Changing the Face of Men's Health

In 2003, two mates Travis Garone and Luke Slattery from Melbourne Australia were having a quiet beer at the Gypsy Bar on Brunswick St, Fitzroy when their conversation turned to recurring fashion trends. They questioned where the Mo had gone and joked about bringing it back.

The two friends decided to talk their mates into growing a Mo. Inspired by a friend's mother who was fundraising for breast cancer, they decided to make the campaign about men's health and prostate cancer. They designed rules and guidelines for Movember (which are still in place today) and agreed to charge ten dollars to grow a Mo. Trav designed the first Movember logo, and they sent around an email titled Are you man enough to be my man? They found 30 guys willing to take up the challenge.

From 30 Mo Bros in Melbourne, Australia in 2003 to 1,127,152 Mo's in 2012, Movember, through the power of the moustache, has become a truly global movement that is changing the face of men's health.

See how Movember went from 30 to 1,127,152 Mo's

Since those first few years, Movember has continued to grow at an extraordinary pace, and today, with the support of hundreds of thousands of Mo Bros, Mo Sistas and their donors, Movember is fulfilling its vision: To have an everlasting impact on the face of men's health.

The Secret to Movember's Success

The growth and success of the Movember movement hasn't happened overnight, but the Foundation behind the month has driven amazing results through a large network of partners, companies, schools, and individuals, fulfilling its vision of "having an everlasting impact on the face of men's health."

But there are some specifics to highlight that have contributed to the Foundation's success as an organization and a global movement.

It appeals to everyone.

There hasn't been a global movement for a men's health issue much like there is for breast cancer awareness. Movember is truly the first global movement around men's health issues, including prostate and testicular cancer awareness and education.

These issues are relevant to all men, given that a new case of prostate cancer diagnosed every 2.2 minutes and every man will be affected by the disease, whether they're diagnosed themselves or someone they know is diagnosed.

Movember has literally changed the face of men's health by having their supporters wear the awareness on their face for an entire month. What other movement has brought that much attention to men's health ever? And embracing women as part of the movement as "Mo Sistas," who are deemed supporters of the mustache and men's health advocates, only expands its reach even further.

It embraces humor.

Using humor in its videos, images, and marketing materials adds a welcoming nature to the cause. The Foundation isn't trying to guilt you into donating or fundraising, but it's also not making light of the issues they are supporting.

Movember is simply making it fun to fundraise and raise awareness for a good cause, with resources like how to groom and maintain your mustache, also known as "Mustachery," a Mustache Hall of Fame, and a mustache style guide with nine different ways to grow your stache.

How to gain support for your Mo?

If you've joined the movement and are going to be growing your stylish mustache this November, there are some clever ways to market your stache and gain support from your networks to raise money and awareness for a great cause

1. Register as a Mo.

To access all the resources Movember provides for it's fundraisers, you can register as a individual fundraiser or get a group of people together to fundraise as a team on movember.com.

2. Dedicate your Facebook account.

Let everyone in your Facebook network know you're growing a mustache for Movember by changing your cover photo. When you sign up, you can generate one with your fundraising page URL so your friends know where to donate.

3. Use the Movember mobile app to share pictures of your growing stache daily.

Keeping your social networks up-to-date on the progress of your mustache is easy with the Movember mobile app. Simply snap a picture every day during the month and share it on Facebook and Twitter.

4. Make a video and ask your friends to donate and grow their own mustache.

A simple way to kick off your campaign is to make a video of why you're participating in Movember and make the ask to either join your team, or donate to your fundraising page.

Now that you know how to capitalize on this unique fundraising opportunity, join Generation Mo and get growing!