How to Promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Work

During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, companies and staff have a chance to raise awareness for this disease that affects one in eight women in the United States. Regardless of the office budget, you can organize ways to promote breast cancer awareness in the workplace effectively to engage and involve employees.

When Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month?

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an annual campaign that occurs in October. It promotes awareness surrounding breast cancer and how access to mammogram testing can save lives. The color used to signify a breast cancer awareness campaign is pink, so many Breast Cancer Awareness Month merchandise is pink or marked with a pink ribbon.

Your company can donate to prominent breast cancer charities to support breast cancer education, fund mammograms and help underprivileged people who lack access to testing. Raising donations and attention is an easy process with careful planning.

8 Ways to Promote Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Work

Your company can promote its seasonal campaign with organized activities and exclusive merchandise. See these breast cancer awareness month ideas for office and workplace activities and ways to help celebrate your campaign:

1. Distribute Pink Ribbons

One easily recognizable item is a pink breast cancer ribbon lapel pin — you can sell these pins at the office to raise donations or encourage customer-facing employees to wear them throughout the day. Whether you work in construction, education or health care, the pink cancer ribbon is a beautiful way for employees to demonstrate support while on the job. It also prompts opportunities for conversations around breast cancer and shows customers and the public that your company cares.

Encourage employees to wear the pink ribbon throughout October and to be intentional about it. Offer customers a cancer awareness ribbon lapel sticker to join you in showing support.

2. Host a Corporate Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar

Education — along with awareness — is vital. Most people are aware of potential diseases but need to learn more about them. Invite guest speakers and medical professionals to answer the most common breast cancer questions and discuss the following:

  • Symptoms.
  • Causes.
  • Prevention methods.
  • Screening and early detection strategies.
  • Treatment.

Hand out stationery such as customized cancer awareness ribbon pens and cancer awareness campaign notebooks for employees to jot down information and make notes during the event. You can also offer screenings at the workplace or allow staff the time to visit a medical practitioner.

3. Run an Employee Wellness Challenge

As one breast cancer awareness work idea, empower employees by generating an October wellness challenge. As physical inactivity is one of the risk factors for breast cancer, running a wellness challenge is an excellent way to help ignite healthy lifestyles among your workforce. Offer incentives to maintain these practices throughout the year. Healthier employees tend to be happier, take fewer sick days and may have a lower risk of breast cancer.

You can excite your staff about being active with simple challenges like daily step counts. See who can get the most steps each week of October, and award prizes for effort, spirit, improvement and the most steps accumulated.

Giving out pink promotional T-shirts or other company-sponsored apparel to kick off the event will put everyone in the right frame of mind. Discover wellness gifts and fitness ideas for your corporate breast cancer awareness campaign to build on your challenge.

promotional tshirts

4. Decorate Your Workplace With Pink

You can start by encouraging employees to decorate their classroom, desk or office. Decorate desks and tables with breast cancer promotional table covers and pink flowers. Encourage staff to make the decorations personally relevant and spread awareness by placing banners and signs at your storefront.

5. Collect Donations for a Relevant Foundation

To expand your breast cancer awareness month ideas for the office, find a foundation or charity dedicated to the cause of shining light on breast cancer or providing accessible treatment options. Set up a charity box to collect donations for your chosen charity and collect donations throughout the month of October.

You can collect donations from customers and offer discounts or small promotional freebie items in return. Some ideas for promotional gifts that you can give your customers, clients or workers for donations include the following:

6. Create Marketing and Social Media Campaigns

If you are unable to or would rather avoid holding in-person events for breast cancer awareness, you can use social media and your website to promote this cause. Post about your Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign, including information your workers or clients would find useful.

You can also sponsor an online giveaway raffle event with breast cancer awareness gift sets. Invite users to comment and share your posts to win promotional products.

Your social media posts can also include:

  • Personal testimonies from breast cancer survivors.
  • Facts and information about breast health and related care.
  • Images of your giveaway items or gift sets.
  • Links to related causes where you’ve donated.

7. Volunteer at Cancer Charities and Community Events

Whether your company hosts corporate-sponsored programs or your employees freely volunteer at local community events and charities, this is another breast cancer awareness work idea worth including. Your business and staff can volunteer at charities to assist with the following:

  • Marketing the charity.
  • Assisting support groups.
  • Preparing meals.
  • Lending expertise.

Community events that welcome volunteers and aim to raise funds and increase understanding may include:

  • Breast cancer fun runs.
  • Clothing collections.
  • Luncheons and teas.
  • Golf days.
  • Guys-in-pink carwashes.
  • All-pink cake sales.

8. Organize a Pink-Out Event

At the beginning of October, announce all your chosen breast cancer awareness work ideas. For the final event, organize a pink-out where employees buy tickets and wear pink for the cause. Offer prizes for the best dressed and make an entire day of it with an array of activities like:

  • All-pink employee fashion show.
  • Pink pumpkin carving competition.
  • Men-in-heels race.
  • Breast cancer survivor guest speakers.

At the luncheon or dinner, review company contributions made during October. Acknowledge staff who extended themselves with commemorative awards and hold raffles for breast cancer awareness corporate gifts while focusing on the reasons for your corporate breast cancer awareness — supporting and empowering those affected and informing and educating others.

Promote Breast Cancer Awareness at Work With ePromos

You can get all the promotional items mentioned and more products for breast cancer awareness with ePromos. Browse our wide selection of products for your next company event and order today!

For more breast cancer awareness work ideas about spreading awareness, view our Breast Cancer Awareness Month Guide filled with excellent information and suggestions.

Additional Breast Cancer Awareness Resources:

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Rebecca G.

Reviewed By: Rebecca G. - Marketing Specialist, Sales Success

Determined marketing sleuth and promotional products strategist who persistently infiltrates the Sales Engagement Studio like a seasoned ninja. Cause marketing champion and implementor. Internal communications trail boss responsible for delivering insightful insights to entire organization. Dedicated Culture Club groupie, company store prognosticator and snowboard devotee.