Improving men’s health with Rule Prostate Cancer
The E.J. Whitten Foundation (EJWF) was established in 1995 in honour of Ted Whitten Senior. With its annual E.J. Whitten Legends Game and numerous awareness programs, the Foundation has raised over $15 million for men’s health. As a sports-based organisation, the EJWF has a unique platform to connect with men and influence behaviours and attitudes. Kinetica has worked with the Foundation since 2015 providing strategic and operational support to help the organisation attract funding and engage men to take a more proactive role in looking after their health. We continue to work with the organisation following its merger with the Australian Prostate Cancer Centre and rebranding as Rule Prostate Cancer.
Repositioning for greater relevance and impact
Our first areas of work with the Foundation were focused on reviewing the governance and strategy of the organisation. The Foundation had raised significant funds for prostate cancer research since its inception but required a repositioning to help broaden its relevance and role in the Victorian community. We developed a refreshed positioning for the organisation that focused on men’s health more broadly and with prostate health remaining the primary cause at the heart of the organisation’s mission. This work, along with an initiative to refresh the organisation’s governance, led directly to long-term funding from the Victorian Government for continued research and men’s health promotion.
Motivating men to actively look after their health
Having securing funding from the Victorian Government, the EJWF partnered with Kinetica to develop a new community awareness program designed to prompt men to be more proactive in looking after their health. We designed and implemented the “It’s Time to Test” program. This focussed on one-on-one engagements, encouraging men to visit a doctor for a full health check. Our research illustrated that of those who had a blood pressure check through the program, 75% went on to have a full check-up with a doctor.