Donations

There are countless privately directed cancer research foundations. They operate under the guidance of a donor, or under the guidelines established by a donor or board. Most of these do not seek supplemental income, and many operate off of the interest on the funds held by the foundation. Since these are essentially private funds, they have the right to direct them as they please. I assume these are not the foundations you’re concerned about.

However, when it comes to non-profit organizations, corporate foundations and the like, accountability is a challenge! Most cancer non-profits are monitored by the IRS and do adhere to the tax codes. Each non-profit files an annual 990 Form which discloses some of this information, but it is also easy to hide overhead in program lines, a smoke-and-mirrors game that makes them look like a much healthier organization than they are. I have concerns about the salary lines at the top of some organizations, as well as whether the money they distribute is consistent with their stated missions.

My goal is greater transparency. Non-profits who are truly in it for their mission should disclose, in plain English, how their money is spent. Any donor should be able to readily discern how much goes to direct service, overhead, research, etc, BEFORE a donation is made. Non-profits need to keep in mind that donors are significant stakeholders.

Another concern I have is the emergence of cause marketing. Countless companies now brand themselves with a high-profile non-profit, or use these partnerships to sell products. In this case, I believe every product label or advertisement should include the nature of the partnership (i.e. how much per purchase is donated to which organization under what circumstances). Caps on donations should also be disclosed, and again, the information about what is done with the money should be readily available (for example, by visiting a website that is also included in the advertising).

Until we have such a system, if I do not feel I can get the information I need to assure myself that their giving is in keeping with my priorities, I tend to give to local, direct-service organizations and local research foundations, where a personal relationship goes a long way to being able to follow the money.