Collaboration for a cure
FOR ALSAC AND ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS YIELDS BIG RESULTS
Within hours of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital had begun a large-scale effort to evacuate Ukrainian children with cancer, moving them to countries where they could safely continue treatment.
The effort, called SAFER Ukraine, relocated more than 1,100 patients and their families to 205 clinics across 29 countries. St. Jude itself welcomed 10 cancer patients and their family members to its campus in Memphis. To accomplish this complex logistical challenge, which required creating a registry of childhood cancer patients and translating medical records for more than 700 patients, St. Jude and its fundraising and awareness organization, ALSAC, worked with a network of partners across the region.
The success St. Jude experienced with SAFER Ukraine illustrates its philosophy of large-scale collaboration in action. Entertainer Danny Thomas, who founded St. Jude in 1962, famously said, “I’d rather have a million people give me a dollar than one give me a million.” He believed the more people and groups you involved in a cause, the better. That approach certainly paid off last year, when St. Jude was able to rely on long-running relationships to achieve its mission in an emergency—and helped St. Jude earn a spot on Fast Company ’s 2023 list of Brands that Matter.
This strength-in-numbers philosophy has helped define success at St. Jude. “That children should not suffer from cancer or other deadly diseases is something we all agree on, and that universal premise helps guide all of our efforts to join our lifesaving mission,” says Rick Shadyac, president and CEO of ALSAC, in an interview via email. “We are truly America’s charity in that our supporters are across the country, from every demographic, geographic, and socioeconomic category. And we are extremely grateful to enjoy the support of 12 million donors and 1 million volunteers. Because of that support, we can provide children cutting-edge treatments not covered by insurance, at no cost to families.”
CONNECTING TO A LARGER AUDIENCE
For Shadyac, the key to maintaining such an expansive network of supporters is simple. “We listen to the needs of our supporters,” he says. “This enables us to meet them where they are, in authentic ways, as we strive to foster a lasting, deeply personal connection with the St. Jude mission.”
One of the most successful examples of this has been the St. Jude PLAY LIVE initiative, which has raised more than $50 million for St. Jude patients since 2014. The program allows video game content creators on channels such as Twitch, Youtube, and Instagram to connect their audiences with St. Jude in their own, authentic voices.
In response to participant requests, the ALSAC team has developed a range of unique tools, including downloadable graphics bundles, chatbots, dashboards, and donation alerts. In true audience-led fashion, participants have built their own communities on Discord and X (formerly Twitter), where they share images and ideas and build on each other’s successes.
Efforts like this apply the same tactics that fuel the organization’s work. St. Jude collaborates with top scientists and research institutions around the world to tackle groundbreaking projects and further its work in cancer, blood disorders, neurological diseases, and infectious diseases. Now, through PLAY LIVE, St. Jude is building an entirely new community of supporters who believe in its work. Or, as Shadyac puts it, “Collaboration is the accelerator.”