THINK
PINK
速
with Zeta Tau Alpha
As a women’s fraternity, these words in Zeta Tau Alpha’s Creed call us to serve. Service is woven into the fabric of our organization’s purpose and is a part of all we do. Service is one of the reasons women join ZTA in college and why they stay involved for a lifetime. Our reach is vast and our impact makes a difference in people’s lives. With service as their aim, ZTA’s 240,000 collegiate and alumnae members are passionate leaders in their communities, dedicated citizens and enthusiastic volunteers for our cause, the fight against breast cancer.
“To
think in terms of all mankind and our service in the world…”
“To prepare for service
and learn the nobility of serving…”
“To find satisfaction in being
rather than seeming…”
WE ARE Zeta Tau Alpha Since our founding in 1898, Zetas have sought to live up to our motto, “Seek the Noblest.” Zetas first learn the nobility of service and philanthropy as new members in college, and this passion grows throughout their lifelong membership experience. The Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation offers members the opportunity to serve others through national service projects as well as local philanthropic activities.
Members offer more than 415,000 volunteer hours, and chapters host more than 500 Think Pink® events each year to spread breast cancer awareness and education.
The ZTA Foundation was established in 1954 as a 501(c) (3) corporation.
ZTA’s network is expansive. We have collegiate chapters on 164 campuses and alumnae chapters in 236 locations. Individuals and groups of members provide outreach in local communities nationwide.
Our national philanthropic focus is breast cancer education and awareness. Think Pink® is trademarked by the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation and serves as an umbrella for these efforts.
Each member participates in a myriad of service and philanthropic programs throughout the year. From holding Pink Out athletic games to 5K races, from distributing pink ribbons to working with patients and survivors, our chapters and members raise awareness and funds for the Zeta Tau Alpha Foundation to support our philanthropy.
In Zeta Tau Alpha, we seek meaningful engagement opportunities for our members—passionate volunteers in the fight against breast cancer. We seek ways for them to work directly with the people in their communities and to make a difference in their lives. In Zeta Tau Alpha, we “Seek the Noblest.”
THINK PINK. Think Zeta.
®
Zeta Tau Alpha’s connection to breast cancer spans more than two decades. Our members are passionate to serve this cause through diverse and dynamic opportunities.
Think Pink
®
Think Pink®, a registered trademark of ZTA since 2004, is the umbrella theme for all of our breast cancer education and awareness projects. We adopted the cause as our national philanthropy in 1992. Over the years, Zetas have spread awareness by distributing 10 million breast self-examination shower/ breast health tip cards, 11.2 million “One in Eight” breast self-examination stickers and 14 million pink ribbons.
Pink Outs ZTA chapters across the country host Pink Out games with their university athletic departments or hometown sports teams to raise awareness for breast cancer. Our members have distributed pink ribbons and educational materials at college football, basketball, softball, soccer, swimming, gymnastics, ice hockey and volleyball games, as well as major and minor league baseball and professional soccer and hockey games.
Looking Good in Pink In October 2103, Copy Press, an online content development firm, selected six “brands that look good in pink.” We are proud to have partnered with #1 and #2 and to be #4 ourselves. Those companies were, in order: National Football League, Yoplait, Danica Patrick & Go Daddy, Zeta Tau Alpha, Under Armour and Ford Motor Company.
The Power of Partnership ZTA has worked with incredible national and global organizations in the fight against breast cancer, from the National Football League to Susan G. Komen®, from Yoplait® to Lifetime® TV. Most importantly, each partnership we have forged has provided meaningful opportunities for our members to make an impact in people’s lives.
In the next few pages, we will outline our
dedication to breast cancer awareness through sharing stories of our partnerships.
BUILDING A SURVIVOR RECOGNITION PROGRAM
with Susan G. Komen
®
In 1992, ZTA helped to create and invest in a vision of honoring the women and men who have fought breast cancer. Dedicated to our cause, ZTA was the founding sponsor of the National Survivor Recognition Program at Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure® events. We worked hand-in-hand with Komen to build the Survivor Recognition Program from the ground-up. Our efforts not only kick-started a new initiative, but also helped to grow and propel the Race for the Cure program. Over the more than two decades of sponsorship, ZTA also worked alongside major corporations like Kellogg’s®, General Mills®, RE/MAX® and Bank of America®. Zetas helped to create a meaningful experience for survivors at each Race for the Cure event through the sponsorship of this national program. From making personal connections to providing recognition items, our commitment to engagement is evident and powerful.
More than 5,000 ZTA volunteers served at 110 Race for the Cure events across the country annually.
Our collegiate and alumnae members served on race days to help coordinate the survivor tent; they cheered on and honored those participants who have faced breast cancer. We appointed a designated ZTA Race Representative in each local community where a race occurred. Throughout the year, they coordinated our volunteer efforts and assisted in planning the Survivor Recognition Program. ZTA sponsorship provided co-branded pink hats and shirts for the survivors to wear on race day and keep. ZTA sponsorship provided co-branded pink back signs for millions of participants to run “in honor of” and “in celebration” of a loved one or friend who has fought breast cancer. Participants customized the signs—all part of the special race experience.
