your ACS account. There are pre-drafted messages to send or you can send one of your own!
RECOGNITION TIP: It also makes it easier for you to send thank you emails to donors!
Connect your page to your Facebook account. Steps to do this can be found here!
Strive To Be A Top Performer
The American Cancer Society is extremely thankful for our ACS On Campus volunteers who are spreading cancer awareness and funds for important services and research. To thank our volunteers, the National Campus & Youth Engagement Team determines who the “Top Performing” schools/events are every year. These Top Performers may raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the ACS or engage their community in innovative ways. Here are some ways the NCYET thanks our Top Performers and schools who succeed in national challenges:
Top Performers Conference – we invite dozens of students and advisors to an annual conference. They will experience learning sessions and take part in a ton of fun activities that grow their involvement with ACS and thank them for their hard work the past year.
Swag throughout the year – the NCYET hosts many national challenges through the year offer the opportunity to win swag through the year – ACS/Relay For Life apparel, event materials like the big Purple Chair, and much more!
Relay For Life specific perks –
Leaderboards – if your campus hosts a Relay For Life event, you may be on the Campus RFL Leaderboards! During the school year, we list out the top 10 college and high school events in multiple categories. Check back each week to see how your event is doing.
Relay/Strides Rewards Points – if you participate in Relay For Life or Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event, every $1 you fundraise will get you 1 point towards awesome swag like clothing, technology, or house-hold items! Check out shopacsrewards.org to see if you have any points by logging in with your Society Account.
