TORONTO - For decades, the enduring image of the Canadian Cancer Society has been the gently nodding spring flower, the daffodil. And while that bright yellow symbol of hope and renewal isn't being abandoned, the venerable charity is now taking a much bolder approach.

It's out to kick cancer's butt.

The society is rolling out a revamped national awareness and fundraising campaign, dubbed Join the Fight, and it's not pulling any punches.

Edgy and in-your-face multimedia ads and online videos are introducing the organization's newest symbols - cancer survivors and the family and friends of those claimed by the disease, who call on Canadians to help them "fight back" against cancer.

One woman, sitting on the edge of a double bed, tells cancer it has stolen the love of her life; another says it has taken her first-born son; a young man yells: "You're not taking anyone else from me. Never!"

Dom Sitas, a father of three diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer, lets the tears flow as he describes how the disease suddenly shattered his life and that of his family. He takes aim at cancer, addressing his nemesis as if it were a person.

"Even though I may cry tears now, those tears are strength, those tears are strength for my family, for my parents, for my family, for my kids. For all the people who fight, just fight and win."

"And you will be defeated," he tells the disease.

Three years in the making, the rebranding campaign reflects in part a reassessment of the values and goals of staff and volunteers across the country, said Peter Goodhand, society president and CEO.

"We wanted to dig deep and make sure we knew who we were ourselves," he said. "In doing that, we found out how deeply personal it was that so many of our staff, so many of our volunteers are with the society ... because of personal experiences, personal connections. They're survivors, they're caregivers, they've lost loved ones."

The charity also sought outside feedback, asking Canadians through surveys and focus groups what they thought about the society and what needed to be done to defeat cancer.

Indeed, many did identify the organization as "those daffodil people," but Goodhand said Canadians also wanted more emphasis on cancer prevention, as well as improved treatments to increase survival from more types of cancer.

"People expect that. I think increasingly Canadians are looking for accountability and evidence of results."

"It's not that we're walking away from an image and progress that the daffodil inspires. But it's this sense of inspiring Canadians to take action, to say: 'Enough is enough, let's do something about it. Get involved.' It's adding 'fight back' to the daffodil rather than saying it replaces it."

Still, Goodhand concedes that the raw emotions exhibited by cancer survivors and others who have lost loved ones are "not as comfortable as the daffodil."

"I can understand that for some people the boldness of this will touch a raw nerve. What we want, though, is to get people through that reaction and get them into taking action, fighting back."

Of course, fundraising is a big part of the refocused campaign, which also reaches out to a younger pool of potential donors and volunteers by including links on the website (www.fightback.ca) with Facebook and Twitter.

The society brought in about $200 million in donations in 2008, with almost $50 million of that directed to research.

But with Canada slammed by the global recession, it's likely the level of 2009 donations to the society has either plateaued or dropped, predicted Goodhand. "Certainly last year, 2009, was a tough year for all charities, including us."

This year could prove even more daunting as Canadians in unprecedented numbers dig into their pockets to help quake-ravaged Haiti.

In fact, competition for philanthropic dollars is at an all-time high. Of the roughly 84,000 registered charities in the country, about 200 alone are aimed at defeating various kinds of cancer and supporting those stricken by the disease.

"One thing that is continually a surprise to us," said Steve Jones, president and CEO of Prostate Cancer Canada, "is this is now the most competitive industry out there, the industry of asking for money."

"And you're not selling photocopiers - you're all trying to save lives," he said. "And it's not just the cancer groups. It's us against Heart and Stroke and Diabetes. We're all going to companies and individuals to ask them to support us. And if they're supporting us, they may not be able to support somebody else."

Prostate Cancer Canada has undergone its own rebranding, last year changing its name from the Prostate Cancer Research Foundation (funding research is just one part of its mandate), adopting a man's necktie as its signature symbol and bringing some support groups under its national umbrella.

The changes appear to have paid off: donations from its November moustache-growing pledge campaign jumped to $7.7 million from $2.5 million a year earlier, far exceeding the charity's $4-million target.

Fred Fox, who helps run the Terry Fox Foundation named for his late brother, doesn't expect the recession will have affected donations for 2009, which are still being tallied. Most of the money the foundation raises for cancer research is pledged during community runs each September that commemorate the iconic one-legged runner's 1980 Marathon of Hope.

But he isn't expecting the total to surpass the $25 million raised in 2008 either.

That's one reason the foundation is also looking for ways to reach out to a new cohort of prospective donors - young adults aged 20 to 30.

"It's one of the things that we've noticed over the years," Fox said. "In elementary school, we have a pretty captive audience. The kids do their runs and they know so much about Terry ... Once they graduate from high school, we pretty much lose them altogether."

Like many other charities, the foundation is hoping social media may be the key.

"So we're trying to get up to speed where everybody else is when it comes to Facebook and Twitter, adding that kind of stuff to our website and getting Terry's message and Terry's story out to many more people and to hopefully generate donations that way as well."

Fox believes his brother's public battle against cancer helped spawn many of the charities dedicated to eradicating the disease, whether it be prostate or breast cancer or the osteosarcoma that first claimed his leg and then his life at 22.

"I think the more money that's going to research to find a cure for cancer, no matter what kind of cancer it is, it's all good."