TACKLING A CURE
with the NFL Every October, pro football players don pink cleats, gloves, towels, laces and more as part of the National Football League’s “A Crucial Catch” campaign to spread breast cancer awareness. You’ve seen the sea of pink capture your television screen, but what you might not realize is that program began with one game, one team and one partnering organization—Zeta Tau Alpha. In 1999, ZTA worked with the Washington Redskins for the very first NFL Think Pink® breast cancer awareness game. What started out as a community service project by the Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapter of ZTA to hand out pink ribbons to fans has grown into a national program. Zetas now distribute co-branded pink ribbons and breast health information to more than 1 million football fans each year as they enter NFL games. The NFL’s primary charitable partner is the American Cancer Society®, and ZTA is the league-sanctioned fan outreach supporter for the “A Crucial Catch” program.
Since the program’s inception, ZTA has partnered with all 32 NFL teams, volunteering at almost 270 games. ZTA provides hot pink breast cancer awareness ribbons, co-branded with NFL and ZTA logos, as well as co-branded banners and mascot ribbons for team use and T-shirts for volunteers. ZTA has been recognized for our work with the NFL, including the ESPN Chalk Talk’s “Fans Helping Fans” Award, Philadelphia Eagles TevaRed Zone Organization, Best Public Relations Effort from the North-American Interfraternity Conference, and a Fraternity Communications Association Award for Total Communications.
Nearly 2,500 collegiate and alumnae ZTA volunteers assist with “A Crucial Catch” games each season.
SAVING LIDS TO SAVE LIVES
with Yoplait
®
In 2004, General Mills® and Yoplait brand representatives reached out to Zeta Tau Alpha to help them rally the collegiate market in their new Save Lids to Save Lives® campaign. Yoplait was seeking to spread breast cancer awareness to a younger demographic, put their product in the hands of these women, and raise funds for a good cause. With our commitment to breast cancer awareness, they knew ZTA could achieve this goal. Using co-branded lid collection bins and PR materials, ZTA kicked off the “Think Pink® as we Save Lids to Save Lives” campaign. This started a 10-year partnership, which quickly grew beyond our collegiate chapters. To collect lids, members hosted yogurt-eating competitions and parfait-making events. Alumnae chapters worked with grocery stores to host breast cancer awareness events and collect lids from patrons. Several outstanding community engagement examples came out of this campaign, including one chapter that worked with a town mayor to proclaim a dedicated collection day and others who hosted collection competitions in local schools. Our members reached out to friends, family and community members to continually grow lid collection efforts. This national partnership highlights the creativity of our volunteer force. When given a challenge, they are innovative and dedicated to succeed as it contributes to our cause.
In 10 years of partnership, Zetas collected 2.2 million pink lids,
and each lid resulted in 15 cents donated to breast cancer awareness.
OTHER PARTNERSHIPS
Bright Pink
®
ZTA is entering into a new partnership with Bright Pink, an organization focused on risk reduction and early detection of breast and ovarian cancer in young women. Through this partnership, Bright Pink will deliver the Brighten Up™ Educational Workshop to our collegiate chapters. Together, we will educate, equip and empower our members to be proactive advocates for their health.
Lifetime TV ®
When Lifetime premiered its movie “Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy,” starring Sarah Chalke, ZTA was its official partner. Lifetime asked our chapters to host Courage Nights—movie viewing parties with informational resources on breast cancer. Lifetime also honored Zeta Tau Alpha as a Lifetime Breast Cancer Hero. “Why I Wore Lipstick to my Mastectomy” is based on a book of the same title written by ZTA alumna initiate and former Lifetime executive, Geralyn Lucas.
Betsey Johnson Boutiques ®
ZTA partnered with Betsey Johnson Boutiques to staff Courage Nights at selected stores across the country. Zetas honored breast cancer survivors, helped raise money for local breast cancer organizations and promoted breast cancer awareness at these events. ZTA and Betsey Johnson partnered with Lifetime TV in honor of the premiere of the Lifetime movie, “Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy.”
SELF and Conde Nast ®
®
In an effort to share women’s health information, ZTA partners with Condé Nast to put SELF magazine in the hands of each collegiate member. This includes the annual Women’s Cancer Handbook and complimentary issues of the monthly magazine.
Good Morning America
®
In 2013, Good Morning America sought to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a nationwide celebration of hope. GMA reached out to ZTA with the aim of finding volunteer support in four cities to spark excitement for its Oct. 1 launch. With just a week’s notice, in New York; Chicago; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and Tampa, Florida, hundreds of collegiate and alumnae Zetas gathered for the telecast. They pumped up local crowds as GMA showcased each city as a part of its programming.