By Darren Gilbert
“Last year was a great year, media-wise,” says Alana James, the
new CEO of The Sunflower Fund, “However, while we saw this amazing spike in our media, it was not necessarily increasing our stem cell donors.” Yes, the awareness is there – as an NGO, The Sunflower Fund is well-known. However, awareness without impact isn’t going to make a difference.
As harsh a reality as it was, James admits the public had lost the cause. One only needs to look at Bandana Day. After much thought, The Sunflower Fund decided to move away from it. This doesn’t mean it’s not important to the organisation – James is adamant that it most certainly is. And it’s still going to be celebrated. However, the idea behind it has lost its meaning.
This year, the organisation will be introducing the Tube of Hope or ‘Tope’ – a multipurpose article of clothing that can be worn as a headband, mask, scarf or arm band – together with Sunflower Day, which will take place on the third Friday of September. James explains; “As much as our bandanas were amazing, when you walked away after buying them, you got a fashion accessory.” Thus, the bandanas became little more than products to shift off the shelf. On the other hand, Sunflower Day is not about a product. Instead, it’s about who The Sunflower Fund is as a cause.
“It’s about going back to the cause and reminding people that you’re not buying a bandana,” says James. The reason behind the bandana was for you to cover your head when you lost your hair. But that was 10 years ago. The reality today, is that people don’t want to cover up. They are proud. And that is where the ‘Tope’ comes in, says James. “With it, you’re buying an opportunity to give the hope of life to someone.”
Speaking of hope, The Sunflower Fund has also unveiled a new strapline: Hope begins with you. Once again, a lot of thought had gone into it.
“Our previous strapline – Share a little, save a life – really means something in our organisation,” says James. “But we had to look at it and decide if it was the right fit considering the changes we were undergoing.” The answer was, of course, no. In its place is a strapline that James believes will touch everyone who engages with the organisation, both inside and out.
For the staff, who are fully committed to the success of The Sunflower Fund, hope begins with them. For the stem cell donors on the SAMBR database, hope can be found through them. Likewise, with the funders; hope begins with them. You can include the patients too, because if they don’t have hope, there is no reason why The Sunflower Fund should exist, adds James.
“This is a sad industry to work in,” she says. “But there is hope here. Our tone isn’t ‘Come on board because you have to feel sorry for us’. Instead it’s ‘Come on board because you can give hope.’”
If all goes according to plan, the hope will match seamlessly with The Sunflower Fund’s vision, which has also undergone a transformation.
“It sounds odd, but as an NGO, you strive for the day when nobody needs you,” says James. So at what point could The Sunflower Fund say they weren’t needed and have ticked all the boxes? It’s when whoever needs a match, can get it, says James.
“You can die of old age, of a related disease or even of cancer. But you’re not going to die because there was no match,” adds James. If hope begins with you, then no one will die because there is no match.
For anyone who knows The Sunflower Fund, these are all huge changes. James knows that. However, these changes aren’t done for the sake of change. Instead, they are done for progress. And besides, the changes won’t make the organisation unrecognisable.
“The essence of The Sunflower Fund will never change,” stresses James. The tone will change because the patients and their families need something different. But the organisation will always have the same passion and commitment it had when it started.
Only time will tell if their strategy works. If it does, then it’s safe to say that hope does indeed begin with The Sunflower Fund.
For more information, visit www.sunflowerfund.org.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.