The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Invite reviews
Invite friends and colleagues to share their experiences with this nonprofit
May 15, 2013
This is my ninth year as an active TNT volunteer, and in my opinion the organization does an excellent job. Not perfect, but none of us are. Have many friends who are Blood Cancer survivors, some who have not been able to survive. The work of LLS with patients and their families is superb, and the support of new drugs and therapies is outstanding.
My "family cancer" is pancreatic, and unfortunately there has been less success in that arena. My wife and I work with LLS in part because we see success, and also hope for cross-over to other cancers.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Persuade the CEO to reexamine his own compensation.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
1 person found this review helpful
February 3, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
Our experience with Team in Training and by extension the LLS was great. My wife was diagnosed with CLL (Chronic Lymphocidic Leukemia) 15 years ago. Today, she is still very healthy and active and her CLL is in remission. We attribute much of this to chemo treatments using what was newly developed technology about 10 years ago. We believe efforts like TnT contribute substantially to this and other cancer/disease research. If it takes people to engage in a personal endurance challenge to motivate them and their supporters to contribute to this, we see no problem, in fact having seen it up close from many perspectives, seeing the results, we think it is terrific. This is true not only for LLS/TnT but all similar endurance based fund raisers for charity.
AFTER my wife was diagnosed, we participated in 3 Team in Training running events to both improve our health (thus fighting my wife's disease) and help raise funds for research and treatment. TnT raises many millions that got to fighting and treating blood based diseases.
Surely in participating, was some fun and friendship but that was not the purpose but just a byproduct. The time and work involved to participate far outweighs social and financial benefit for participants. IT IS NOT EASY.
We remained active in TnT for 15 years, assisting at many group meetings and promotions, mentoring/coaching others, and donating to many others TnT campaigns.
While there are clearly social and personal health/achievement benefits to participating, the work and effort involved in training and fund raising is substantial. Anyone who participates is to be commended. It is hardly a free vacation. As to 'repeat' participation as an imposition on friends, it is up to them if they want to donate again and again. It is equally difficult for many participants to 'ask' again. They do it through belief that they are helping others and that their friends agree. Most people will donate to some charities every year. Hopefully most people realize that the participant is (again) making a substantial effort in fundraising and training/participating and find it not easy again and again. It is NOT easy for most people to ask for financial support from others.For many/most the fundraising is even more difficult than the VERY difficult training and participation.
I think Team In Training is a terrific concept and it has been cloned by many other charitable organizations to the good of millions of participants, patients, families, research facilities, and treatment centers. I doubt the bottom line funding of these charities would be as good without these endurance training organizations and their many many volunteers and participants.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
December 1, 2011
There are different types of non-profit organizations - some are strictly foundations collecting money and others are businesses funding research - LLS raises a lot of money, serves patients and their families AND funds real research...this is a multi-million dollar business with a great track record, results in research, and services provided...the question is, how much do you pay someone to lead an organization that is actually working to cure cancer? You might just get what you pay for...
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Quite well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
July 5, 2011
2 people found this review helpful
This organization is truly doing what they say they will do - and they do it in creative and innovative ways...they are run like a business with true ethics and accountability...they are successful, even in these times, making real strides against blood cancers because of the way that they are run. Kris Sergentakis, another reviewer, is a convicted felon who pleaded guilty to defrauding this organization, and his website is nothing more than the disgruntled missive of a rat who got caught. His rants and baseless falsehoods about the CEO who put him behind bars with tons of evidence IN ADDITION to his admission are pathetic. Put more faith in the reviews of people who didn't steal money from them.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
...seeing friends who have survived beyond expectation due to the development of Gleevec, which was a result of LLS research funding. Sow me another non-profit that DIRECTLY had a hand in what is, for all intents and purposes, a cure.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Make sure people understand that success in non-profit is more than an altruistic desire, and successful people should be rewarded in non-profit even more than those in the for-profit world...good people NEED to be using their talents in
2 people found this review helpful
May 2, 2011
2 people found this review helpful
I'm a lymphoma survivor and a five time Team in Training participant. Everything I see tells me that this is a good organization. I do think $500K is too high a salary for their CEO for a charity. However, the local people I see are underpaid from what I see and the hard work that they do. Plus none of the volunteers are paid and we put a lot of time into this. Any charity is going to have 20-25% of their revenue going into admin and fundraising, and LLS is no different. If it were 30-35%, I'd be concerned, but not 25%. I disagree with most of the negative comments that I read. Nothing is perfect but the mission of curing blood cancers is a very difficult one, and progress is being made.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
As a first connection volunteer (unpaid), I have called a number of recently diagnosed people to discuss what they will be going through with treatment. In many cases, the people I talked to we so appreciative of this service.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Pay the local staffs a little more to retain them.
More feedback...
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
Did your volunteer experience have an effect on you? (teaching you a new skill, or introducing new friends, etc.)
Met a lot of really good people who really cared.
How did this volunteer experience make you feel?
