It’s beginning to look a lot like: charitable giving! With the beginning of the holiday season upon us, now is the perfect moment to think about giving a little back. This November, there’s many important causes to support, whether you want to volunteer your time and skills; walk, run, or cycle for a cause; or simply get a head start on Christmas shopping with a meaningful purchase from a charity shop.
Even with less in-person fundraising events these days, people are still finding creative and high-impact ways to support the causes they care about. In fact, charitable donations held steady over the last year, according to the UK Giving Report 2020.
Here, we highlight four wonderful causes you can get behind this month.
Make November a Movember to Remember
Movember is a popular annual campaign to raise awareness around critical men’s health issues, like mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. The charity aims to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25% by 2030.
What better way is there to bolster a cause than to wear your support, on your face! Sign up to Grow a Mo, where you can create a personal fundraising page to share photo updates on your “powerful upper-lip accessory”. Or, get active with Move for Movember, a campaign to run or walk 60 km over the month of November. You can host a Mo-Ment, which is all about rallying a crew of friends to host a fundraising event in-person or virtually. You can also plan your own “wildcard” campaign with Mo Your Own Way and raise money for a challenging or creative physical activity. For example, if you bike around your city, how about logging your miles until you’ve biked the equivalent distance from London to Leeds? You could do the same thing on a rowing machine!
Shop, Walk, or Donate for Mouth Cancer Awareness Month
Every year in the UK, we see 8,700 new cases of mouth cancer and more than 2,700 lives are lost to the disease. It’s an especially tragic figure since the majority of deaths occur because of late detection due to low public awareness of the common signs, symptoms, and risks. The Mouth Cancer Foundation has dedicated November as Mouth Cancer Awareness Month to save and improve the lives of patients and survivors of mouth cancer and all head and neck cancers.
You can get involved in a number of ways. Make a meaningful purchase at the charity’s merchandise shop, for fun, functional, and feel-good gifts. (An official charity awareness pin badge or wristband would make a nice stocking stuffer!).
The foundation cancelled its annual awareness walk in Hyde Park because of the pandemic, but it made it bigger: now everyone can participate, wherever they are, with “Walk from Home”. Just sign up and start logging your miles until you’ve reached a total of 10 KM. You can do it as many times as you’d like. If you’re strapped for time, another great way to participate is with a charitable donation. Your contribution will go further with Gift Aid; for every £1 you give, the foundation receives an extra 25p from the Government.
Light it up Purple for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Another important cause to get involved with this November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, or PCAM. More than half of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within three months; the aim of PCAM is to get us closer to a breakthrough in early diagnosis research. Support the pancreatic cancer community to raise vital funds and awareness, remember loved ones who have died from pancreatic cancer, and acknowledge those living with or beyond the disease.
There are many ways to get involved. You can Take It On with Challenge 24: Walk, run, or cycle 24 miles in 24 days, complete 24 activities, or give up something you love for 24 days. Or spotlight the pancreatic challenge with Shine the #PurpleLights UK. Light up your home with purple lights, or contact a local prominent landmark to light it up purple this month. Head to the charitable merchandise shop and support this important cause with a meaningful holiday purchase, from festive ornaments to Christmas cards to purple ribbon pin badges to adorn your winter coat.
Spot the Difference during Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Lung cancer awareness month takes place every November in the UK. The Spot the Difference campaign from the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation encourages people who display the common symptoms of lung cancer—like a persistent cough, breathlessness, or unexplained weight-loss—to visit their GP. The earlier lung cancer is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.
To get involved, grab your friends and family and volunteer your time and skills in a variety of ways: help with tasks in the head office, assist in a local charity retail shop, or volunteer at a fundraising event, like the St. George’s Hall Beer Festival, held twice a year. Short on time? Make a charitable donation through a one-time gift, or try your luck to win £1,000 at the Christmas Raffle. The foundation also has a lovely merchandise shop, where you can find everything from plush Christmas door stops to hat and glove sets.
This November, how will you make a difference? You won’t be alone: last year the public donated £5.4 billion to charity, an increase of £800 million over 2019! Whether you sport a new moustache or showcase your support with a charitable pin badge, your actions all add up to greater awareness of these important causes. And more awareness leads to more people surviving.