History of
the
White Shirt Campaign
Witchery has been supporting the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation since 2000. This enduring partnership is driven by a shared commitment to improving survival for this devastating cancer, through raising awareness and investing in vital medical research.
OUR CONTRIBUTION TO DATE
$17,972,548
ABOUT THE OCRF
The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) is Australia’s leading independent funder of ovarian cancer research, dedicated to transforming outcomes for the most lethal women’s cancer. In Australia, fewer than 50 per cent of women and girls diagnosed with ovarian cancer will survive more than five years - a figure unchanged for decades, highlighting disparities and gender inequities in research and care that demand urgent action.
OCRF is rewriting this story. Their vision is a future where those impacted by ovarian cancer can live healthy, vital lives. To achieve this, they are catalysing change and accelerating progress by increasing awareness, advocating for greater investment and equity, collaborating nationally and internationally, and strategically funding high impact medical research.
The OCRF is entirely funded by the Australian community, through fundraisers, donors and valued partners such as Witchery. Witchery has supported the OCRF through a range of projects, donating more than $17.9 million over the years, most notably through the Witchery White Shirt campaign, which began in 2008."It is hard to overstate the power and the impact The Witchery White Shirt Campaign continues to have. For 18 years, the campaign has played a fundamental role in driving awareness and raising critical funds for ovarian cancer research. Every year builds on the success of the last.
Investing in medical research means you are in it for the long game and Witchery, along with the amazing ambassadors who show up for us every year, and every person who buys a shirt, are walking the road alongside us." - Robin Penty, CEO of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
WHY OVARIAN CANCER?
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynaecological cancer in Australia. It’s a complex disease that will require multiple modes of detection, innovative treatment options, and increased investment in prevention approaches to improve outcomes. The ovarian cancer community has suffered from structural underfunding and addressing gender inequity is an urgent health priority, including barriers for First Nations women, those living in rural and remote areas, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those with limited financial or social support.
Every advance has been hard won by determined researchers. Yet, the field remains under-researched and under-resourced. We need more research, and we need it now. That’s why the OCRF is working to build the scale needed to change the story.
2025 Donation
$843,702
2024 Donation
$792,937
2023 Donation
$1,228,285
2022 Donation
$677,832
2021 Donation
$537,772
2020 Donation
$335,659
2019 Donation
$1,408,729
2018 Donation
$1,713,347
2017 Donation
$1,000,000
2016 Donation
$1,634,570
2015 Donation
$1,597,275
2014 Donation
$1,202,440
2013 Donation
$1,130,000
2012 Donation
$1,070,000
2011 Donation
$700,000
2010 Donation
$500,000
2009 Donation
$600,000
2008 Donation
$1,000,000
THE EARLY YEARS 2000–2007
The partnership between Witchery and the OCRF was established well before the first White Shirt Campaign.
In 2000, Witchery joined the OCRF's mission to develop an early detection test that ultimately becomes as readily available and habitual as a pap test is for cervical cancer. Witchery begins to raise funds for the OCRF through the sale of Silver Ribbons, the Exposure Book and Exposure lip gloss. 2007 sees the launch of the 'Every Cloud' initiative with a collection of silver gifts and a unique OCRF desk diary. 100% of gross proceeds from the sale of the diary were donated to the OCRF.