One of the most serious epidemics that we face in Australia today is the ever-increasing number of charities and not-for-profit organisation.

At last count, Australia has the highest number of charities per person than ever before, with close to 57,000 charities across the country, equating to one charity for every 422 Australians. That’s even higher than in the United States, where there is one charity for every 648 Americans.

While I have no doubt that each organisation is doing worthwhile and valuable work the sheer numbers of charities in the marketplace means that each new player has to battle to get their message across. Also, the charity dollar is not growing at the same rate as the number of charities and this means that each organisation receives far less than they need in terms of donations, volunteers, resources and media coverage. Sometimes I wonder if these new charities add real value to the fight against whatever it is they’re fighting for.

In order to ensure that the charity sector is maximising its impact there needs to be greater collaboration and stronger partnerships

The Pancreatic Cancer Alliance

In 2015, I was challenged by a leading Melbourne based Philanthropist to use my convening power to work with the various pancreatic organisations in Australia to maximise their impact on this insidious disease. The group of organisations all dedicated to fighting pancreatic cancer made the decision to stop competing and start working together, with the result being The Pancreatic Cancer Alliance (‘The Alliance’), a unique collaboration committed to raising awareness of, and improving outcomes for, pancreatic cancer in Australia.

Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer-related death in Australia and has the lowest five-year survival rate of any cancer in Australia (at less than 7%), and yet very little progress had been made in terms of medical research for close to four decades. Pancreatic cancer is rarely detected in its early stages, and typically spreads rapidly, and at the current survival rates it means death within five years for 93% of people diagnosed. These figures are simply unacceptable, which is why the members of The Alliance put their differences aside and chose to begin working together towards their common goal.

Rather than competing for the limited funding and resources available, why not join forces to fight against our shared enemy?

The founding members of the Pancreatic Cancer Alliance are (in alphabetical order): Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation; Cancer Australia; Garvan Institute of Medical Research; GI Cancer Institute; Karen Livingstone; Pancare Foundation; Patron – Tracey Spicer, and #PurpleOurWorld.

These organisations and individuals, once considered competitors in the space, are combining resources and raising greater awareness of pancreatic cancer in Australia, and driving much needed funds into medical research. The hope is that more research will lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of pancreatic cancer; to the development of tests for early detection; help us find ways to prevent pancreatic cancer and ultimately, enable new therapies to be developed to treat pancreatic cancer and stop it from spreading.

One of The Alliance’s key awareness raising activities was the establishment of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place each November. The aim of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month is to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease, share the stories of people living with pancreatic cancer, as well as those who have lost their battle with the disease, and raise significant funds to drive new research.

The Alliance has already made great headway in the fight against pancreatic cancer, with patient trials currently underway for the use of Palbociclib, a breast cancer drug, to treat pancreatic cancer. These trials are off the back of the work of a Garvan research team, led by Dr Marina Pajic, which identified in preclinical models that this particular breast cancer drug effectively targets a major subtype of pancreatic cancer, one that affects two out of three patients diagnosed.

It will be interesting to see whether the success of The Pancreatic Cancer Alliance leads to collaborations between other not for profits with common causes. Personally, I believe it makes a lot of sense to pool the available resources and talents, and work together towards shared goals, rather than competing.