If you want a simple and easy way to fundraise, there are tons of national companies that want to partner with passionate people just like you. We’ve compiled a bunch of ideas, from dining to shopping, to help you fundraise for the Hirshberg Foundation, and we’re here to help you along the way!

Host a Restaurant Night

Many national restaurant chains support non-profit organizations via restaurant nights. It’s simple – you pick the restaurant and the date then encourage friends and family to support you by dining in or ordering take-out. The restaurant then donates back a set percentage of sales to the non-profit. Typically, the process begins with the restaurant website to sign up and receive your custom flyer or unique code to help promote your event. Most restaurants will ask for a non-profit Tax ID (which we can provide for you), desired location, date and time and number of expected guests.  

We’ve compiled a list of some great dining spots to consider with links directly to their fundraising program. And if you don’t see your favorite restaurant below, just ask them!

• California Pizza Kitchen
• BJ’s Restaurants
• Chipotle
• Blaze Pizza
• Panda Express 
• Raising Cane’s 

Organize a Sweet Fundraiser

See’s Candies, one of America’s most iconic chocolate stores, also has a great fundraising program. Simply set up your online shop, spread the word, and let the sales roll in. All purchases are shipped directly to your supporters and the Hirshberg Foundation receives the proceeds. This can be done all year round or, even sweeter, for particular holidays like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas.

Krispy Kreme, the beloved doughnut shop, does some sweet fundraising too! Krispy Kreme Fundraising was created in 1955 to provide a way for qualifying community organizations to raise funds for their worthwhile causes. Choose from virtual or in-person sales of the classic doughnut and receive a portion of the proceeds. Krispy Kreme Fundraising is here to help you raise some dough!

Plan a Shopping Party

Kendra Scott Jewelry, with over 100 stores across the country, is committed to supporting non-profits like the Hirshberg Foundation. Their “Kendra Gives Back” community-giving program allows community members to host in-store events for causes including health and wellness, with 20% of the proceeds going directly to the benefitting cause. Sounds simply dazzling to us!

Evereve, the company that delivers curated, contemporary women’s fashion through 100+ retail stores nationwide is another charitable minded fashion business. You can host an Evereve “Fashion Fundraiser” where 15% of your guests purchases will be donated to the Hirshberg Foundation. It’s perfect for large groups, plus your guests shop anytime on the fundraising day during store hours. It’s the best type of retail therapy!

The businesses listed above are just a few of the many national companies with programs to help you fundraise for a cause you’re passionate about. Once you have set your date, please let us know! We want to help you make a difference for the pancreatic cancer community – and who doesn’t love a good reason to dine out, grab a sweet treat or hit the mall!

In 2022, Whitney Goldin’s mom, Karen, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,  a disease Whitney has become  too familiar with but never imagined would touch the life one parent, let alone two. The diagnosis came after the family’s devastating losses of Whitney’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather to the same disease. “My dad passed away in 2021 and then it was a shock for my mom to be diagnosed in 2022. I decided I’m just going to turn my sadness into action.” Today, Whitney is ready to end the cycle of pancreatic cancer in her family. She’s already turning that sadness into action by raising awareness and rallying her entire community in the Chicago area with her Purple Ribbon Event, Pushing Back Against Pancreatic Cancer.

Whitney, a loving mother, dedicated daughter, and attorney has generously shared her family’s remarkable story to help raise awareness since her mom’s diagnosis. “Getting to this path has been riddled with pain, seeing both of my parents go through what they’ve gone through,” said Goldin. “This devasting disease is impacting too many of my loved ones. Enough is enough, I’m done.” Whitney wouldn’t sit idly by without taking their own action.By February of 2023, her mom was scheduled to have the Whipple surgery and Whitney was hosting a Purple Ribbon Event to benefit the Hirshberg Foundation. “I have never planned an event before other than my kids birthday parties so I have zero event planning experience but I started doing some research. I called the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research and I said, ‘Listen, I’m going to plan an event and it’s going to be in three months and I have no idea if anyone will even come, any money will be raised, but anything I raise I’m going to send to you.’”

