If you’re not having a National Cancer Survivors Day® in-person event, we’ve put together this guide for planning virtual events.

If you’re looking for more information on themes for your event, whether it’s in-person or virtual, you can check out our general “theme-aspiration” page.

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Virtual Event Ideas

Sidewalk Chalk Art Challenge

Supply sidewalk chalk and encourage attendees to submit their art piece. Suggest happy messages, inspirational words, works of art, “stained glass” doodles, and more!

Virtual Speaker

Level up a virtual experience with a keynote speaker or series of virtual storytellers. Some of the best virtual events will include a speaker to deliver a message or share a story. As a registered event coordinator, you have access to the official National Cancer Survivors Day Speakers Bureau Roster.

Virtual Scavenger Hunt

The rules of a virtual scavenger hunt are not all that different from one in real life, but with some key opportunities to add relevance and impact. First, give the event a theme (such as “travel” or cancer-related themes) then split attendees into small teams and give them a list of items they need to retrieve from around their homes. These items should be specific but general enough that they leave room for creativity, such as “funny coffee mug”, “a fun hat”, or “what gave me the most inspiration through treatment.” Consider adding bonus points for out-of-the-box thinking. 

There are lots of ideas of photo scavenger hunts online. Set the challenge and ask people to send in their photos, or post on social media using a set hashtag. The first person to complete all the photos wins!

Gratitude version: Something that makes you happy, something to give to someone else to make them smile, something you love to smell, something you enjoy looking at, something that is your favorite color, something you like in nature, something you can use to make a gift for someone, something that is useful to you.

Virtual Walk/Run

Use apps and tools like Nike Run Club, Staycation Races, or FitBit. Send survivors NCSD t-shirts and buttons to wear and ask for pictures of them walking/running.

Virtual Cooking Class

Send participants kits in advance or provide them with a list of ingredients that will be used. Gift cancer cookbooks to attendees.

Virtual Bingo

Issue everyone an online bingo card OR porch drop a “player pack” to all residents that are attending. (Player pack can include both a printable bingo card and candies like M&M’s to use as cover chips.) To cut costs, you could also encourage participating residents to use coins or dried beans as their cover. Use local restaurant gift cards as prizes.

Virtual Garden Party

Fun ideas for virtual garden parties:

• Arrange flowers or succulents.
• Craft a planter or garden decoration.
• Take teammates on a tour of your backyard.
• Have a hackysack contest. Last teammate to drop the ball wins!
• Mix up fresh flower & herb based cocktails. Feel free to share recipes beforehand.
• Host a “coolest sunglasses” competition.
• Send seeds to teammates and plant a patch during the call.

Virtual Comedian or Concert

Much like an inspirational keynote speaker, a comedian or musical performance make any virtual event extra special. There are several comedians in our NCSD Speakers Bureau Roster. Download and use the search function and search for ‘comedian’ or ‘humorous.’

A performance from a musician can be an entertaining way to keep the audience engaged. Even better: Hire a musician who can turn the concert into an interactive networking experience.

Costume Contest

Just because you’re not in-person doesn’t mean there can’t be costumes! Have a costume contest virtually with voting and tiered prizes. Find some great prize ideas in our NCSD Merchandise Catalog.

Virtual Trivia or Game Night

Host a virtual game night — many of the games you know and love have online versions now. Or if you’re looking to get creative, make your own trivia game. Play verbal games, or try video charades.

Virtual Soiree

Deliver each guest a “party in a box” for a festive atmosphere on screen; party boxes could include party favors (hats, leis), tiny decorations (paper lanterns, mini-umbrellas for drinks), or even food and drink (pie-in-a-jar, drink mix).

Virtual Afternoon Tea

Try out some delicious recipes or make your own and cook up some tasty treats for your event – even if they’re just for you to enjoy! You could challenge each guest to bake something they haven’t made before, and see the results on camera!

Host an Informational Webinar

Host a live virtual event with your oncology or imaging staff. Draft a series of questions in advance for a prepared discussion, but open the comment stream to live questions that the subject matter expert can answer in real time.

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