Sarah Chiddy

In September 2005, as part of my Women's Studies degree at McGill, I responded to a call for an intern to research BCAM membership development. While I was offered a number of placements around Montreal, I chose BCAM because of its unique and uncompromising stance on breast cancer — a stance that I have not seen paralleled in the campus groups and corporate fundraisers that address breast cancer with glossy posters and fancy events at McGill and elsewhere in Montreal.

As many readers will know, BCAM is conducting a membership drive this year. With the guidance of Jane Shulman, the help of Maychai Brown, and the advice of Carol Secter and the dedicated BCAM board, I developed a survey for distribution to current BCAM members. A group cannot hope to expand unless it knows what its current members find attractive about the organization and what it is that makes them stay.

We sent out surveys to 250 members, active and lapsed, and waited. Over the next few weeks, 53 surveys were returned, providing an impressive return rate of 20 per cent. The findings were both fascinating and encouraging. Many of the members expressed great pride in BCAM's mission, its simplicity and clarity, citing BCAM's strong stance against cause marketing and emphasis on often ignored environmental factors in the causes of breast cancer.

The newsletter was the most widely appreciated aspect of the organization. Some members spoke of sending it on to friends abroad! Perhaps the most interesting idea for increased publicity that came out of the surveys was the suggestion that BCAM submit newsletter articles to other news sources. These could take the form of op-ed newspaper pieces or contributions to health and nutrition magazines. Given the overwhelmingly positive feedback the newsletter has received over the years — and in this survey in particular — this is a brilliant idea.

A number of members expressed a desire for a heightened sense of BCAM 'community.' Members said they wanted more opportunities to speak with each other, to share their views, politics, ideas and experiences of breast cancer and advocacy. Consequently, one of the recommendations I submitted to the Board was for a forum for sharing experience and brainstorming ideas within the current membership.

As is often the case with local and volunteer-driven organizations, the most consistent form of recruitment has been through personal contacts. Just under 50 per cent of respondents learned of BCAM through family or friends.

As our membership attests, BCAM is a unique organization in Montreal, in Quebec, and in Canada. It does incredible work and the challenge is to keep spreading the word.

Ed. Note: BCAM will be implementing many of the ideas that came from the membership survey in the coming months. Stay tuned for information about the membership drive, which we plan to launch in the fall. Thanks to everyone who responded to the survey, and to Sarah Chiddy for compiling the results!