Your Role as Relay Advocacy Chair
Advocacy Chair
ACS Enterprisewide job
description for
this committee
position
 Retain and recruit committee volunteers to help with advocacy education and activation (i.e.
create opportunities for participants to join the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
(ACS CAN)).
 Collaborate with Event Chair to plan and set goals for advocacy education and activation.
 Be an expert on the Society’s legislative priorities and ACS CAN materials/resources.
 Cultivate relationships with volunteers and community members who have directly benefitted
from the Society’s advocacy efforts, and identify those who are willing to share their stories in
person, in writing, and/or with the media.
 Leverage kick-offs, team meetings/rallies, fundraising workshops, bank nights, event days, and
wrap-ups as opportunities to educate Relayers about the Society’s advocacy efforts/successes,
legislative action alerts, and opportunities to join ACS CAN.
 Collaborate with the Entertainment & Activities & Ceremonies Chair and the Mission Chair to plan
a powerful ‘Fight Back’ ceremony that includes advocacy education and activation.
 Ensure that all other committee volunteers are considering advocacy education and activation in
their plans.
 Ensure that all advocacy volunteers/contacts know how much they are appreciated.

Get trained. Get started with the Relay Advocacy Chair on-line training at
http://www.acscantraining.org/relay/. Then contact your ACS staff partner or ACS CAN Grassroots
Manager for further training and resources.

Recruit ACS CAN members. Encourage your Relay committee members and team captains to set an
example and become members. The goal is to recruit at least 8 ACS CAN members per Relay.
o An annual ACS CAN membership is just $10. For people who join at the $20 level or higher, we
offer a “premium”. This year’s premium is an adorable purple sneaker keychain. These are
available from your ACS CAN grassroots staff member.
o Handouts and ACS CAN membership forms are available for you to print out and use at any of
your Relay meetings and activities.
o Individual teams who recruit at least 10 members qualify as a “CAN Club” team and will receive
special recognition, including an ACS CAN Club purple and white flag to display at their team
site at the Relay event. Relay events that recruit at least 40 CAN members will be recognized as
an official ACS CAN Club Relay For Life Event with a beautiful purple and white banner.
o New members as well as current CAN members renewing their annual membership count
toward goal.
o Turn in CAN membership forms and money to your ACS staff partner immediately for
processing.

Educate your fellow Relay participants about advocacy. Ask for a couple of minutes at team
captain meetings to talk about the importance of Fighting Back through advocacy and joining ACS
CAN.
o For example, while Relayers raise money that supports ACS-funded research grants, ACS CAN
lobbies Congress to ensure that federal funding is sustained and increased for cancer research
grants through the National Cancer Institute and National Institutes of Health. While ACS is the
largest private funder of cancer research, the federal government is the largest funder of
research nationwide. We’re doing our part as Relayers, and we can fight back even harder by
letting Congress know we want them to do their part as well to make fighting cancer a national
priority.
o Once you become a member of ACS CAN, you will receive regular updates and opportunities to
take action on important pieces of legislation at the federal, state and local level.
o Be sure to check out the ACS CAN web page at www.acscan.org for the latest in news and
updates on ACS CAN’s citizen-based lobbying efforts in your state and nationally.

Host an advocacy activity at your Relay For Life event.
o Incorporate advocacy as a key element of your event’s “Fight Back” ceremony, working in
collaboration with your event’s Mission Chair and Entertainment & Ceremonies Chair.
o Plan an activity to engage participants at your Relay event and help support ACS CAN’s
advocacy efforts. The activity should be informative but fun. Talk with your staff partner or
Grassroots Manager for ideas of activities (e.g., creating a HOPE wall with sticky notes where
Relayers can write a personal message, initiating an ACS CAN member lap, setting up an CAN
members only “relaxation station” with special refreshments) that you could carry out at your
event and be sure to consult with your Event Chair.