The Power of Conversation

Marketing & Fundraising – Sarah Chamberlin

By Sarah Chamberlin

I have one of the best jobs in the world. I spend my days talking about mental health — a topic close to my heart — with passionate people who are committed to driving change. I’m the Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Community Giving and Engagement at CAMH Foundation, where we raise and steward funds that help evolve the way we understand and treat mental illness.

The most powerful and inspiring parts of my day-to-day are the conversations I have with other like-minded individuals, who want to help and are committed to breaking down the stigma of mental illness. We do this by sharing and talking about our personal experiences, as well as creating space for others to do the same. Opening up the conversation around mental illness has a direct effect on our desire to see change. We all have a reason to join this community of Change Agents. We all know someone that is affected — a friend, a colleague or a family member, perhaps even ourselves now or at some point in our lives.

But being a Change Agent is more than just sharing and listening, and it’s definitely more than just a monthly gift. It’s knowing that we’re making a difference in the lives of millions of Canadians who struggle with mental illness every day. We believe in a world where mental health treatments are more effective, where care is more accessible, and where suicide prevention is a public health priority. We know that we’re part of the fight to stop mental illness from destroying lives. Our Change Agents directly contribute to alleviating the effects of mental illness, and despite the economic hardship we’ve faced in the past couple of years, the community is growing — up over 40 percent from this time last year! That’s 30,000 of us with different reasons united by the same cause. And it’s because of those reasons, that we are leading a movement to create a society that believes that Mental Health is Health.

Part of my job is ensuring that we are reaching the public — all of you — with our mission, in a way that encourages people to join the movement. While a lot of our efforts include digital marketing and direct mailing, we had been missing something over the past few years. Something that we had all been starved of as a result of the pandemic — the power of face-to-face conversation. We have so many choices to communicate with one another, some perhaps more convenient than others, but none as effective as communicating in person and connecting with someone else in real time. That is why in 2022, we were thrilled to be able to bring back door-to-door and street fundraising, our program designed to reach communities across Ontario to inform and inspire individuals about the important work happening at CAMH — Canada’s leading hospital for mental health.

You may have seen our canvassers on the streets of Toronto or at your front door, ready to provide current and meaningful information in an open conversation about mental health care. Their job is to connect with people in our communities, educate them on the global mental health crisis we are facing, and encourage them to make a monthly donation and join the community of Change Agents. One of our donors, who was approached by one of our face-to-face canvassers said that they learned how CAMH is able to help people living with mental illness who are struggling or in crisis and that’s what convinced them to become a Change Agent. They said, “I’ve been donating monthly since then, because I want CAMH to always be there to help someone who needs it. I’m proud to support CAMH with my monthly donation.”

We engage in this kind of face-to-face fundraising because our presence in public spaces resonates with people. Our message in day-to-day interactions reminds people that there is a need for change. Improving public awareness of CAMH’s goal to transform the way society thinks about mental health not only destigmatizes mental illness, it also supports our monthly giving program, which provides reliable, long-term funds to CAMH. I encourage you to give them a moment of your time to learn about the future we’re hoping to build together.

We have big things coming next year that I’ll be able to share very soon. Until then I urge you to get involved in our movement. Consider your reason and visit camh.ca/get-involved to join our community of Change Agents, start a conversation with your loved ones about mental illness, and get inspired to save lives today.

Sarah Chamberlin is Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Community Giving and Engagement at CAMH Foundation. The Foundation supports the philanthropic efforts of CAMH, Canada’s largest mental health teaching hospital and a world leader in mental health research, treatment, and advocacy.

Please visit CAMH.ca to read more about the important work CAMH is doing with the help of our communities or email Sarah at sarah.chamberlin@camh.ca. She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.