• What is the St. Baldrick’s Foundation?
• Where does the money go?
• What percentage of my money goes to research?
• How can I be sure the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a legitimate charity?
• How can I donate?
• What’s the address for sending donations?
• I don’t live in the United States. What’s the best way for me to give?
• How did St. Baldrick’s get started?
• When is the event this year?
• Where is an event in my area?
• There isn’t an event in my area. How can I organize one?
• How do I sign up to participate?
• I’m a shavee or barber. How do I get my photo on the website?
• How can I be involved without being a shavee?
• Are shavees or barbers required to raise a minimum amount in donations?
• I’m a St. Baldrick’s participant collecting donations. What do I do with them?
• When will my donations be acknowledged?
• Do I have to shave my head? Can’t I just cut my hair?
• How old do I need to be to shave my head?
• Do I need to be Irish to participate?
• Do I need to know someone with childhood cancer to participate?
• How much does it cost to attend a St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event?
• I’m a shavee with donors outside the U.S. What should we do?
• What is a Matching Gift?
• My company will match my gift. Where do I send my matching gift form?
• What else does the St. Baldrick’s Foundation need?
• How do I download my list of donors and participants from the member’s section?
• What is your privacy policy?
• Is there a real St. Baldrick?

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What is the St. Baldrick’s Foundation?

St. Baldrick’s is the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising event for childhood cancer research. The St. Baldrick’s name is a whimsical twist on St. Patrick’s Day. At St. Baldrick’s events all throughout the year, brave volunteers shave their heads, raising funds for childhood cancer research. Like runners in a marathon, “shavees” collect donations from friends, family and associates. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation receives these funds and makes grants to research experts to find new and better cures for fighting kids cancer.

Where does the money go?

Grant funds have been distributed to over 230 institutions for laboratory research and to help make clinical trials available to more children than ever, giving those children treatment that offers the best chance for a cure. Twenty-three Fellows and 12 Scholars have also been funded to encourage the best and brightest doctors to pursue careers in childhood cancer research. Your support truly makes a difference!

What percentage of my money goes to research?

Except for the costs of making St. Baldrick’s possible, all funds go to research. There are costs involved in providing information and materials to almost 27,000 volunteers and acknowledging over 250,000 donors. Those costs vary each year with the number of events, participants and donors. In the year ending June 30, 2007, of every dollar raised, five cents went to administration, 20 cents went to fundraising costs (website, phones, t-shirts for volunteers, postage, etc.), and 75 cents went to research.

How can I be sure the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a legitimate charity?

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a nonprofit organization, IRS identification number 20-1173824. It is also registered in every state that requires charitable organizations to register to raise funds. Because it was founded as an independent nonprofit organization just four years ago, charity rating agencies have not yet conducted evaluations. However, policies have been developed to meet their most stringent guidelines. More importantly, the board and staff are committed to the highest standards of ethics and responsibility to donors and volunteers. The latest annual report can be downloaded here. Staff will also happily answer any questions by phone or email.

How can I donate?

Oh, we’re so glad you asked!

• Donating online is your best bet! The process is secure and easy, and this is the most cost-effective way for the foundation to accept gifts. Three things will happen immediately:
  1. Your name will appear as a donor on the event page for the shavee, barber or team you’re supporting (unless you mark your gift “anonymous").
  
  
  2. Your gift will be added to their total raised. (They’ll love you for that!)
  
  
  3. You’ll receive an email acknowledging your gift.
• To make a general donation to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, simply click on “Donate Now” at www.StBaldricks.org.


• Giving by phone is the next best thing.  Call (888) 899-BALD, and a representative will take your gift by credit card and post it to the website right away.


• You’d rather give by check? No problem!  Here are a few things you need to know:
  1. Please make your check payable to “St. Baldrick’s Foundation.”
  
  
  2. Please write the name and ID# of your shavee, barber or team in the memo line of the check, so they’ll be sure to get credit for your donation. (The participant’s ID# is on their web page and at the top of their donation form.)
  
  
  3. Please complete a donation form (available from your shavee or on their web page) and submit it with your check. This helps us acknowledge your donation properly and get you what you’ll need for a tax-deduction.
  
