Canadian Cancer Society

Transforming Canada’s Largest Health Charity

Nearly 1 in 2 Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime – making the work of the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) relevant and critical to virtually all of us.

Following a year of working with the executive leadership team at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF), in the fall of 2016, HALO CEO Paula Roberts was invited to help steer the organization’s unprecedented merger with CCS. With over 300 cancer charities in the country, the opportunity for consolidation was clear as donors were eager for increased efficiencies and greater impact. Just one year after joining forces with CBCF and operating under the CCS banner, the newly consolidated organization had overcome a $20 million+ shortfall and posted a nearly $8 million surplus, setting the pace for continued expansion including the second amalgamation in 2019 with Prostate Cancer Canada. Under the new leadership team, the Canadian Cancer Society had become synonymous with transformation.

With oversight for all marketing, communications, and digital functions, Paula knew the CCS brand needed to be updated for increased relevance beyond the outdated “fight” language that was ubiquitous in the sector.   Her strategic vision resulted in a new organization-wide brand positioning; “Life is Bigger than Cancer”. It focused on people affected by cancer vs. the disease itself, broadening the organization’s emotional appeal and reminding Canadians that while cancer can change everything, it doesn’t define who you are. The response to this strategic shift was palpable and CCS, with this new perspective, became the official voice for Canadians who care about people affected by cancer. The “Life is Bigger than Cancer” repositioning not only helped increase the appeal of CCS’s important work but was a critical foundation for improved revenue generation. Under Paula’s leadership and together with her team, in just four years, mass-market revenue alone grew by more than 60% to $32 million annually including almost 225% growth for the online channel.

In her role as Executive Sponsor for the annual Daffodil campaign, Paula and her team integrated dozens of diverse regional marketing efforts into a highly effective nationwide program getting the word out about CCS as the only Canadian cancer charity funding world-class research, transformative public policy, and providing the best care and support for all those affected by any kind of cancer. She also led the organization’s largest corporate partnership as she oversaw the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure - Canada’s largest single-day, volunteer-led event in support of the breast cancer cause. Today, the event has tens of thousands of participants and raises millions of dollars annually.

Notably, Paula also led all aspects of the comprehensive crisis communication plan for CCS during the COVID-19 pandemic. This proved to be a mammoth task as the organization shifted for 18 months to an almost exclusively online fundraising platform and restructured to cope with a 40% reduction in fundraising revenues while continuing to champion the immunocompromised population that they serve through a vast array of support services.

The opportunity to lead critical change in the not-for-profit sector has always been a huge influence on Paula’s career. Today she continues to support the CCS Executive team in a more focused consulting role. Says CCS CEO Andrea Seale “Paula has been a true partner in every sense – consistently going above and beyond to help deliver our commitment to unite and inspire Canadians to take control of cancer”.