Ardavan Tabrizian, president, of Delta Sigma Phi, University of Oregon Chapter, shares inspiration of Joy from their 2022 5K Fundraiser, garnering over $20,000 to support JoyRx, the mission delivery of Children’s Cancer Association.

Q: Why did you choose JoyRx | Children’s Cancer Association as your charity of choice?

A: I chose JoyRx as our fundraiser beneficiary because we wanted a local organization where our donations have a greater effect on their mission service. I had direct experience with JoyRx, the mission delivery of Children’s Cancer Association, in high school through the annual Walk for Joy and Valley Catholic’s annual carnival to raise money for JoyRx. I am really inspired by the work you do for sick kids and teens in need by providing Joy.

Q: What activations did you organize to fundraise?

A: Our fundraising consisted of two main parts. One was creating a fundraising page through Classy where members of our Delta Sigma Phi fraternity created individual peer-2-peer team pages. We share links of our fundraising sites to friends and family and created graphics to post on our fraternity and personal social media accounts, making the ask to financially support JoyRx. The second part of our event was of a 5k run/walk which started at our chapter house and consisted of a route to Autzen Stadium and back. The contributions from this event came from a registration fee, raffle tickets for the chance to win one of two prizes, or Delta Sigma Phi X JoyRx | Children’s Cancer Association t-shirts. The gift basket prizes consisted of hydro flasks, merchandise, candy, and either an Apple TV or JBL Flip 5 speaker. We marketed the event via social media and word of mouth to all other Greek life organizations on campus.

Q: How much did you raise, in total?

A: In total we have raised $21,378 with more coming in, surpassing our total of $15,471 raised in 2021.

Q: Do you plan to host this again next year?

A: We plan to make this an annual event, expanding our community involvement, creating new and intricate experiences, and increase the fundraising amount year over year.

Q: Did you receive any corporate support?

A: We received a $5,000 donation from Under Armor to support our fundraiser.

Q: What drove the success of this fundraising campaign?

A: The success of this fundraiser campaign came from our drive in realizing we can create feel-good moments for local children who are facing sadness, anxiety, and isolation during lengthy treatments. As men of Delta Sigma Phi, we inspire one another to positively impact the world through our actions and influence. We are men of action who commit to improve the lives of those around us when we see people who are in need, and we have committed to helping JoyRx | Children’s Cancer Association make a difference in the lives of seriously ill kids and teens.

Q: What advice would you share with other peer-to-peer fundraisers?

A: I would encourage someone leading a fundraiser to get others as motivated in your project as you are, because no matter how much one person wants to help, the success is reflected by how many people you have by your side on the team to spread the word. Reaching out to as many organizations around campus creates a powerful platform, as there are lots of organizations with 100+ members. I also noticed personally reaching out to people and taking the time to explain why they should donate to the cause is very effective. I also advise to make the fundraising fun and engaging to your specific audience and offer incentives to involve people who may not normally participate in fundraisers.