  
  4. During the busiest times of the year, it may take longer than we’d like for your gift to reach the website. (Please give us at least three weeks to process during the months of February through June.)
• Do we take cash? We sure do - but not through the mail, please! Just hand your cash donation to the St. Baldrick’s participant you’re supporting, and they’ll submit it. To be sure your name appears on the website and counts for your shavee, please complete a donation form (available from your shavee or from his or her web page). This makes it possible for us to put your name on the website, to thank you, and to provide you with a donation confirmation letter you can use for a tax deduction.

What’s the address for sending donations?

St. Baldrick’s Foundation
1443 E. Washington Boulevard, #650
Pasadena, CA 91104-2650

I don’t live in the United States. What’s the best way for me to give?

The best way is online with a credit card. Your donation will be processed right away, your name will appear on the web page of the participant you are supporting immediately, you’ll get a quick gift acknowledgement by email, and you’ll help the Foundation avoid the banking and currency conversion fees that apply to foreign checks, which can be prohibitive. If your credit card company charges a foreign transaction fee, it will be added to your donation amount.

Another option is to talk to the St. Baldrick’s participant you are supporting and see if he or she can collect all the donations from your country and “pay for” them online or with one wire transfer. Be sure to give them a donation form, so your name and donation amount will appear on the website and count for the participant you are supporting!

How did St. Baldrick’s get started?

The event was the idea of a group of reinsurance executives in New York City, all with Irish roots. For years, they had been observing St. Patrick’s Day in the traditional way - pints at their favorite pub, with music and laughter in great supply. In appreciation of their own good fortune, they decided to find a way to help others, specifically children with cancer.

On March 17, 2000, they turned their annual St. Patrick’s Day party into the first St. Baldrick’s event. They collected donations from people willing to see them and other volunteers shaved bald at the party, with funds going to research to find cures. Their bald heads would be a symbol of solidarity with kids fighting cancer. To their surprise, they far surpassed their $17,000 goal, raising $100,000 - and that was only the beginning! Over the past 10 years, over $50 million has been raised to fight childhood cancer, with thousands of shavees from all walks of life participating in hundreds of events.

When is the event this year?

St. Baldrick’s events are scheduled by volunteer organizers in each location for the date that fits them best. As event plans are finalized, they are listed on the website. During some times of the year, several events are added per day, so please check frequently!

Where is an event in my area?

St. Baldrick’s events are taking place across the United States and around the globe! Go to Event Listings to find a location near you. Don’t see one? During some times of the year, several events are added per day, so please check frequently! Contact us to find out if an event is in the planning stages - or to inquire about organizing an event. Simply email sbinfo@StBaldricks.org or call (888) 899-BALD.

There isn’t an event in my area. How can I organize one?

What a great question! Just click on Organize an Event to sign up, or call (888) 899-BALD to find out everything you need to know. Once you’ve registered your event, a St. Baldrick’s staff person will contact you before making the event appear live on the website. You’ll be assigned an event “coach” to help you from start to finish.

Basic ingredients for success: 1) a great event location; 2) a date and time that works for shavees and donors; 3) a few good volunteers willing to help; 4) a salon or licensed hairdresser willing to have some fun; and 5) at least a few people with hair who are willing to lose it for a good cause! Oh and a sense of humor really helps!

How do I sign up to participate?

We’re so glad you asked! It’s SO easy. Just click on join the fun and choose how you’d like to participate. You can be a shavee, barber, event organizer, or volunteer. The website will walk you through the process, and you’ll be on your way to a great and rewarding experience. If you’d rather sign up by phone, just call (888) 899-BALD. One more thing: Don’t put it off! Be sure to sign up in time to receive a package from us in the mail. You’ll be glad you did!

I’m a shavee or barber. How do I get my photo on the website?

Once you register as a St. Baldrick’s participant, you will see how to post your photo. If you choose not to post it at the time you register, you can always log in to the members section of the website anytime and post your photo then.

How can I be involved without being a shavee?

