By Jenna Schifferle, Roswell Park Alliance Foundation Staff Member
My Bald for Bucks journey began at Nichols School, where I was inspired by a fearless little girl who shaved her head for cancer research. Soon after that event, I decided to take action and start my very own Bald for Bucks fundraiser.
Bald for Bucks started as a school-based fundraiser, but it isn’t only for schools and organizations; it’s for anyone who wants to make a difference — with a group or on your own. Here’s how I made my individual Bald for Bucks fundraiser happen.
Bald for Bucks is for anyone who wants to make a difference — with a group or on your own.
How to Go Bald for Bucks Solo
1.
Bald or bold? First, I chose what I wanted to do with my hair. Going bald wasn’t for me but going bold most certainly was. I resolved to cut my hair short and dye it in Bald for Bucks’ signature teal and purple.
2.
Fundraising. Bald for Bucks makes fundraising easy. I visited the website here, clicked “register” at the top of the page and filled out the information to get a fundraising dashboard. Next, I:
- Personalized my story and fundraising goal
- Integrated my fundraiser with Facebook
- Downloaded the fundraising app
Voilà! From there, it was just a matter of talking about my fundraiser on social media and in person.
3.
Logistics. Once I set up my fundraiser, I determined where and when. My cousin’s daughter recently became a certified hairstylist. She wasn’t certified in color yet, but I wanted her to do the initial cut, so I started by setting a date with her. For the color, I searched local salons, found Atomic Barbershop and made a second appointment for a few weeks later.
4.
Social media. Leading up to my event dates, I posted about what it meant to me to go Bald. My hair was almost to my waist, naturally colored and mostly untampered with so changing my natural look was a huge step for me. I let my friends and family know that, asked for donations on social media and made sure people knew why it mattered — to me and for the future of cancer care. Then, I shared live updates on my stories and posted a “before” and “after” picture with my fundraising link. Read more.
5.
Making my hair donation go further. Raising funds for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was my goal, but I wanted to make my hair donation go even further. So, I donated my 10 inches of hair to Children with Hair Loss, and all it took was a few rubber bands, an envelope and a stamp. Read more.
6.
Saying thank you! When all was said and done, I made a point to reach out to each and every person who donated to me to thank them for their contribution. You can do this directly through your fundraising dashboard, but I also texted people and thanked them in person.
