Frequently asked questions

Answered by a team member at American Cancer Society

• What is your mission?

  The mission of the American Cancer Society is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer.

• How are donations used?

  While most people know us for our research, we do so much more. We attack cancer from every angle. We promote healthy lifestyles to help you prevent cancer. We research cancer and its causes to find more answers and better treatments. We fight for lifesaving policy changes. We provide everything from emotional support to the latest cancer information for those who have been touched by cancer. And we do it all 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can call us on our helpline 1-800-227-2345 or visit us on cancer.org

• What can be done with a $100 donation?

  $100 can provide two free nights at an American Cancer Society Hope Lodge community to patients and their caregivers, saving them more than $5,674 in lodging costs. It also has the potential to provide 4 free rides to treatment for cancer patients who would otherwise have no means of transportation.

• What progress has been made already thanks to your donors?

  By taking what we’ve learned through research and translating it into action, we’ve contributed to a 26% decrease in the overall US cancer death rate since 1991. That means that we helped avoid nearly 2.4 million cancer deaths during that time.

• What is the history of your organization?

  The American Cancer Society was founded in 1913 and has been the leading cancer fighting organization since that time. We’ve been part of major Cancer Breakthroughs in the Past Century, such as:
  • The first successful chemotherapy treatment
  • The adoption of the Pap test for uterine and cervical cancer screenings
  • Requiring a warning label on all cigarette packets
  • The first to scientifically prove a link between smoking and cancer
  • Helping pass legislation that banned smoking in public places
  • The first to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of mammograms for early detection
  • We have the most contributions to bedside treatment breakthroughs
  • And we have funded the most (49) Nobel Laureates in cancer research