Hosted at Temple Sholom of Chicago, Pushing Back Against Pancreatic Cancer featured yoga, brunch provided by a variety of Chicago eateries, tequila mimosas, and a silent auction with items from top Chicago businesses. Whether you live in Chicago or any other city or town across the country, Whitney has demonstrated the importance of sometimes going outside your comfort zone when it comes to helping raise funds for pancreatic cancer research and patient programs, “I went into the event planning process trying to be as open minded as possible with what I thought would attract the most people and raise the most awareness. The event evolved as more and more people registered and as more and more businesses donated. I took a deep breath of gratitude at every turn, and tried to remain as flexible as possible.” By the end of the day on February 2nd, her community had helped raise over $42,000! “The day of the event was more perfect than I could have ever imagined. The two-hour event passed by in the blink of an eye. But at the very end, I reminded myself to take a step back and to witness everything come to fruition. It was so touching to be surrounded by so many people- all with the communal goal of raising awareness.” Whitney shared.

Throughout the planning process, Whitney continued raising awareness in her Chicago community through a televised segment with Fox32 Chicago News, and an interview with Chicago’s Very Own WGN9. She has shown unwavering support throughout her mom’s journey and continues to connect with other families by sharing her family’s story, including a recent podcast interview on Living Hope: Your Journey with Pancreatic Cancer. Today, with the help of a committed medical team her mom is thriving. She continues her journey back to health one day at a time. Whitney is ready to create a new cancer-free path for her mother and family, “One day, there will be a cure, and I want to do everything I can to help us get there,” she shares. She has found a new purpose in her life – to eradicate pancreatic cancer. “We’re going to get closer and closer to a cure and I will do everything I can throughout my life and devote myself to getting closer to that,” she said. “I can tell you that that is my new goal. Forever.”

The Oksayans have been part of the Hirshberg Foundation family since Purmine “Mine” Oksayan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2016. From attending our Symposium, sharing their stories and being honored at the LA Cancer Challenge, Mine and her daughter, Ani, have been fierce advocates and loyal supporters. We are happy to share another chapter in the Oksayans’ story, from newlywed Ani.

My husband Greg and I were married on September 1, 2022 in a smallish ceremony in San Marcos, CA. We’d met three years prior and had been living together for a year before our wedding. Our little family was complete with my contribution of a 14 year old son and his of a 10 year old Chihuahua; my first pet ever, if you can believe it. As we started planning our wedding, we kept emphasizing to one another that we merely wanted a celebration; simply an opportunity for our friends and family to come together and share in our joy of finding love in one another.

The question of what we "wanted" as gifts kept coming up and it didn’t take much consideration to realize that we only wanted our loved ones’ presence without the expectation of any gift. We clearly communicated to our guests in the invitation to feel no obligation to gift us anything other than their support and love. However, we knew that there would be some level of insistence or discomfort with this request on the part of our close loved ones, so we decided to create a donation fund for a cause that was dear to us. Once this was decided, there was no doubt that our cause would be the Hirshberg Foundation.

For the last 6 years, the Foundation has been a constant source of information, support, camaraderie, and inspiration to my family. They were there for us during the horrors of the first days and weeks of my beautiful mother’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis to the traumatic days of constant hospital visits, chemo and eventual Whipple surgery. And they are here for us today and every day, whether to give a huge hug at an event or to share tears of relief and congratulations as we celebrate year after year of her cancer being behind us.

We weren’t sure whether anyone would actually act on the opportunity to donate but we quickly found that, indeed, many people were drawn to the idea of contributing to a cause that we held close to our hearts. This option allowed our guests to honor Greg and I while learning that someone dear to us had experienced a deadly disease and been supported by an organization that made tremendous strides in research, care and support of those affected.The ability to use our event, our celebration, as a call to action towards a cause that is both emotionally special and globally relevant felt incredibly rewarding and added an additional sense of meaning to our union.

In all honesty, my mom was not surprised that we would have chosen to forgo gifts and request donations to the Hirshberg Foundation. As a family, we have always felt completely supported by them, so it felt natural and right that we would take every opportunity to offer that support in return. This was a small gesture towards championing a selfless and benevolent organization dedicated to advancing research and providing resources and support to patients and their families at a time when they need that light the most. The opportunity to advocate and exhibit support through the vehicle of a special personal event is a privilege that Greg and I are honored to have had.

Reagan Ferris was just three years old when her father, Eric, passed away after a 2-year battle with pancreatic cancer at just 41 years old. Now a senior in high school, Reagan has grown up celebrating the holidays and milestones with her amazing mom, Jennifer and her two older brothers, Jackson and Carter, and inevitably, she thinks about her dad.

