Rolling Stone’s Guide to Movember

Movember is upon us, so it’s time to make sure you’re prepped for success to raise money and change the face of men’s health. Whether you’re planning to Grow and Mo yourself, or you’re looking for other ways to get involved, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know to put your best foot forward and become one with the Mo.

Movember was established in Melbourne in 2003 and has grown to become the leading charity changing the face of men’s health around the globe. Movember raises funds and awareness for mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer, to stop men from dying too young and ensure healthier, longer lives for them and their communities. 

By taking part in Movember, you’re helping to change the lives of not just the men experiencing these challenges, you’re also changing the lives of everyone around them. Your efforts can have a huge impact, so read on to find out tips to help you make the most of your Movember experience!

Set up in style

Before you start on your Movember journey, you can take some steps to make sure you’re set up for success. First up, decide if you’ll be going solo or working as part of a team. A team will help take the pressure off and give you more motivation to achieve your goals, but going solo gives you all the power. You can lead the group as a Captain, find your co-captain, and give your team a why. Together you can set your goals and plan your Movember journey. 

Then it’s time to set up your Mo Space, pick your targets, and let everyone know a bit about you! Take a pic, list out your motivation, and give people a good reason to support you. An easy way to track your Mo Space is through the Movember app. It will give you an easy way to communicate with your network, notify you whenever you get a donation and you can track your success throughout. 

Setting up everything before you get started means you can hit the ground running at the beginning of Movember and start bringing in those donations. 

Mo’ Donations, Mo’ Money

The most famous way to support Movember is to be a Mo Grower. It’s where it all started, showing your support with a Mo grown in the month of Movember. If you’re planning to become one with the Mo this year there are a number of ways you can increase the funds you raise. 

Get creative! You can auction the naming rights for your Mo, giving the highest bidder the chance to name it for the rest of the month. You can subdivide your Mo into plots and auction each plot, letting the landowners decide what happens to their plot on the last day of the month. You can run a poll on what Mo you’ll be growing, taking donations for each vote.

There are even ways to involve your partner and family – for example when you get to the end of the month, if you’re interested in keeping the Mo around a bit longer, you can take donations from the invested parties in your life to get rid of it. And lastly, don’t forget to share why you Mo. Open up, and share your connection to the cause with your community. This can also start important conversations, and enable your friends and family to feel the power of the movement.

All these different ways to bump up your donations really make the most of your efforts raise funds and save lives during Movember and importantly… to have fun doin’ good!

Mo’ ways to save a Bro

Growing a Mo is the OG way to get involved with Movember, but now there are a number of ways you can take part! You can Move, committing to running or walking 60km over the month to raise funds and awareness for the 60 men suicide takes globally every hour. You can Host, hold a party or gathering, and raise important funds for Movember that way. Or you can Mo Your Own Way, get creative, and set your own personal fundraising challenge for the month of Mo. 

Movember raises funds and awareness for men’s health, but it’s not just about the fellas! Healthier men mean healthier families and communities. And, with so many ways to get involved, anyone can take part. Plus, it’s more fun when you’re doing it with others. If you need more motivation to get out and complete your challenge, you can take part in your Move challenge with a group. Or, you can get your office, friends or family involved in your Host event. Every dollar raised counts, so everything you can do to widen the impact is worth it!

Knowledge is power

Movember is changing the face of men’s health on a global scale. Looking to stop men from dying too young, it’s tackling some of the most complex health challenges facing men today; prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide. 

If you want to inspire people to donate to your Movember efforts, it’s important to help them understand where the funds are going! Since its inception, Movember has funded over 1,320 projects globally. This funding goes to support important work such as advocacy, education, and uniting experts and partners to achieve goals.

Most of all, Movember is accountable. They share what they learn from every initiative and all funding is reported on. Men’s health is in crisis. Men are dying on average 4.5 years earlier than women and for largely preventable reasons. In Australia, 3 out of 4 suicides are men. 1 in 5 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men.

The funds that go to Movember are incredibly important and you can help boost the donations you receive by helping everyone understand why. Show your support during Movember by fundraising or donating, and involving your friends, family, and community in the process. Together, we can change the face of men’s health.