No-Shave November: Growing Awareness One Whisker at a Time
Every November, razors go in the drawer and beards, mustaches, leg hair come out to play. It looks a little like a lazy grooming month. It is actually one of the most approachable cancer fundraisers there is.
The idea is simple: skip the shave, for 30 days, and donate what you would have spent on grooming to cancer charities. Many people lose their hair during cancer treatment. Growing yours out is a visible, daily nod to them, and a natural conversation starter about prevention and early detection.
From a family tribute to a national movement
No-Shave November started with one family's loss. Matthew Hill, a husband and father of eight from suburban Chicago, died of colon cancer in November 2007. Ditching the razor in November was already a loose tradition, but in 2009 his children gave it a purpose: grow your hair and donate the grooming money to cancer charities.
It began as a small Facebook campaign. In that first year, the oldest Hill sibling, Rebecca, raised about $2,000. Within a decade the campaign had passed $5 million and more than 13,000 participants worldwide. For years it ran through the family's nonprofit, the Matthew Hill Foundation.
In 2024, No-Shave November found a new home with Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC), which now runs the campaign and carries the Hill family's legacy forward. Fight CRC reports that since 2009 the campaign has raised more than $13 million for cancer research, education and prevention.
Where does the money go?
The 2026 campaign benefits three organizations, each working on a different part of the cancer fight:
Fight Colorectal Cancer
Advocacy, education and research funding for Colorectal Cancer
Prevent Cancer Foundation
Cancer prevention and early detection programs
Man Up to Cancer
Peer support for men living with cancer.