Movember-Owen Sharp and Paul Villanti.

Abstract

Luke Slattery and Travis Garone were sitting in the Gypsy Bar in Fitzroy, a trendy suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in 2003, when they hatched a beer-inspired plan: could they convince their male friends and family members to spend the month of November doing the decidedly untrendy thing of growing a moustache? The experiment was a success—30 men signed on—and was so much fun that they decided to do it again, this time with the goal of raising money for prostate cancer research. Working with Travis s brother, Adam, and their friend, Justin Coghlan, they developed a name, Movember, and a campaign so innovative and compelling that it would inspire thousands of men, first in Australia, then all over the world, to spend the month of November growing moustaches to raise funds and awareness about men s health issues—not just prostate cancer but also testicular cancer, mental health issues such as suicide and depression, and, most recently, physical inactivity. With a trademark mixture of humor, camaraderie, and competitive spirit—holding annual events such as the Moscars, a video contest, and Movember Man of the Year, along with other ingenious projects, many of which have originated with their members—they managed to do the apparently impossible: turn large numbers of men into active fundraisers, much as women do for breast cancer. Over 4.5 million men (Mo Bros) have participated in Movember—along with half a million female partners, friends, and family members (Mo Sistas). Together they have raised over $850 million and funded over 1200 projects. Having initially partnered with other charities, in 2010, Movember became its own grant-making agency and, in so doing, has helped to determine the direction of research and programming in men s health. Movember s CEO Owen Sharp recently announced that the organization s current goal is to halve the number of men dying from …