Part I: Identifying the Need For Your Project

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first in a series of articles about the birth and growing pains of a small nonprofit project whose mission is to assist newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. In this case, the project, Between Us: A First-Aid Kit for Your Heart and Soul, was folded into an already existing nonprofit film organization. That was the easy part. The hard part has been the never-ending search for support, particularly corporate sponsorship, to fund the services and programs provided by Between Us.

Mary Katzke, the co-author of this series, is a breast cancer survivor and director of Affinityfilms, Inc., a 501(c)3 organization formed in 1981 to produce socially relevant documentary films. During the cyclonic period following her diagnosis of breast cancer and its subsequent treatment, Katzke realized the intense need for a program dedicated to providing immediate emotional support for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. This gave birth to the concept of a free "first-aid kit": a documentary devoted to the feelings and experiences of breast cancer patients and a "care" package of gifts selected by survivors, such as tissues, a pre-paid telephone card, a notebook, and a pen. So, with an idea and mission in her heart and mind, she marched forth into the world of fund raising.

The Idea

In 1992, I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. Since the only person I had known who had this disease was my mother, and she had died from it three years after finding her lump, I was terrified. Only a fellow survivor (or "Victor," as current vernacular runs), can know the sleepless nights and endless sobbing that occurs those first few days following such a diagnosis. I think I didn't really sleep for 48 hours, at which time I collapsed from exhaustion.

What I really craved was acknowledgement and comfort on the emotional level - I assumed the doctors would take care of the physical aspects of the disease. I called every hotline and hit the bookstores and Internet, but could not find anything that addressed "survivor mentorship." I knew on an intellectual level that other women had survived this, but I didn't know who they were or how they'd done it. The issue was: I wanted this information immediately. Possessing the skills of a filmmaker, I vowed that when I finished my treatment, I would go on a mission to fill the gap between diagnosis and finding the emotional support.

The First Step

Once my treatment was finished, I flew to my home state, Alaska, where I traditionally spend my summers. Each year, they have an Alaska Run for Woman, which raises money for breast cancer - not just research, but anything to do with it, including art, medical equipment, and educational events. I proposed my project to the board of directors of the Alaska Run for Women after walking the six mile, because I was to weak to run. They granted me $3,000 to develop my project to the proposal level. This meant interviewing 40 women, each of whom confirmed this incredible need for comfort in this immediate time period following diagnosis; developing a logo; copying, shipping, and phone calls; and hiring a grants writer to consult for a day to get the project off the ground.

Next month: Choosing a Name for Your Nonprofit

Written by Mary Katzke, founder of Between Us and director of Affinityfilms, Inc., and Jill P. Johnson, editor, FRI. Ms. Katzke can be reached at (888) 353.4325.

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