Service to others has always been a cornerstone for the Ferris family. A few years ago, Reagan decided that Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month was the perfect time to do something on her own to help others. She created a fundraiser with See’s Candy in honor of her dad, benefiting the Hirshberg Foundation. Reagan writes, “the Hirshberg Foundation and staff at UCLA were instrumental in helping my dad get the best care possible. Our family is forever grateful to everyone who helped my dad (healthcare workers, family, friends, colleagues, and even kind strangers) and those who continue to support our family and his memory.”

She added, “I am blessed to do something special to honor my dad and all those who fight for and support this important cause. I hope to continue this tradition and to inspire others to find ways to give help where needed.” To date, she has raised over $4,400 and Reagan hopes to keep the tradition going.

As you prepare for the holidays, make them even sweeter with a gift that gives back – consider supporting Reagan and her See’s Candy fundraiser.

Reagan’s See’s Candy Fundraiser →

Donate to Reagan’s Fund →

Across the country, Purple Ribbon Events have helped raised thousands of dollars for pancreatic cancer research and patient programs each year. From game days to a walk/run, chili cook-off or golf tournament, ideas and themes are explored to best honor a loved one and to raise awareness in the community. In March of this year, the first-ever Sean R. Sanner 5K was hosted by a daughter paying tribute to her dad on what would have been his 50^th birthday. These are the Purple Ribbon Events that make the biggest impact for a family, loved ones and the larger community. Let by her love for her father, Madison Sanner raised nearly $15,000 for pancreatic cancer research and patient support services!

In March of 2020, Sean Sanner was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer. After a devastating loss, his daughter set her heart on celebrating his life and legacy. “I wanted to do something that would bring honor to him because his 50th birthday was the first one without him, and the idea popped into my head and ran with it.” Shared Madison.  She shared the message #SannerStrong on social media as she invited loved ones to participate. After 7 long and brutal months of watching her father fight pancreatic cancer, “I wanted to do something that would bring honor to him because his 50th birthday was the first one without him.

On March 19^th, Madison’s family and friends gathered in Lafayette, California, wearing purple and ready to walk for her dad. Proving that we can all take the time to honor a loved one and celebrate them here and now, Madison shared, “The whole thing almost didn’t happen. There was a lot going on in my family, and it became overwhelming, but I pushed through and am so happy I did. It ended up all working out and the day of was incredible!” As she saw everyone in their matching shirts, she was moved to know it was all for him. Some favorite event day moments included seeing people from different areas of her life. “My dad was all about giving back, and it doesn’t always need to be in ways that people see, but to just know you can make an impact in someone’s life.” Joined by loved ones, Madison hosted an event her community will never forget.

Make a Donation to the Sean R. Sanner 5K >

HOST A PURPLE RIBBON EVENT IN 2022!

Before the seasons grow warm, begin planning an outdoor event to bring your family and friends together and make an impact in someone else’s life. Try an activity you enjoy or honor a loved one with one of their favorite pass times. Options are limitless with opportunities to host an in-person event, online activity or a Facebook fundraiser benefiting pancreatic cancer research! We’ll provide a checklist, tools and tips to support you.

Returning to in-person activities is becoming a reality for many across the country and we’re excited about the countless reunions that await! As we begin dreaming up plans to re-unite with friends and family, we’re inviting you to turn this reunion into a Purple Ribbon Event.  Start a new tradition marking the occasion of a post-pandemic world or celebrate a birthday, anniversary or an upcoming holiday while supporting the fight against pancreatic cancer!

We’re providing Purple Ribbon Event ideas and themes to get you excited, a planning checklist and event tips to help you get creative. Follow 5 simple steps to get started: choose a virtual event idea, ask a friend to help plan & co-host, create a fundraising page, select a location or online video platform, follow our checklist. Contact us at [email protected] if you have questions about hosting an event or fundraising- we’re happy to assist.

The Hirshberg Foundation is eager to launch new research in 2021 and offer more programs to patients and you can be a huge part of that!

Host an In-Person Event

Our in-person Purple Ribbon Event checklist and tips will help you get started, show you how to make a plan and how to use this fun opportunity to fundraise for cancer research too!

• Birthday Dinner
• Backyard BBQ
• Golf Tournament
• MudRun

…and more!

Host a Virtual Event

Connect virtually for a socially distanced event and we’ll provide ideas and tools & tips on how to take an event online or virtual.

• Game/trivia night
• At-home scavenger hunt
• Cocktail making party
• Remote Walk/run

…and more!