Like I was doing what I could to make a positive difference.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
June 11, 2010
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is an excellent organization that funds research of blood cancers. The Society's funding has helped researchers make break-throughs in the fight against blood cancer such as the creation of Gleevec. The Society also supports patient education and offers support to blood cancer patients and their families.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I volunteer with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through Team in Training (TNT). Team in Training helps ordinary people achieve athletic goals like completing a century bike ride, marathon, or triathalon. Volunteers train for their event and raise mone
More feedback...
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
July 7, 2009
I'm giving LLS and TNT four stars. This is my first year with Team in Training, so I will come back and revisit my review once the season is over. So far it has been a great experience.
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the fact that my honoree (3-year-old girl with leukemia) has a 90% chance of fully recovering.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
the positive energy volunteers share with all participants.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
well-intentioned.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
come one-step closer to curing blood cancer.
Ways to make it better...
my work and personal life wasn't so busy during the summer months and I was able to participate in more TNT events.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2009
4 people found this review helpful
February 4, 2008
4 people found this review helpful
The people in team in training and those whom work for the society have seen and been through alot. Many people on the team either have a relative or someone close to them be diagnosed with, live with, or even pass on because of Leukemia, Lymphoma, or any one of the other many blood diseases. These people are tough and helpful, fighting for a good cause.
Photos
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Doug, one of the teams honorees' life was saved because of valuable research that the Leukemia & Lymphoma society raised and donated money for.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
Getting to learn more about blood cancers, meeting alot of great people and running for a cause.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Everyone was nice and helpful, because this is my first nonprofit, I have been having a hard time raising money, but the staff have helped me alot.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Save many lives as well as have money to put towards cures for leukemia and lymphoma.
Ways to make it better...
There were more conveniently set up fund raiser workshops.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2008
13 people found this review helpful
May 7, 2007
13 people found this review helpful
I must admit that my reasons for signing up with the SF Bay Area Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training (TNT) were none too altruistic. After grad school, all of my friends left the Bay Area, and so I had no life. My marriage sucked dead goats. And worst of all, I was quickly turning into a tub of lard. I decided that joining a triathlon team would ease my yearning for social contact, buff men, and (my own) toned toukhas. Deeply guilt-ridden Judeo-Christian that I am, though, I couldn't justify dedicating hundreds of dollars and hours of training to my own selfish needs. And so I made a charitable event out of my endurance sport aspirations by joining TNT. Oh yes. And I wanted to stamp out leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood cancers. But that came later. TNT does an excellent job of whipping its recruits' bodies into shape and their social networks into a fundraising frenzy. Each athlete has to raise several thousands of dollars - for my event, the 2005 Wildflower triathlon, the amount was $2900 - and the TNT staff armed us with Web sites, fundraising letter templates, and a bevy of fundraising event ideas - many of them involving copious amounts of liver-altering libations. The staff also guided us through a sane, safe, well-watered, nicely nurtured training regimen that, by Jove, resulted in about a hundred newly minted triathletes - all of whom are now, of course, my best friends. I can't ride my bike in Marin County without running into a fellow TNT alum. L & L also does a pretty decent job of educating TNT athletes about blood cancers, their causes, and their cures, as well as supporting research and patient services. What's not to love about this set-up? Well, I'm sure if you do it right, you don't wind up shelling out hundreds more dollars on your new best friends' fundraisers. But I didn't do it right, and probably spent at least as much money on donations as I did on gear. And triathlon gear is not cheap - a road bike with clipless pedals, a wet suit, and some toukhas-accentuating spandex don't come cheap in these parts. So it's an expensive way to raise money for blood cancer research and patient support. Also, I was required to drink far more alcohol than anyone should - a deterrent for folks who are trying to stay on the wagon. And the mean age of participants was probably 27, although the range was about 24 to 50, and so the demographics might not be welcoming to all. Finally, in all the pavement pounding and lollygagging, I'm not sure how much we paid attention to the cause of fighting blood cancers. TNTs strategy of turning its athletes' vanity and unspent glucose into donor dollars is brilliant; it would be even better if the organization could turn those resources into a deeper knowledge about nonprofit participation as a whole (e.g., which other diseases deserve attention, how the poisoned environment is increasing cancer prevalence, how else athletes can be of use in the world). But in the end, it was hellafun, and I was converted to the cause of supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society forever.
Photos
The Great!
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the fact that you can't swing a cat in the Bay Area without seeing a TNT athlete.
Ways to make it better...
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Educate athletes about other ways they can participate in civil society and the nonprofit sector.
More feedback...
What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...
Brand new life - new friends, new bike, new endorphins, new cause to support.
The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...
Fun, earnest, successful, smart, and looked good in spandex.
If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
Cure a lot of cancer and get a lot of disaffected thirtysomethings off of their couches.
Ways to make it better...
I hadn't spent so much money to raise money.
In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...
Catapulting participants into other realms of activism.
One thing I'd also say is that...
Go Team!
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2005
Previous |
Next