• Find out about organizing or hosting an event! Email us at SBinfo@StBaldricks.org.
• You can also volunteer to help at an event near you. Each event has a volunteer committee to help promote and manage the event. Go to your local event’s web page and contact the organizer to learn more!
• Don’t forget, anyone can donate!
• Who shaves all those heads at the events? St. Baldrick’s barbers! (professionals only, please). If you or your salon is interested, please contact your local event organizer. P.S. Barbers can raise money, just like shavees!
• Each St. Baldrick’s participant will shave in honor or memory of a special child. If you’d like to register your child as an honoree, he or she will inspire thousands of shavees and barbers, and tens of thousands of donors. Click here to learn more
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• St. Baldrick’s events are more meaningful when a local family touched by childhood cancer can attend and share their story with those who are there to support research. If you are interested, please contact your local event organizer or email SBinfo@StBaldricks.org.
• Doctors, nurses and others who spend their professional lives in research or treatment for childhood cancer are also St. Baldrick’s representatives. Representatives are needed to speak at each event about the importance of what everyone is there to support. To volunteer, please contact your local event organizer or contact us at SBinfo@StBaldricks.org.

Are shavees or barbers required to raise a minimum amount in donations?

No, everyone is welcome to be involved and simply raise as much as they can. While the event is lots of fun, we ask everyone to remember the main purpose of all we do: to fund research to find cures for kids with cancer. You’ll be surprised how many people will give to see you sacrifice the very hair on your head - and how generous they will be, once you tell them what it’s for.

Shavees and barbers raising at least $50 will be given a St. Baldrick’s t-shirt at the event. All shavees will receive the lapel pin made exclusively for shavees.

I’m a St. Baldrick’s participant collecting donations. What do I do with them?

Thanks for asking! The way you submit donations makes a big difference in the amount the St. Baldrick’s Foundation pays for gift processing and the amount that can go to our cause!

• Please submit a donation form for each gift. Print the form from your web page and your name and ID# will be filled in automatically. You can give this form to your donors and/or fill it in for them. (This is the only donation form; no self-made or previous year’s forms, please!) This form helps automate gift processing procedures, saving a great deal of time and money, and making gift acknowledgements (including tax deduction documentation!) more accurate.
• To get your cash donations and donor names on your website right away, you may enter these donations online and pay for them with your own credit card - But please use the form provided on the members section of the website to do this, so the gift will be credited to your donors, not to you.

  If you prefer to write a check to cover cash donations, please paperclip your check to the donation forms for the gifts it covers, and mail it to the foundation. This is the only way we will know who your donors were, to recognize them on the website and acknowledge their gifts.

• Until the week prior to your event, please mail donation checks (with their donation forms!) directly to the foundation as you receive them for quicker processing. (See the address on you guessed it: the donation form!) Please write your name and ID# on the memo line of the check.
• Closer to the time of your event, collect your donations in the white and brown shavee envelopes found in the packet you receive by mail (or available from your event organizer). Checks and their forms go in the white envelope; cash and their forms go in the brown envelope. Please complete the basic information on the shavee envelope and bring them to the event to turn in to the treasurer. This system helps the foundation process and recognize your gifts more quickly and accurately.
• Collecting more donations at the event? Great! Just hand them to your event treasurer to add to your shavee envelopes if you’ve already turned them in.
• Still getting donations after the event? Terrific! Keep up the good work! Please mail donations and their donation forms to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation as quickly as possible, and/or submit cash donations using the instructions above.

When will my donations be acknowledged?

Each online donation will be acknowledged immediately by an email, if a valid email address is provided, which can be printed for the donors’ records. This greatly reduces postage and printing costs, especially since many donors make multiple gifts over time. Our emails will make it easy for donors to request a written letter by mail. If an email address was not provided, donors of $20 or more by cash or check will be acknowledged by regular mail.

We’ve been late with thank-you letters in the past, and we offer our most sincere apologies. We absolutely appreciate every single gift and volunteer hour, and we are making changes to correct this problem.

If you have a question about a gift acknowledgement, contact us at SBinfo@StBaldricks.org or (888) 899-BALD.

Do I have to shave my head? Can’t I just cut my hair?

The bald heads of St. Baldrick’s shavees are a bold and powerful symbol of support for kids who lose their hair during cancer treatment. Every shavee registered on the St. Baldrick’s website plans to go bald for the cause.

