The reasons for joining Relay for Life at the University are varied. Some come to remember, some to find hope, some to support friends and a few to get room points with their sororities.

But the fundamental mission of the event is as simple as it is resonant: to preserve human life.

The event is one of the largest on campus, drawing more than 3,500 students to Palmer Field on a sunny April day last year.

And if precedent is any indicator, that number might easily exceed 4,000 at this year’s April 14 24-hour event.

The basic objective of Relay for Life is to support and fund research conducted by the American Cancer Society. The ACS provides a host of services to cancer patients, from support groups to temporary housing. And since its beginnings in 1985 in Tacoma, Wash., Relay has exploded onto the national scene with thousands of events nationwide and millions of participants.

The first Relay at the University was held in 2003 and raised more than $80,000. Last year, organizers quadrupled that number, raising nearly $340,000.

But preparing for the event never really stops following the previous year’s Relay, and planning for fundraising is a core part of those preparations.

For Public Policy junior Sam Lewis, co-executive director of the University’s Relay for Life, the event is a yearlong remembrance and tribute to his own father who passed away from cancer when Lewis was six years old.

When I spoke with Lewis over the phone, it was clear that he cared deeply about the event. It wasn’t just a line on his resume.

“The most effective fundraisers are the people who can really inspire and talk about the mission of Relay,” Lewis said. “In my fundraising e-mails, I speak a lot about my father, how much this event means to me, and how much this event helps me honor my father and his memory.”

Almost all of the Relay for Life members interviewed echoed Lewis’s sentiments, saying e-mails were by far the most effective way of raising funds. As easy and simple as they may be, about 80 percent of Relay’s monetary support comes from this source alone.

As of yesterday, the University’s Relay for Life has raised more than $169,000 for 2012 with online donations alone. And that number is only on the rise. Additionally, thousands of dollars worth of non-electronic donations have yet to be added to the running total.

“We’ve pored through the numbers, and we’ve found that every team that sends out more than 10 emails has raised at least $200,” Lewis said.

Some ambitious individuals end up raising far more money than entire groups.

Business junior Lindsay Davis — a veritable Relay for Life zealot — excitedly described her involvement in Relay. And she's not just talk, having personally raised $10,000 for the event.

Relying almost exclusively on e-mail, Davis brought together an eclectic mix of family members, University alumni, former fraternity members and a healthy dose of self-sacrifice (read: forgoing birthday gifts in favor of donations) to arrive at her present total.

“I e-mailed my friends, parents, friends abroad … their parents. My grandma mass e-mailed her friends, and my uncle mass e-mailed his fraternity brothers,” Davis said. “I haven’t had someone say ‘no’ yet.”

One of the largest entities involved in Relay for Life is the University’s Greek Life. Davis, a member of the Chi Omega sorority, said Greek Life's networked structure is conducive to fundraising.

“If you’re legal, there are fundraisers at bars, and bowling nights, and restaurant nights,” Davis said. “It’s not just donating money. It’s an active thing, which really pertains to Greek Life.”

LSA senior Laura Flusty, co-executive director of the University’s Relay for Life and also a member of Chi Omega, said that while Relay seeks to reflect the entire campus, Greek Life has an inherent advantage in organizing and preparing for the event.

“Sororities and fraternities have greater resources than maybe the rest of campus, because they have a set database of parents they can reach out to, and they have a ton of members,” Flusty said. “Each sorority has 150 people, which is a huge group and a bunch of resources with families and friends they can ask for donations.”

Flusty reluctantly acknowledged that there were some less than altruistic motivations for members of Greek Life to participate in Relay.

“Maybe the reason why the Greek teams are so big is because you get room points or certain advantages for participating with your fraternity or sorority in these community service events,” Flusty said.