Our performance over time

We also partnered with government and collaborators, seeking competitive grant and contract funding.

		2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
	Number of research grants received	12	16	13	21	19
	Total research grants received ($m)	1.5	2.6	1.9	2.3	2.3

Supporting people with cancer

Due to the health risks posed by COVID-19, 91% of our dedicated Transport to Treatment volunteer drivers (all drivers aged over 60) were temporarily stood down.

Thanks to the incredible volunteers and staff members who stepped up to fill the gap, we were able to ensure cancer patients could still get to their treatment during COVID-19.

		2017	2018	2019	2020
	Number of trips by our Transport to Treatment service:	20,296	22,138	28,407	19,070*

* The overall number of trips fell this year. This was in part due to the bush fires, which impacted many of our Transport to Treatment services during September 2019 and February 2020, and in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, some of our services were forced to temporarily close, border closures reduced our ability to transport some patients, and some patients delayed their treatment or opted for virtual appointments.

		2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
	Number of accommodation nights:	19,878	19,897	21,074	23,144	23,816

Providing reliable information

We are providing reliable information about specific types of cancer, treatments and emotional and practical issues.

Our podcasts, The Thing About Cancer and The Thing About Advanced Cancer provide easy to understand information for patients and their carers. The podcast format avoids many common barriers to information. Cancer-related fatigue, brain fog and feeling unwell can make reading a challenge, but listening to a podcast takes very little effort and can be done at a time and place that suits the listener.

* We distributed less Understanding Cancer resources in hospitals, treatment centres and regional offices due to COVID-19.

Professional organisations generously volunteer their time and expertise to support cancer patients and carers through our Pro Bono program with legal, financial and workplace issues.

		2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
	Number of legal, financial and workplace issues:	3,882	3,518	3,719	4,003	3,508*

*We received a significant decrease in referrals from March-June due to COVID-19.

Supported by the community

In 2019/20 our fundraising income was significantly impacted, first by the bushfires, and then by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are facing an almost 30% decline in fundraising income over the next year, as we have had to stop, postpone or adapt much of our fundraising activity.

We are so grateful to our wonderful supporters who continued to fundraise and donate to us, including those who supported our emergency appeal, which raised more than $1.2million, making it our most successful appeal to date.

		2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
	Total fundraising income ($m):	67.4	66.9	56.5	63.8	48.1
	Number of people who left us a gift in their will:	152	150	108	147	134

Working to prevent cancer

We are working to prevent cancer by creating healthier environments and empowering people to reduce their cancer risk.

Improve your long game is our free sun protection program in NSW golf clubs. In NSW, men over the age of 40 are 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma and 2.5 times more likely to die from melanoma than women of the same age. Improve your long game is a way to reach this often difficult to reach group.

		2017	2018	2019	2020
	Number of golf clubs participating in Improve your long game:	82	111	108	183

Thanks to the community’s support, we are here to help everyone affected by cancer when they need it most.