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Susan G. Komen founder Nancy BrinkerBy now you probably know that the Susan G. Komen Foundation has reversed its decision to pull funding from Planned Parenthood. What you don't know is why.
Oh sure, there's the official apology from SGK founder Nancy Brinker and the board of directors. There are the senators who put pressure on the non-profit. And there are all of us social media users who are patting ourselves on the back for making sure the squeaky wheel got the grease. Each of those reasons is valid, but they're not the whole picture.
The real reason Susan G. Komen backed down? Come on, isn't it obvious?
This is really about money.
And not simply the money that all of us put into Planned Parenthood coffers this week instead of into fundraisers for SGK (the entire $680,000 Komen pledge was essentially matched by supporters -- go us). The money that Brinker and her board care most about is the money from corporations.
More from The Stir: Kudos to Susan G. Komen for Defunding Planned Parenthood
To understand Susan G. Komen is to understand where they get their funding. In an interview with Brinker herself during Breast Cancer Awareness Month back in 2010, she revealed that $300 million of the foundation's annual funding comes from grassroots fundraisers. But another $55 million comes from its ties to companies, what she calls "cause-related marketing campaigns" and critics call pinkwashing. One year's worth of monies from those campaigns can fund the community outreach programs that traditional cover the cost of screenings (like those Planned Parenthood helps women access) and education for women six times over.
The de-funding of Planned Parenthood put dozens of those cause-related campaigns in jeopardy. Bands like The Decemberists redirected their Komen fundraising efforts toward helping Planned Parenthood. Companies slowly began backing away. The Republic of Tea announced on Facebook that it was reviewing its Sip for the Cure program, which sent money to the breast cancer foundation. Energizer Battery's Facebook flooded with threats from consumers to boycott the company if they didn't pull support for Komen, and the company responded with a thinly veiled complaint about SGK's decision to change its grants:
As we shared with many of you yesterday, Energizer was unaware that the Komen organization was making a change to their grant policy. Our sole intent has always been to support women in the fight against breast cancer. While we cannot respond uniquely to every comment posted, please know that we are reading them all and appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
Without funding Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen's efforts to pinkwash the world were in serious risk of failure. And if Susan G. Komen cannot pinkwash the world, there is no Susan G. Komen, is there?
Are you returning your support to SGK, or have you lost your faith in the foundation?
Image via cliff1066/Flickr
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Comments (30)
Who is in charge over there? Did they not research anything before they made a decision? Seems like someone just woke up one day and made an announcement without ever thinking it through, busines wise. And them changing their mind just proves, in my opinion, that their decision had nothing to do with "investigation policies". Either way, I'm glad they did.
I supported their decision to stop funding PP. I hate that they are so wishy washy. They have lost all credibility with me.
I hate that apparently this is not a "free country" unless you support and agree with certain things. SGK has the right to fund or not fund whoever the heck they want, just as we have the right to write our checks to who we choose.
Nope. My faith in SGK has gone. I believe they have lost sight of their mission in lieu of the bank account.
I will double my donation to Planned Parenthood and donate to American Cancer Society instead.
This had nothing to do with Komen's stance on abortion this was about $$$. They thought they would make more money off the pro-lifers than the pro-choicers or the I-don't-carers. Who knows maybe she was paid off by a political figure. Either way, her decision had as much to do with ethics as I have to do with nuclear science.
Melissa, no one took away SGK's right to do whatever they want with their money.
Guess what though? I have the right to choose who I give my money to also! So do millions of other Americans. And that is exactly why SGK flip flopped. People are under no obligation to continue funding a charity that goes against their beliefs. It is obvious that a huge majority of people spoke with their pocketbooks over this decision and SGK had no choice but to respond or die out.
It is obvious that a huge majority of people spoke with their pocketbooks over this decision and SGK had no choice but to respond or die out.
Untrue. SGK's donation rate doubled after the cut ties with PP.
Personally, I think this will cause problems for PP, too. PP already has a bad rap, which they earned. Now, any potential large-scale donors are going to certainly look at this and understand that, apparently, donating to PP has to be a life-long commitment or else PP will have a tantrum and stir up a big-old backlash.