Shaving one’s head is not a sacrifice everyone is willing or able to make - and we certainly understand that! Fortunately, there are many other ways to be involved in St. Baldrick’s!

How old do I need to be to shave my head?

There is no required age, but we do require signed parental consent for shavees under the age of 18. (Our eldest shavee to date is 96 and he didn’t have to ask anyone’s permission!)

Do I need to be Irish to participate?

You most certainly do not! St. Baldrick’s events are often - but not always - held in Irish pubs, and those of us who aren’t Irish are welcome to attend and participate! Events are also held at restaurants, schools, malls, festivals and more. People of all walks of life, regardless of heritage or tradition, enjoy participating. In fact, in 2008 St. Baldrick’s events were held in six countries outside of the United States including India, Hong Kong and Bermuda!

Do I need to know someone with childhood cancer to participate?

No. In fact, we hope no one in your life has had to face childhood cancer! But as the growth of St. Baldrick’s proves, you don’t have to be directly affected to care about these special kids and families and to do what you can to help find cures.

How much does it cost to attend a St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event?

Attendance at St. Baldrick’s events is always free, and nearly all are open to the public. (Private events are marked clearly on the website.) Invite anyone brave enough to see you or the event’s shavees take it all off! The more, the merrier!

I’m a shavee with donors outside the U.S. What should we do?

If you have just one or two donors in another country, please encourage them to give online with a credit card. Their donation will be processed right away, their name will appear on your web page immediately, they’ll get a quick gift acknowledgement by email, and this will help the Foundation avoid the banking and currency conversion fees that apply to foreign checks, which can be prohibitive. If their credit or debit card company charges a foreign transaction fee, it will be added to their donation.

If you have several donors in another country, please consider collecting their gifts and wiring the total funds, or making one credit card gift to cover them all. To learn more about wiring funds, please contact us at SBinfo@StBaldricks.org. To pay for other donors’ gifts using your credit card, please use the instructions on the member’s section of the website, to make it clear who the donations are from.

What is a Matching Gift?

Your donation can go twice as far (or more!) if your company has a matching gift program. Please request a matching gift form from your employer (often the Human Resources department) and submit it with your gift, or mail it to the foundation after making your online gift.

If your employer does not have a matching gift program but makes charitable donations, why not ask them to match your donation—or, if you’re a shavee, the amount you raise!

My company will match my gift. Where do I send my matching gift form?

St. Baldrick’s Foundation
1443 E. Washington Boulevard, #650
Pasadena, CA 91104-2650

What else does the St. Baldrick’s Foundation need?

A top priority of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is to keep expenses to an absolute minimum, while raising as much as humanly possible for the cause.

• Donations of goods or services that would otherwise come out of the foundation’s budget are welcome! Examples? Office supplies, current model computers and other technical equipment, software, premium items such as event t-shirts and or other giveaway items, or services including publicity, printing, technical support, and more.
• Corporate sponsors who can make donations, underwrite expenses, or present growth opportunities are very important to the success of St. Baldrick’s. To propose a sponsorship or learn more, contact us at Sponsorships@StBaldricks.org.

How do I download my list of donors and participants from the member’s section?

Shavees and barbers, to download your donor list, which will include all donor contact information, follow these instructions:

• Click on “Shavee Information”
• Then click “View Fundraising Reports
• Click “Download Contact List”
• Save the file to your desktop
• Click on the file to open
• Extract all files
• Right click on the file to “Open With” MS Excel

Ta Da! You’ve got your list!

Organizers, to download the list of participants, click on the group you’d like to download, and follow the instructions above.

What is your privacy policy?

We take your privacy very seriously, and we take measures to protect it through our technical and administrative practices. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation does not sell, rent, exchange or otherwise share information about donors, shavees or other participants with any other organization or individual. To view our entire privacy policy, please click here.

Is there a real St. Baldrick?

To our knowledge, there isn’t a St. Baldrick. The name was invented by the event founders, who fused the words “Bald” and “Patrick” when they changed their annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration into a head-shaving event to raise money for childhood cancer research.